
June 9, 2020
Royce Gracie: The Jiu Jitsu Legend on Family, Parenting, and Competition | The Gabby Reece Show
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Key Takeaways
- Focus on leading by example rather than lecturing or imposing arbitrary punishments
- “I can teach you, I can show it to you, but at the end of the day you are the one that has to do it” – Royce Gracie
- “People get raised in a bubble that gets too soft, and they don’t know the outside world or how it works” – Royce Gracie
- You should cultivate a relationship with struggle; fearing struggle won’t make your problems disappear and will probably make them worse
- The greatest strength in life is the ability to strive every day through the blood, sweat, and tears
- Emotional management is one of the most critical aspects of success
- Don’t seek to control what you feel, but manage how you respond to your emotions
- Without character and morals, professional success is meaningless
- Dare to be different and push forward despite your fears
- Without compassion, you can’t be a warrior because you need something to fight for
Intro
- Royce Gracie (@realroyce) is a legendary jiu jitsu fighter and UFC fighter who is credited for popularizing jiu jitsu in America through his family’s unique Gracie jiu jitsu style
- Host: Gabby Reece (@GabbyReece)
Origin of Gracie Jiu Jitsu
- Jiu jitsu is a way of life for the Gracie family, not a mere hobby or profession
- The Gracie family originally learned jiu jitsu from a Japanese business partner who they helped in Brazil
- They passed it along the generations to Helio Gracie, Royce’s father and jiu jitsu mentor
- Helio adapted his jiu jitsu to rely more on leverage and technique rather than strength because he was smaller and weaker than his siblings
The Gracie Family
- Honor and hierarchy are an essential aspect of the Gracie family
- Royce has never argued with his older brothers or cousins because the juniors must respect the seniors
- Gracie honor and hierarchy are what keeps a family full of alpha males in line
- The Gracie family are the co-creators of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and Royce was chosen to represent the family in the octagon because of his humbleness
- “Everytime I won, I won because of them. The three times that I lost, I lost because I made a mistake” – Royce Gracie
- Gracies are instilled with the mindset that whatever happens you must keep moving forward
- It doesn’t mean that you care less, it just means that you understand life must go on
- Competition is ever present in the family in order to push each other to be better every day
- “Once you make the invitation of a challenge the Gracies are in” – Gabby Reece
Parenting
- “It’s okay to be adventurous, to do things, but don’t be stupid about it. There’s a difference.” – Royce Gracie
- The Gracie family believes in leading by example rather than lecturing or arbitrary punishments to teach their kids
- “I can teach you, I can show it to you, but at the end of the day you are the one that has to do it” – Royce Gracie
- Because of the honor within the Gracie family culture, disappointing their parents was the worst punishment that could be inflicted to Royce and his siblings
- When interacting with your children you can’t force your adult baggage onto them
- “You have to be a kid to play with a kid. It keeps you younger” – Royce Gracie
- Learning is a two-way street in relationships whether it be parent & child or mentor & student
- Perhaps lifting up the next generation is the deepest aspect of life
Fighting & Philosophy
- Royce’s mindset when approaching a fight is first and foremost to avoid losing
- “If you can can stop them from beating you, the question is how you’re going to beat them”
- Many sport theories incorporate this doctrine of first seeking not to lose
- For example, Floyd Mayweather’s boxing style revolves around defensive posturing and capitalizing on opponent mistakes with counterpunching
- Losing early on in your career is very beneficial because it teaches you how to bounce back
- People who constantly win seem strong, but when they’re set back they often crumble and don’t know how to recover
- “People get raised in a bubble that gets too soft, and they don’t know the outside world or how it works” – Royce Gracie
- Royce had a student who said he gets bullied because he gets playfully shoved and teased when in reality that’s just how many boys show affection
- You should cultivate a relationship with struggle; fearing struggle won’t make your problems disappear and will probably make them worse
- Prioritize avoiding problematic situations in the first place rather than trying to fix them once you’re caught up in one
Inner Strength
- The greatest strength in life is the ability to strive everyday through the blood, sweat, and tears
- Emotional management is one of the most critical aspects of success
- Don’t seek to control what you feel, but manage how you respond to your emotions
- “You won one billion dollars? Okay. You owe the government one billion dollars? Okay.” – Royce Gracie
- “Tell me what’s impossible and I’ll prove you wrong” – Royce Gracie
- Nobody can be tough 100% of the time
- Learning how and when to be vulnerable is also an act of strength
- The highest form of discipline is restraint not action
Character
- Without character and morals, professional success is meaningless
- A warrior is anyone who dares to be different and pushes forward despite their fears
- Without compassion, you can’t be a warrior because you need something to fight for
- Even war isn’t an end in and of itself; there is a purpose behind it
- Without compassion, you can’t be a warrior because you need something to fight for
- Your profession doesn’t define you; it’s just an aspect of who you are
- “Success is something you define for yourself” – Gabby Reece
- Royce isn’t an emotionless war machine despite what you may see in the octagon
- He still cares for people and wants them to like him just like any other person
- True confidence is being sure of your capabilities without needing to prove it to anyone