June 9, 2020

Royce Gracie: The Jiu Jitsu Legend on Family, Parenting, and Competition | The Gabby Reece Show

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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

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)

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

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

“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

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

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

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
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