Professor Pedro Valente, currently in Los Angeles assisting in the production of a documentary by the Biography Channel on the life of Grandmaster Hélio Gracie, met soccer super stars Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo. The players, who admitted being fans of Royce, asked to learn a few moves and demonstrated good technique. Royce and Kaká, also talked about how today the fact that they do not drink alcohol or smoke is a rarity in professional sports. As Kaká said, “we are old school athletes!”

Note – Real Madrid, the Spanish soccer team that has been dubbed the most successful club of the 20th century, began practicing today on the UCLA soccer field, with hordes of journalists and spectators attending the highly anticipated event. 

Stars such as forward Cristiano Ronaldo, the highest paid soccer player in the world, and defenders Pepe and Marcelo Vieira, kicked soccer balls and ran scrimmages on the enclosed field behind UCLA’s John Wooden Center. Other players, such as midfielder Kaká, are due to arrive next week.
The Real Madrid visit is part of the team’s pre-season tour, which will include games against Club America in San Francisco on Aug. 4 and against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Aug. 7 at the Rose Bowl.

Today Professor Pedro Valente taught a seminar in Columbia, South Carolina. During the class, Prof. Valente presented of variety of techniques and emphasized the importance to practice Jiu-JItsu as a complete fighting system. Once again the seminar was organized by VBJJ student Jack Walker, who currently resides in Columbia, SC.

Day 2 of the Rickson Gracie seminar was held in the Sociedade Israelita Brasileira (SIB) in Rio’s traditional and famous neighborhood of Copacabana. Once again, the seminar had a great number of participants.

During his visit to Rio de Janeiro, where he is spending time with his father, Professor Pedro Valente was invited by Master Rickson Gracie to participate in his Invisible Jiu-Jitsu Seminar. The event was held in a professional soccer club in Lagoa, a district in the south side of the city. Many black belts were in attendance including Kyra Gracie and Rickson’s son Kron. The seminar was taught in English given the presence of foreigners in Rio due to the occurrence of an international jiu-jitsu tournament this coming weekend. During the seminar, Rickson taught many of the same techniques that he imparted in march at VBJJ in Miami. At the Q&A section, in the end of the seminar, an international participant asked Master Rickson’s opinion on competition Jiu-Jitsu. He responded that “competition jiu-jitsu represents only 30% of real jiu-jitsu.” He went on to say that “without the other 70%, which includes stand up self defense, defensive striking and clinching skills and an efficient vale-tudo guard, practitioners cannot develop the confidence to walk the streets knowing that they can survive a possible confrontation.”

While on a recent trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Professor Joaquim Valente and Jiu Jitsu student – helicopter pilot Jared Schmelzer met with Commander Adonis Lopes of C.O.R.E. (Coordenadoria de Recursos Especiais), the SWAT Team of Rio de Janeiro State Police (Polícia Civil do Estado do Rio de Janeiro). This police unit has proven a great versatility in serving Brazil and protecting its’ citizens with a helicopter division. The helicopter and its team has been directly responsible for saving many lives and strongly combating the criminals of the drug trade, which affects the country as a whole.

This Monday, Professor Gui Valente visited Valente Brothers Fort Lauderdale and taught the fundamentals class. After the class, Professor Gui awarded multiple stripes, a blue belt and congratulated the fine work of Instructor Bruce Belfield and all students. Aside from the the fabulous job establishing Valente Brothers Jiu-Jitsu in Broward county, Instructor Bruce is a Fort Lauderdale Police detective.

In order to accommodate its growing number of students, Valente Brothers FTL is expected to move to a much larger facility by the end of the summer. The school currently teaches classes from Monday to Saturday to adults and children. For more information please visit the school’s page.

On Saturday and Sunday Professor Pedro Valente visited Houston for a weekend of Jiu-Jitsu seminars. Once again Professor Pedro was received by Valente Brothers friends Shihan Torey Overstreet and Mr. Albert Garcia along with Valente Brothers brown belts, Roy Cantu and Calvin Carter. This was Professor Pedro’s thirteenth visit to TNT Jujitsu. He promoted several students to new belt levels.
Professor Pedro also had a chance to visit Roy Cantu’s academy and was highly impressed with the upgrades to the facility. Congratulations to all the students who attended the seminars for demonstrating a firm commitment to the practice o jiu-jitsu as an art of self-defense . Professor Pedro is looking forward to visiting Houston again in December.

SporTV is a Brazilian cable television network that has his programming based on all sports, launched in 1991 by Globosat. It’s the most watched sports channel in Brazil.

The 3 minute piece features the Valentes, former Gracie Academy professor João Alberto Barreto, today a renown Sports Psychologist, and Gaetano Lopes, a business man from São Paulo and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner.

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Once again hundreds of students, friends and family members attended the Valente Brothers biannual Belt Promotion Ceremony. The Summer Belt Ceremony awards blue, purple, and brown belts. This year’s ceremony was exceptional in many regards. Our new Pembroke Pines Valente Brothers location produced its first two blue belts. Professor Pedro Valente opened the evening with a fine speech touching on some important historical and philosophical points. He talked about the value of learning jiu-jitsu and the importance of influencing friends and family to experience the transformative benefits of this wonderful art. One remarkable aspect of the belt ceremonies is the positive energy that is felt by all present. The expressions of pride and happiness are noticeable in the faces of not only the promoted students, but also fellow training partners and family members. Valente Brothers is proud to extend warm congratulations to all the students who worked hard to deserve a new belt.

Mark David Fromm, CEO of Mark David & Company Real Estate based in New York, demonstrates how Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gives him a full-body workout.

http://online.wsj.com/media/swf/VideoPlayerMain.swf

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