| Rafael
"Gordinho" Correa 
Gordinho
locks the triangle to submit Fernando Gurgel in the final match of the 1998 World
Championship By
Joao Pedro Tinoco, Gracie Magazine Senior
Editor Gracie
Barra black belt Rafael Correa is coming to Europe for a seminar tour in the UK
in Denmark. "Gordinho", as he’s known, is the younger brother of
Roberto "Gordo" [Gordo is a living legend in sports BJJ with ALL
the main titles under his belt; he is the man who developed the half-guard as
an offensive weapon]. Gordinho has followed his steps and also established
himself as one of the top BJJ fighters in Brazil. Obviously the half-guard is
his specialty. I caught up with the electric Rio de Janeiro native a few days
before his depart to Europe. When
and why did you start training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
I started training because
the Gracie family [Ryan, Ralph and Renzo] and I were neighbors. Ryan and
I were about the same age while my brothers were closer to Renzo and Ralph. That
made us very close, so it was inevitable that I would end up at the academy. But
anyway the fact that my older brother [Roberto "Gordo" Correa] was
already training always influenced me a lot, and I always had him as an idol.
How big is your brother’s influence in your BJJ?
Huge.
Ever since I started training until today he’s always influenced me a lot.
First as a role model fighter and competitor: he is always searching for the submission.
And no matter what happens outside of the mat, he always trains hard. You see,
he’s married and has two kids, but that doesn’t stop him from competing
in the big tournaments. Another thing that I also admire about him is the fact
that even though he could already be competing in the Masters Division [for
people over 30 years old] he refuses to do so because he’s still among
the top in the sport. I would like to be able to do that someday. These are just
a few examples of how much he influences my career.
What would you say
were your most memorable moments in the sport? The
most memorable moment was definitely the 1998 World Championship that I won as
a black belt. I had five fights that day and ended three of them by submission,
including the final against Fernando Gurgel [Fabio Gurgel’s older brother].
Another tournament that I will always remember is the 1994 Brazilian National
Championship. Even before I stepped on the mat that day I was telling everyone
"forget it, this one is already mine, the only question now is who the runner
up is going to be". And I was saying that not in an arrogant way but because
I was completely in shape and confident in the technical superiority I had over
all the other competitors in my weight division. I became the champion after winning
seven fights, five by submission. The final lasted only 19 seconds. Besides the
title I also was awarded for the fastest submission and chosen the event’s
most technical fighter. I received great comments by masters Carlson Gracie and
Romero Cavalcanti [aka "Jacare", the head of Alliance and Master
Teams], like "I already knew it!". (excerpt
1) Even
before I stepped on the mat that day I was telling everyone "forget it, this
one is already mine, the only question now is who the second place is going to
be". I submitted five opponents and was awarded for the fastest submission
(19sec) and chosen the most technical fighter
Who are your idols
in BJJ and MMA?
In BJJ I’m biased, but my brother is my idol. Not only
as a top competitor but also as a teacher, which is his strongest point in my
opinion. Gordo can teach like very few. It’s like Master Helio Gracie always
says: "knowing BJJ is not only winning fights, but knowing how to teach". In MMA,
it is definitely Renzo Gracie. I don’t even have to explain why, just watch
his fights and his opponents.
You have given seminars in the United States
and Australia. This will be your first European Tour though. What have you planned
for the seminars?
I usually give intensive half-guard seminars as my family
is internationally known for mastering this technique. But since I have no idea
of the level of the students I’ll meet, I’ve developed two programs:
basic all-around BJJ techniques and half-guard attacks and escapes. And I don’t
simply show different moves, I explain when and why to use each and also how to
adapt them to submission fighting, for those students who also like to train without
the Gi. There won’t be any magic moves. Actually I believe that people should
always watch out for instructors who say they will teach secrets or miracles.
I like to teach the way I was taught: simple and objective BJJ, basic but detailed
techniques, stuff that can make the difference and that work in any situation
no matter what kind of opponent.
Submission Fighting has grown a lot
in recent years and many people choose to go straight to no-Gi training. How important
would you say training with the Gi is?
This is a very important question.
When you train with the Gi you perfect the technique and sharpen the moves. Just
think about escapes: since the Gi gives your opponent a wide variety of grips,
you won’t be able to escape a mount or any other bad position unless you
apply the techniques perfectly. Without the Gi it’s very slippery and that
makes people believe their escapes are good. That is, until they face a stronger
or fresher opponent and realize they are doing it all wrong. There are some classical
examples of this in Brazil. Like for example the challenge between Jiu-Jitsu and
Luta-Livre in the early 90s. Even though the BJJ people only trained with the
Gi, as opposed to the LL guys, we won every single fight showing total dominance.
A more recent example happened during this year’s ADCC Tournament, when Marcelo
Garcia won the 76kg division and was elected the event’s most technical fighter
even though he hadn’t even trained without the Gi [*he was called the
day before to replace another fighter].
People from different martial
arts backgrounds sometimes are a bit worried about attending a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
seminar, since they are not very familiar with this style. Should these people
go to seminars and what benefits do you think they can have?
Of course they
should go. And it doesn’t matter if they are complete beginners in BJJ or
have only seen tapes. Everybody can profit from it. In my personal experience
it’s very common to see athletes from other martial arts adapting specific
BJJ techniques to their own game. And this definitely contributes to the development
of new moves. That’s why BJJ never stops, it’s always growing and evolving
with techniques popping up all the time everywhere. (excerpt
2) When
you train with the Gi you perfect the technique and sharpen the moves. Just think
about escapes: since the Gi gives your opponent a wide variety of grips, you won’t
be able to escape a mount or any other bad position unless you apply the techniques
perfectly.
Check
Gordinho’s schedule and contact info below: 29th
November (Saturday) — Seminar DARLINGTON
Tel. Martin: 07890 466424 E-mail
: mwilby@hotmail.com
30th November (Sunday) — Seminar DONCASTER
Tel. Roy
01302 868141
E-mail:
ben_poppleton@hotmail.com
1st December (Monday) — Seminar ESSEX
Tel. Marc: 0208 5972288
e-mail: marcwalder@ic24.net
2nd December (Tuesday) - Workshop DONCASTER
Tel. Roy 01302 868141
e-mail:
ben_poppleton@hotmail.com
3rd December (Wednesday) - Seminar BRADFORD
Tel Darren: 07956 502061
e-mail:
darrengoode@kickersbba.co.uk
4th December (Thursday) - Workshop DONCASTER
Tel. Roy 01302 868141
e-mail:
ben_poppleton@hotmail.com
5th December (Friday) - seminar SHEFFIELD (to be confirmed)
Tel.
Andy: 0794 6540855
e-mail:
andy@roycegraciesheffield.com
6th December (Saturday) - Seminar OLDHAM
Tel. Chris: 0161 6268427
e-mail:
jeetkunedo@btinternet.com 7th
December (Sunday) — seminar COPENHAGEN, DK Tel.
Kasper (45) 2694 7473 e-mail:
kasper@b-jj.dk Photos: 
Rafael submits another opponent on his way to the World Champinship. 
Battling sensation Ronaldo Jacare during this year’s ADCC Brazilian Trials
SFUK
is always looking for interviews, so if you'd like to write an interview, or would
like to be interviewed, or contribute in any way to the site's content, please
let us know.
| 
