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GB Ambassadors od Arizona Seminar and Belt Grading Ceremony

We are really excited to announce Gracie Barra Black Belt Ambassadors of Arizona Seminar and Belt Grading Ceremony featuring Professor Flavio Almeida. 
July 9, 6-8PM
at GB Downers Grove 
Doors open at 5:30PM
Open to all GB schools in the Chicagoland area and Illinois. If you have students that you would like to be graded during this event, please send us a list of their  names. Your students’ & school’s names will be called and your school’s professor will grade them accordingly.
* Confirmed participants on the list will receive a bracelet at the door
** There will be no sponsored spots for this event – All the participants are required to donate a minimum amount of $40
Limited spots available. Sign up today at http://gbarizona.link/ambassadors
GB AZ will close the registration as soon as the target is met.
Thank you
📱 (630) 964-1414
👨💻Book your classes online!

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The first session of our GB Chicagoland Competition Training took place on June 12 at GB Downers Grove to kick off our 2021 GB Ambassadors Program of Illinois fundraising campaign.

The event was packed with members from different GB academies in the Chicagoland area and beyond who showed up in droves to participate in 2 hours of fast-paced, high-intensity simulated competition drills, strategic analysis, set sparring, and strength and conditioning exercises.

The session was facilitated by some of the most decorated GB Black Belts in the Midwest including Professor Carlos Lemos Jr., Andre Oliveira, Pedroca Tello, Marcos Barros, Cristiano Ribeiro, Evandro Campelo Jr., Josh Cadenbach, and more.

We would like to thank all of you who made this event a huge success. Special thanks to Denise Andrews for her work with the GB Ambassadors Program of Illinois and for the beautiful pictures.

The second session will take place on June 26th
12-2 PM at GB Downers Grove
⚠️Regular classes are canceled on this date⚠️

A minimum donation of $25 per session is required. All proceeds will be donated to the GB Ambassadors Program of Illinois

*Donation must be in the form of a check payable to GB Ambassadors Program of Illinois*

See you there!

For more information call/text or email us at:
📱 (630) 964-1414
💻 info@gbdownersgrove.com


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Attention members of GB Chicagoland Area!

Do you want to be part of the Official 2021 GB Chicagoland Competition Team?

You can apply here: https://www.cognitoforms.com/GracieBarra/_2021GBChicagolandCompetitionTeamApplicationAdult

Open to all active members of any GB location with the approval of their home school.

The first meeting will be on June 8 at Gracie Barra Downers Grove.

For more information call/text or email us at:
📱 (630) 964-1414
💻 info@gbdownersgrove.com


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Dive into the unique world of Jiu-Jitsu at Gracie Barra and enjoy your best summer ever.

I love this place. The coaching is next level; I’ve never felt like I didn’t receive enough attention/instruction when I needed it. On top of excellent coaching the community is kind and strong. Not to mention the outstanding implementation of covid protocols to keep their students safe. If you’re considering bjj start asap, trust me!

Join the team now, and Gracie Barra pays your tuition until August 31st. Just purchase your Gracie Barra uniform and jump right into an incredible summer.

Let’s get started! Contact us at
📱 +1 (630)-964-1414

Visit gbdownersgrove.com to learn more about Gracie Barra’s unique philosophy and our world-class training structure taught in over 800 Jiu-Jitsu schools worldwide.

*Offer good from June 15 – July 31, 2021. New students must buy uniforms to qualify for this promotion. This promotion cannot be added with any other Gracie Barrie discounts or promotions.*
* Limited to 20 spots only
* Start-up costs apply


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Attention GB Downers Grove & East Naperville students
There will be no classes at either school from Saturday 5/29 through Monday 5/31 in observance of the
🇺🇲Memorial Day Holiday
Instead, we will be hosting “Holiday Roll” at GB East Naperville on Saturday 5/29 • Back-to-back Study Hall sessions at 11am & 12pm
‍Book your spots here!
Regular schedule will resume on Tuesday, 6/1.
Thank you! 🙏
(630) 964-1414

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Dear Parents,

Summer break is on the horizon and we would like to invite all kids and teens of Chicagoland to develop VALUABLE AND ESSENTIAL SKILLS that no other summer camps can offer. Gracie Barra Downers Grove Summer Camp will teach your kids self-defense, competitive Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing, and functional workout all in a safe environment with fun activities on top!

The Gracie Barra Chicagoland Summer Camp will be following all safety protocols designed in accordance with Gracie Barra Safety Protocols🛡🔺, respecting all the CDC and State protocols for reopening after-school programs and day camps.

These special workshops will be lead by:

Prof Carlos Lemos Jr.: 4x Brazilian Jitsu World Champion Gracie Barra Black Belt 5th degree

Coach Andrew: BJJ Brown Belt and Striking specialist

Coach Vince: BJJ Blue Belt, Muay Thai and wrestling specialist

📌Location:
Gracie Barra Jiu-Jitsu (152 Ogden Ave, Downers Grove, IL, 60515)

📆Period:
From June 14th to August 12th, Monday through Thursday, ⏰Time: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM 🥋Participants: GB members and non-members age 6-13 yr old. No prior experience required. All participants must be fully Gracie Barra uniformed. 🥊ONLY 20 SPOTS AVAILABLE. Sign up today! admin@gbdownersgrove.com.


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Congratulations to the #gbchicagoland team on another Gracie Barra premium school in Illinois!
It is with great pride and excitement that we announce that Gracie Barra East Naperville has officially achieved GB Premium status!
Being a GB Premium School means that the school consistently meets all the requirements set by the Gracie Barra leadership to ensure that schools are aligned with Master Carlos Gracie Jr.’s philosophy and instruction standards. These include having a safe training environment for everyone, a clean, quality facility, and highly qualified GB certified instructors.

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“It’s exactly like a Jiu-Jitsu match. Your whole life is a Jiu-Jitsu match…”
Meet Prof. Carlos Lemos Jr., a 5th-degree black belt under Master Carlos Gracie Jr. and the head instructor and owner of Gracie Barra Downers Grove, Illinois.
This week, Gracie Barra talks with Prof. Carlos about how he was able to apply the lessons of jiu-jitsu on and off the mats during the time of the global pandemic.
GB: How have you been able to apply what you have learned in Jiu-Jitsu to your life outside of the mats (especially during the pandemic)?
Prof. Carlos: This is a great question. Especially how I am using what I learned in Jiu-Jitsu during the pandemic.
I definitely applied a lot of Jiu-Jitsu concepts.
A lot of my students say ‘Man, the way you talk, the way you interact with people, the way that you do things’… I hear that all of the time from my students.
It’s exactly like a Jiu-Jitsu match. Your whole life is a Jiu-Jitsu match! I heard that multiple times from my coaches, from my students. One can’t help but to transcend the mats with the Jiu-Jitsu knowledge.
Definitely, I saw a lot of people getting depressed. That reflected in the world economy. That reflects in the countries. That even reflected in the microcosm of the family. I saw friends becoming enemies. I saw students canceling memberships. I saw family members fighting each other. All because of the stress and the uncertainty of the pandemic.
But I didn’t see much of that in the active Jiu-Jitsu community. The pandemic was nothing but a tough fight for all of us. We got caught by surprise. That threw us, passed our guard, and got a knee on our belly.
What do you do now? Do you panic? Do you turn onto your belly and give up? Or…do you breathe, assess the situation, and start to patiently work for an escape?
This is exactly what we did and how we approach the whole situation. That approach enabled us to help so many of our students that are studying with us. To help so many people in our community, family members, people around us. Because we know that patience is the way of Jiu-Jitsu. You can’t panic. You can’t rush.
Of course, we are not in a comfortable spot. We worked more than ever. We offered virtual classes, every day. We did an “SOS” phone call to all of our students, a Gracie Barra hotline we could call that ?
To keep everybody positive and understanding that it was not the end for us. We would make it out of this.
To keep serving our students. Making sure that everyone was covered in any needs of theirs. Whether it be their financial, or mental support or any help of any sort.
We kept a positive approach. A Jiu-Jitsu fighter that doesn’t have a positive and enthusiastic approach to life doesn’t go anywhere. So that is what we kept. We helped many people during the months of the shutdown. We had a stay in the shelter order in our state where we could only leave the house for the essentials or emergencies. But that didn’t slow us down.
Now we are open again with several restrictions, but we can teach in-person classes. We are really happy with the lives that we reached out to and all of the people that we helped.
Credits: Mark Mullen
Gracie Barra Black belt based in Asia

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GB Downers Grove Outdoor Belt Grading, Seminar & Food Drive featuring GB Regional Director for the state of Illinois & 4th degree black belt, Professor Marcos Barros ?

Come join us for a day of learning, camaraderie & giving back to the community.

?️WHEN:
September 19, 11am-1:30pm

?️WHERE:
Whitlock Park
4000 Fairview Ave, Downers Grove, IL

?️PRICE:
Special rate of $45 cash plus a minimum of two non-perishable food items to be donated to food pantries in the DuPage County area.

(Please put your payment in an envelope with your full name written on it & put it the drop box at GB Downers Grove).

⛑SAFETY PROTOCOL:
• Bring your own mat
• Practice social distancing
• Training Buddy System
• Bring your masks and sanitizers

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE

?SIGN UP ONLINE!?

https://linktr.ee/gbchicagolandandillinois

Call or text us at 309-533-8339 for any questions or suggestions

WE CANNOT WAIT TO SEE YOU THERE!

️STRONGER TOGETHER 

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