Seguin now home to Gracie Barra Academy
You no longer have to be curious about that unknown storefront glow at 1427 N. Austin St. While people easily pass up the building during the day, it’s late at night that you can’t help but notice the lights on and begin to wonder what’s happening inside that former army surplus store that for years sat vacant.
That location is now the home of Gracie Barra Seguin. The trio academy for Fearless Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and MMA (mixed martial arts) has finally arrived in the community thanks to owner and Head Instructor Dan Alvarez. Alvarez is among the hundreds of instructors around the world who have helped continue the wish of Gracie Barra Academy founder and Professor Carlos Gracie, Jr. It remains Gracie’s wish to spread the art with others throughout the globe. The Gracie Barra Academy is the largest Brazilian jiu-jitsu school in the world headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The name Gracie Barra is the combination of both the family name and “Barra” derived from Barra da Tijuca, a suburb near Rio de Janeiro.
Operating since February, Gracie Barra Seguin has continued to welcome members of all ages.
Alvarez, who holds multiple black belts in both stand up and ground disciplines, says the local chapter offers the trio of programs so that the students get the full benefit of each.
“Our trio of programs are under different umbrellas. Our flagship program Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is under Gracie Barra; our boxing program falls under USA Boxing, while our MMA program is independent. Students can earn a second ranking in Traditional Taekwondo while going through our programs under the Chin Mu Kwan Taekwondo Federation (CTF),” said Alvarez.
More importantly, Alvarez says unlike other programs in mixed martial arts, his studio caters to each individual’s success.
“We try to focus primarily on getting our students to achieve. We just don’t just have a blueprint on how we teach. Everyone pretty much has a different body type. Everyone has a different level. We have competitors who are ambitious to compete at high levels. We have those who just want to come in and train, to get in shape, to learn self-defense so I tend to cater to all their needs as much as I can,” said Alvarez.
In fact, Alvarez says no one willing to join is turned away. He says he prides himself in sharing his skills and talents with anyone who wants them especially with the all-around program of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.
“Just try it out. We do have a couple of adults in the class who are disabled veterans, folks with disabilities, physical disability that they are doing okay. Jiu-jitsu is a very low impact art. BJJ is a grappling-based martial art, the core of art is the skill of controlling a resisting opponent in ways that force him to submit. Due to the fact that control is generally easier on the ground than in a standing position, much of the technique of Brazilian BJJ is centered around the skill of taking an opponent down to the ground and wrestling for dominant control positions from where the opponent can be rendered harmless. To control and overcome greater size, strength, and aggression with lesser size and strength is the keynote of the art. This is done by utilizing superior leverage, grip, and position upon your opponent. Students benefit from greatly increased physical fitness, problem-solving ability, self-knowledge of their body and mind and the many social benefits of working within a large group of like-minded fellow students as they learn and have fun together,” said Alvarez. “There’s no physical shape needed. We of course do all our warmup stretches and some cardio but as far as impact on the body, it’s very very low. Again, we teach per body type. We tailor the course for everybody,” said Alvarez. “Try it out. Come give it a shot and it’s not too bad, not what you see on TV.”
Alvarez says the boxing program, of course, continues to grow in popularity. He says the program offers a range of opportunities.
“We start off at the age of eight in boxing. There is no age limit on the max for people to come and train. As far as to get in shape, to get into condition, a high cardio workout, boxing is definitely a way to help you meet your goals very quickly. There is a lot of circuit training involved in boxing,” said Alvarez.
Guiding the program is Assistant Boxing Instructor Manuel Rodriguez. Rodriguez, an amateur boxer representing the gym, says he is not only committed to training but also in creating the environment necessary for success.
“I’m always assisting everybody. Like I tell everyone, wherever you go, you might not get a lot of assistance. But right here where you come in, you will always get a chance. If I can’t get to you, the students will also proceed helping you. Once you enter this gym, it’s like you are one big old family. We build friendships. We build a team effort, and we are all in one team. My goal is to bring something that I wish I had whenever I was little. I always look back at trying to find a gym, but I never had a gym to go to,” said Rodriguez.
Next on the list of available programs as mentioned is the MMA program. Alvarez says the program takes all the various techniques and disciplines and rolls them into one.
“It is a common misconception that mixed martial art (MMA) is an actual art on its own, which it is not. MMA is a combination of various arts which are brought together primarily for competition. This is why here at Gracie Barra Seguin we have siloed program to teach students the fundamentals through advanced levels of the arts of boxing, BJJ, kickboxing, and Taekwondo. I have been fortunate to have been exposed to a diversity of martial arts having earned the rank of black belt in multiple disciplines to bring all these arts under one facility. We do have a revolving curriculum where we focus on different parts of martial arts on our MMA classes so if someone misses a class, we can always hit that class session again. No one will ever miss out on anything if they miss a class,” said Alvarez.
Finding new physical abilities, however, aren’t the only accomplishments for its members especially for the younger ones. Alvarez says the techniques used have proven beneficial — on the inside — for children.
“The kids, it’s pretty apparent just within a couple of months, you can see their discipline level, their attention level improves, and it also transfers into their schooling – a little more focus. We take children no matter the disability, no matter of learning disability. We take everybody. I’ve had a couple of athletes that helped their flexibility and mobilization in football, baseball – those types of kids who compete in the surrounding areas,” said Alvarez.
Confirming Alvarez’s confidence in the progrm are mom and son boxing duo Lisa Segura and her 10-year-old son Matthew King. Segura, who has a total of four boys, says it was soon after she signed them all up that she too decided to join.
“I tried working out like at Planet Fitness and it didn’t work. I wanted like an intensive workout and so I was like boxing, I guess I’ll do it,” said Segura.
Segura, who started in February, says she’s proud of her results.
“I love it. I lost a lot of weight. I feel good about myself. I love it. It is really good,” said Segura.
However, the newfound confidence for her son, Matthew, supersedes any success she could have ever imagined for her family.
“I love it. He’s also lost a lot of weight. He used to get bullied in school and so now, he knows how to defend himself. He goes to school now. He’s not scared to go to school. He’s not coming home crying saying oh, this happened. He actually has a lot of friends now. They all know that he’s in boxing, so I feel like that’s why they don’t mess with him maybe,” said Segura.
Even Matthew admits to the positive changes and says he is a better kid for it.
“I’m just trying to work out and trying to keep my body in shape and stuff. It’s changed my confidence. It’s better now. I’m good,” said Matthew.
Alvarez says like Segura, goals are being met and success is there for those who want it.
“With adults, a lot of it is more fitness – we see a lot of adults drop weight if that’s their ambition when they get into our programs. With adults, we don’t see a lot of competitors not as with what we see with kids. But adults, we do see more of a health approach with the facility just trying to drop the weight and we see them daily losing inches. So, it just depends on what you want to achieve. We try to help them reach their goals. We do see a transformation in all the students so far,” said Alvarez.
Even though there are over 700 Gracie Barra’s in the world, Seguin might just have one of the most unique operations and that’s largely part to Alvarez’s passion for the martial arts world. Having trained in the arts for years, Alvarez, who also works in IT for the health industry, says operating the gym is more than just a business.
“With my career, I’ve been really blessed to be in the position that I am. My parents, when they were growing up, they grew up poor in Corpus Christi. They came from big families, and they grew up in a poor neighborhood. They always raised me to give back. Although, we do charge tuition, compared to the other Gracie Barra academies, we are probably the cheapest and its to help us pay the rent, keep the lights on. I really don’t do this for profit because of my career. I enjoy teaching. I have for a longtime. I have had programs with parks and recreation with Corpus Christi and with San Antonio. So, it’s my way to give back, to have these kids stay off the street and utilize their free time – not only on video games but something more useful for them especially with all the bullying going around nowadays and cyberbullying to just give kids the courage to stand up for themselves and offer some discipline along the way. I probably do it more for the kids,” said Alvarez.
Program tuition plus other details about Gracie Barra Seguin can be found at gbseguintx.com or by messaging the program via its Facebook page. Details about the program can also be answered by contacting Alvarez directly at 830-312-6166.
Alvarez says adults and kids alike at least owe it to themselves to come out and see how Gracie Barra can help improve their lives both on and off the mat.
“Gracie Barra Seguin can be summed up by our core values, Brotherhood, Integrity, and Development. We at Gracie Barra hold our values to a high standard, not only at Gracie Barra Seguin but at all Gracie Barra academies. We are committed to a common goal above individual needs, and to treat people as an extension of our family. We strive to promote and expand BJJ and pass the benefits of the art to others. Our common motto is “Jiu-Jitsu for Everyone.” •