Draculino, who has spent more than 40 years on the mats, has a message for the modern Jiu-Jitsu world: instructors should not cast themselves as gurus or life coaches.
The coral belt grew up alongside the Gracie family in Rio de Janeiro’s Barra da Tijuca and built one of the most respected academies in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
He made the remarks on The Resilient Show, where he also traced his path from a young surfer who stumbled into the sport to competitor, instructor and mentor.
He described a growing tendency among Jiu-Jitsu people, and he was clear that he did not mean veterans who have been training for decades:
I think like a lot of people now, a lot of Jiu-Jitsu people now, not necessarily people that are masters already, coral belts and higher or people who are doing Jiu-Jitsu forever…
A lot of people are starting to think that they’re kind of life coaches nowadays…
Or people kind of crossing the line a little bit and trying to be kind of like gurus or something.
The problem, as he sees it, runs in both directions.
Students bring questions to their coaches that fall well outside the instructor’s field, and some instructors are willing to answer them:
I think there are people going after Jiu-Jitsu masters and coaches nowadays for advice on something that they had no clue what was going on.
Draculino separated honest counsel from claiming guru status, though:
I will give a sincere and from the heart advice, but I’m not anybody’s like guru or anything.
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