Gastao Gracie Filho - Founding Member Of Gracie Clan

Gastao Gracie Filo was born in 1906, in Brazil. At the time of his birth his father Gastao Gracie Sr. was 34 and his mother, Cezarina de Vasconcellos Pessoa was 24 years old. He married Rosa Fusco on 21 December 1939.

Gastao Gracie Filho was among the first generation fighters of the Gracie family. But he didn't know that this family was going to change the course of martial arts in Brazil and all over the world. This is how the era of Jiu-Jitsu took a vertical flight. Amid the political and the martial art related upheaval of that time and the sincere involvement of his 7 siblings in Jiu Jitsu, Gastao Gracie Jr. managed to stay low-key and stay out of most part of the drama and action (involving brawls, jails, and smear campaigns against the rivals) which was definitely attractive occasions to the historians. This is the main reason there is little to no mention of Gastao Gracie Jr. in the history of Jiu-Jitsu.

Reila Gracie mentioned in her book “O Criador De Ume Dinastia” about the personality and life preferences of Gastao Gracie Filho. She described him as a man of mystical beliefs. He never took interest in his studies and was a man of his own choices and preferences. Early Education of Gastao Gracie Filho.

The whole life of Gastao Filho is marked with peculiarities and surprises. He never knew how to read and write by the age of 15. He learned literacy by the age of 16. No reasonable explanation for this different behavior was mentioned. When Gastao gained the initial knowledge of reading and writing his father was in Juiz de Fora for business-related work. Gastao Filho went there and took responsibility for the rehabilitation of a family-owned bar.

His religious views are different from his other siblings. He was not comfortable with Catholic Church and once got into a fight with a priest. He was involved with learning spiritual knowledge and likes to take his decisions under the guidance of spiritual knowledge. He claimed that he can see the intangible auras of people. He is also said to believe that he can heal people via hypnosis. His brothers always respected his priorities because they knew that Gastao Flho got these things from their father Gastao Gracie Sr because he was also invested in learning Kabala and other spiritual languages.

 In 1925, Carlos Gracie decided to open his first Jiu-Jitsu institution. He sought help from his brothers in order to assist him in the establishment of their legacy. Among his brothers, Oswaldo and Gastao were proficient in Jiu-Jitsu and started conducting training classes at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy. Meanwhile, Carlos taught Helio and George almost everything that Mitsu Maeda had taught him and they both focussed on the family business as well.

It is fair to say that when it comes to fighting and confrontational inclinations, Gastao Flho was never confrontational and always preferred a peaceful life. This quality was considered a flaw in the personality of the great fighter and instructor. But his meekness and mellow personality worked in his favor.

Soon, Gastao was liked and admired by the students and other teachers of the academy. His friendly and caring nature made him an apple of everyone's eye. Gracie's family was happy with Gastao Gracie Filho’s administrative skills. Filho spent almost five years teaching in the BJJ gym.

In 1930, Gastao relocated to Sao Paulo where he spent four years of his life. In 1934, he came back to his brothers and they were kind and respectful enough to allow Gastao to resume his old position at Gracie's Jiu-Jitsu Academy. At that time he also worked as a security chief for the hotel Copacabana Palace. Gastao Filho was not satisfied with his stay in Rio de Janeiro and decided to move back to Sao Paulo. He pursued his career as a personal martial arts trainer. He was also involved in coaching individuals of influential hierarchy politicians such as Congressman Ademar Barros at the Officers school.

Gastao Gracie Filho was married to Rosa Fusco on 21 December 1939 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He had two sons named Helio Fusco Gracie and Gastao Gracie.

Gastao Jr.'s efforts for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu served as a great foundation for its expansion in the martial art world. Today, Jiu-jitsu is regarded as a highly organized sport. Gastao Gracie Jr. was the founder of the International Federation and Brazilian National Consideration.

For the promotion of Jiu-Jitsu Gracie Jr. organized many competitions in Brazil. Currently, these federations are organizing Jiu-Jitsu competitions all over the world.

Gastao Gracie Filho remained one of the most influential people in the family in his own ways. He founded Gracie Barra for Jiu-Jitsu growth. He took the responsibility of training his family's children and taught countless world champions the gentle art of Jiu-Jitsu.

Gastao Gracie remained the most beloved instructor among his students. His teaching style was so impressive that students easily understood the techniques and never let him down.

Photo credit: @Padial Jiu-Jitsu