[Press release.]
A regular Jiu-Jitsu competitor from the age of 11, Daniel Pinheiro found out early on that he had another remarkable trait: he knew the art of a good business decision. After standing out in national tournaments and earning his black belt in Manaus, Amazonas, Daniel headed to the United States in 2011, taking with him the dream of having his own gym and taking Jiu-Jitsu to new people.
8 years after setting foot in the land of Uncle Sam, Daniel has earned the respect of the local community of San Antonio, Texas, and teaches the gentle art to over 140 students, from kids and teenagers to adults, from white belt to brown belt.
When it comes to succeeding in the US, Daniel highlights the importance of tools such as charisma, humbleness, and most of all, a good lesson plan.
“My work’s success is a reflection of my dedication. I have a good lesson plan and I know I am a good teacher, I’ve been doing this since I was a kid. My students have good results when they compete and, more importantly, there’s been a boost in their self-esteem, confidence and willpower. Jiu-Jitsu is a very important social tool”, he says, before explaining his teaching philosophy.
“Our teaching methodology is simple and we try to be efficient when we teach. I’m a smaller guy, so I have to focus a lot on my lever skills. Master Hélio would always emphasize the use of lever in his philosophy. It’s a priority in all my classes”, he says.
Daniel also talked about how his point of view changed when thinking about Jiu-Jitsu in 2019.
“The Daniel from 2011 is the same guy as the Daniel from 2019, but now he is more intelligent, mature and more knowledgeable. In my life, I have always believed that’s we have to learn with our day-to-day.”, were his closing remarks.
Next up, we are going to study Daniel’s favorite Jiu-Jitsu position.
