This Friday, GRACIEMAG.com commented on Fernando Tererê’s return to training (see here). This time we went to check out the action at Alliance Leblon, in Rio de Janeiro, up close. The black belt spends most of the day alongside his master Alexandre “Gigi” Paiva, Pulga and his training partners. “I get here before lunch and only return home after ten at night” says Tererê.
“Today you’re not going to work out. Take some rest,” Gigi orders.
Tererê practices positions to exhaustion, and always has questions for his master. His plan is to return to competition, but only at the right time.
“The kids these days are really good, so I can’t go in there if I’m not going to hang. Master is holding me back, and he’ll tell me when I’m good to go. What I want is to compete at the 2011 Worlds,” he says.
At 30 years of age, the worst phase in the black belt’s life, his drug addiction, is beginning to be left in the past. Invitations to teach seminars and new opportunities have already arisen. On his journey, Tererê has a great ally:
“Jiu-Jitsu. I’ve done a lot for it and now it’s going to do a lot for me. I thank everyone in Jiu-Jitsu who helped me and Master Alexandre and Fabio Gurgel. They gave me opportunity when I was just a yellow belt and now they’re giving me opportunity again,” he says in closing.
Check out a photo gallery from Tererê’s training session below:
[flickr set=72157623941301395]
