BJJ veteran Eduardo Rocha trains winners at SF Bay

At first glance, Eduardo Rocha looks like just another muscular bald guy, the kind you find meditating on weight benches between sets. At second glance, he is intimidating. With copper-colored eyes that lock you in place like a note on a bulletin board, Rocha doesn’t seem to have much trouble in dark alleyways.

At 43, Rocha is a fourth-degree black belt and a world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter. When he’s not training for competitions, Rocha keeps busy with a fast-growing academy, an even faster-growing son, and typical Libra hobbies: surfing, snowboarding, and avoiding conflict.

Though a peace-loving nature may seem at odds with his chosen profession, Rocha’s long years of fighting have taught him to choose his battles carefully.

“Sometimes drunk guys want to mess with me,” he says. “And I think Man you have no idea what you’re doing. But I let it go. It’s not worth making trouble.”

Rocha’s Libra balance is useful for more than just breaking waves and avoiding bar fights. The immigration process requires soul navigation skills. An emigrant leaves behind not only home and family, but also her sense of identity. Experiencing a new culture, a new language, and a new lifestyle means seeing the world with new eyes. The World becomes a 3D version of Where’s Wally, and are Wally. It takes a while to find the new you with your new eyes in your new world in the constant cycle of learning and forgetting, leaving and returning, connecting and letting go. When you throw running a business and raising a child into the mix, anyone can feel overwhelmed. But Rocha seems to take it all in stride.

“When I first came here, everyone told me: ‘Watch out, there are some bad neighborhoods here.’ they never saw the favelas in Brazil. This place is Disneyland.”

Born near the sea, Rocha’s first love was water. But when his family moved from the sleepy coastal town of Gávea to the harsh reality of Rio, the then-teenager Eduardo discovered a new priority: survival. So he traded his fins for cuffs and his goggles for a gi and began his long love affair with the art of war.

Having started training in his teens, Rocha was awarded his black belt at the age of 27 by BJJ legend Royler Gracie. Now a fourth degree black belt, Rocha has competed over the years in a seemingly endless variety of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournaments, with disconcertingly similar names, both here and in Brazil. Rocha has also competed in a discipline known as Vale Tudo, which translates as anything goes. As the name suggests, Vale Tudo is a no-holds-barred, knockdown-and-smack-it game with a chair that integrates elements of Thai boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and just plain meanness.

In addition to the technical subtleties of strategy and form, Rocha’s preparation involved countless hours honing the exquisite art of taking a hit.

How do you learn to take a hit?

Rocha smiles his crocodile smile. “You let someone else beat you until they get tired. Then you let someone else beat you.”

Needless to say, Vale Tudo has a high dropout rate, and Rocha’s affection for his teeth eventually won out over the dubious attractions of Vale Tudo’s testosterone-drenched partygoers. Since then, he has devoted his time and energy exclusively to teaching and training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Rocha’s life has had its fair share of ups and downs, but he talks about it with the even tone and emotional detachment of an accountant conducting an audit. The eldest of three brothers, Rocha felt the weight of responsibility at a young age. His fighting spirit seems to have been inherited from a feisty Libra mother who kept her postmodern family in balance with a smile on her face and samba music playing in the background.

“It bothered me,” says Rocha, echoing the sentiments of all early teens who have been embarrassed by their parents’ musical preferences. Now I see why she likes him. She makes you feel, you know, happy.

Blood and betrayal, sun and shadows, divine intervention and evil spirits, it’s all part of Rocha’s personal Brazilian telenovela. After a near-death experience in a car accident, a fight gone wrong, and the birth of a son, Eduardo Rocha decided it was time to start thinking seriously about the future. Rocha arrived in the East Bay in November 2004 with a suitcase, a surfboard and a dream to build something that would last for himself and his family. His unique style drew an immediate following and Rocha became his Prophet of Pain, on a holy mission to free the real men of the East Bay from their inner sissies.

The obsessive-compulsive behavior that BJJ inspires in practitioners along with his undeniable skills have been a recipe for Rocha’s success in Oakland. In a sport where black belt instructors are treated like rock stars, Rocha is the king of his own brand of Rocha ‘n’ Roll. The fanaticism that accompanies the sport may perplex those who have not yet heard the call of Jiu-Jitsu, but those who have seem to think and talk of nothing else. BJJ fighters’ conversations revolve around three things: the submission they almost got; the new gi them made get; and any new styles that are going to shake up the game forever, or until next week, whichever comes first.

Eduardo Rocha maneuvers through the shifting styles and conflicting loyalties of the California Jiu-Jitsu scene with seemingly unflappable Libra poise.

When asked to explain his success, the crocodile suddenly becomes shy.

“It’s my charisma,” says Rocha.

Could be. But with a rosy future on the horizon, Eduardo Rocha spoke to me about the past.

Why Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

My city, Rio, is very violent. I needed to find something to protect me and my brothers.

Why not a weapon?

Because a gun will put you in jail, fast. There are many fights in Rio, but most of them do not involve weapons. The weapons are in the favelas. At least, that’s how it was when I started. Now it’s different. Now it is a war.

What’s with all the fighting?

If you want respect in Brazil, you have to be able to show that you are strong.

Wait a minute. Is Jiu-Jitsu a fight, a game or what?

Jiu-Jitsu is everything. A fight, a sport and a game.

We have a saying in America: “It’s not about whether you win or lose, it’s about how you play.” What is important for you?

Victorious. In Brazil, there is no room for second place. You are the first or the last. In Brazil we say: “Second place is the first place of the losers.”

Is that why you moved to California?

I’m in California because a door opened for me at the right time. California is the capital of Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the United States. I was here before for tournaments, and when the door opened, I walked in.

Jiu-Jitsu seems like a pretty macho game. How does your school fit into the diverse population of the East Bay?

There are also some males in the East Bay. Not many, but some.

Can non-macho people gain anything from Brazilian jiu-jitsu?

My school is open to everyone, but Jiu-Jitsu is not for everyone.

What is your biggest fear?

In this world, sharks. In the other world, evil spirits.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years?

We have a big ship, traveling alone. The ocean will be my next challenge, when I can no longer use my body to fight.

I heard there are sharks in the ocean.

(Rock laughs) That’s good. I like fear. The adrenaline makes me feel alive.

How about the bread?

No. I don’t like it, but you have to learn to live with it.

Your name means “rock” in Portuguese. Do you feel like a rock?

I try to be strong as one.

The rocks are cold.

They warm up in the sun.

Also snakes.

We all adapt to the situation.

Rock break.

That’s the trouble with rocks.

I guess no one is perfect.

(Rock laughs)

If you could be someone besides Eduardo Rocha, who would you be?

Someone who doesn’t need anyone.

Like a rock?

Or a shark.

If you could turn back the clock, is there something in your life that you would change?

All. I made many mistakes in my life. I had to learn the hard way. Sometimes you have to walk through hell to find a way to live.

You have many medals and trophies. Which one are you most proud of?

Medals don’t make the fighter. You are what you are. What makes me most proud is surviving here, in a strange country. Showing people that I can do everything, not just fight like a bull.

What is your favorite hobby?

weak people. People who always look for the easy way out.

What do you like most about America?

The way Americans do business. Here, you can really do something. In Brazil, it’s all about having a good time.

How do you define happiness?

Beautiful women, my son, and a great day for surfing.

Is there anything else that Jiu-Jitsu has given you besides muscles and many trophies?

Jiu-Jitsu gave me balance. It teaches you how to survive when you’re not on top and how to adapt to bad situations.

What is your main motivation as a boxer?

Fear.

Do you have a hero?

No. But I like Batman.

This interview was conducted in 2006 in Oakland, California.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *