Fresh off of his victory in the WNO light heavyweight championship against one of the top bjj fighters in the world, Craig Jones, Prof. Pedro gives us a peek inside the mindset of a world champion.

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@pedromarinhobjj

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GB: Prof. Pedro, how important is your mindset in both your tournament preparation and matches?

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Prof. Pedro: Mindset is everything. To prepare well, do everything you need to do, you must have a really good mindset. It is not an easy path, it requires a lot of discipline and hard work. If you don’t have a good mindset, you won’t be able to go through things you need to.

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GB: What are your thoughts while you are warming up and ready to step on the mats before a finals match?

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Prof. Pedro: I tell myself I’m ready, I did everything I could do and to be concentrate on the mat.

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GB: Do you have an experience in a competition where a loss taught you something really important about yourself and your Jiu-Jitsu?

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Prof. Pedro: I always learn something from my loss. Jiu-jitsu had a good way to teach us something we don’t know about ourselves and about life. The last time I lost I learned I need to concentrate more during my fights, clear my mind and focus until the job is done and the gold medal is on my neck. Sometimes we are almost there and start thinking the job is done. But it’s not done, not until my arm is raised

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GB: What might the average competitor understand about competing at the international or professional level? Ex. the attention to rest, the importance of extra physical conditioning, etc…

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Prof. Pedro: On the professional level you have to train a lot but also be smart, know how to manage your training sessions, and also take really care about the recovery time, better you recover from the last session, the better you will do on the next session. Sleep, eat clean all this is important not just at the professional level but overall.

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GB: Can you talk about the role of positional/specific training in your preparation? Many GB students have questions about how to use positional training to get ready for a big tournament.

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Prof. Pedro: The specific training obligates you to work on situations that you usually don’t work because when we are sparring we always go for positions we are good at. Working on something different that you are not used to making you leave your comfort zone. We need to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Here at GB Westchase, we do this kind of training at least once a week during competition class even when there is no competition coming up.

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GB: What competitions do you have your eye on entering in the upcoming 2022 competition season?

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Prof. Pedro: Pans, Worlds, and ADCC. I fought a lot last few years. In 2022 I wanna fight less and prepare better. I want to be as professional as possible.

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@pedromarinhobjj