
| Welcome to the Gracie Barra Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Decatur, IL. At our school kids, young adults and adults can train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) for self-defense, fitness, competition or personal well-being. We welcome new students from beginners to experienced practitioners who want to learn these styles of martial arts. Our head instructor, Marcos Barros is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the only instructor in Springfield and Decatur, IL who has been given permission to teach Gracie Barra Jiu-Jitsu from the Gracie Academy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Marcos trained directly under Carlos Gracie Jr., whose father founded and refined the lost art of Japanese Jiu-Jitsu and what has become known today as Gracie Barra Jiu-Jitsu. Message from Master Carlos Gracie Jr .......................................................................................................................... .................................................................. "At the heart of the Gracie Barra Family's extraordinary success over the years is our strong philosophy and mission as a group, a foundation which our masters laid many years ago, but is constantly being reinforced by the great people that make our community. Jiu-Jitsu is a beautiful art, and we have a vision of how it should be taught as a means for individual development going beyond the competitive realm. To achieve this vision, we must remember to come together as a family, always putting the team in front of individual. For that, we will fight to the end for what we believe is right". ~ Master Carlos Gracie Jr. (Founder) |

| Organized like a team, fighting like a family! |
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