Check Out Rodrigo Antunes’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rodrigo Antunes

Hi Rodrigo, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
As a young kid in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, growing up, my parents put me in Judo and swimming as early as I could walk. When I was 8 years old, start training jiu jitsu at Gracie Academy in Rio and never stopped. This year, I celebrate 40 years training Jiu Jitsu!

The word Jiu Jitsu means “gentle art” due to its principle of giving in to win, using the weight and strength of your opponent against himself and also to create for each technique, a leverage that allows you to move an opponent much stronger and heavier. This guiding principle is to make the most efficient use of mental and physical energies.

Six Blades Jiu Jitsu is considered by our community as the best jiu jitsu school in the world. It is not based only on the results in competition. We structured our programs, schools and its methodology to make sure values and commitment to the art are being passed from one generation to another with integrity.

It’s our commitment to empower our Colorado community and offer a wonderful place to learn this amazing martial art in a fun and healthy environment.

Our goal is to make people’s life more enjoyable. Each individual is different from each other. We are unique and that is wonderful. Different people has different needs and as a martial arts, we are here to show the way to achieve goals in a pleasant way.

Yes, what we teach and preach has enormous benefits: self confidence, discipline, respect, healthy and social. Our mission is give our students the ability to stay safe and happy!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I believe success is a collaborative work. First, it is related to your personal achievements based on the challenges you decided to accept. Then, its relation on what type of example you are giving to the community. I try to accomplish and celebrate every step and look for new challenges to keep move on. This is how I keep going, succeeding and having some failures thru my journey.

Challenges are part of our lives. They way Jiu Jitsu was taught back in the day was way more painful, brutal and most of my friends quit after a few months. I decide to stick with that and kept training. It has been a very rewarding journey. I didn’t have much support from my family to pursue my Jiu-Jitsu career, as my parents preferred I would do tennis and golf, but I love my sport and kept doing even during the job, thru internships and even when I had a corporate job and the school at the same time. When my family and I decided to move abroad and live full time through martial arts, we had a cultural shock but again, it made us strong. In life, nothing comes easier. We have to work hard and be surrounded by positive people who encourage us to believe in our dreams and be able to empower our community.

I don’t believe in successful stories only. Besides seems a little unreal – success only – they show very little on what we are capable to do. I did have a lot of losses in my journey as a fighter and as a businessman, but I truly believe we need to find something we are passionate about and educate ourselves every single day regardless the result. If I failed, I would come on the next day to do better and it I win, I would do the same way the very next day. This is a formula I found to overcome my losses and never let the victory or an achievement be more important than it should be.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Our goal is to make people’s life more enjoyable. Each individual is different from each other. We are unique and that is wonderful. Different people has different needs and as a martial arts, we are here to show the way to achieve goals in a pleasant way. Yes, what we teach and preach has enormous benefits: self confidence, discipline, respect, healthy and social. Our mission is give our students the ability to stay safe and happy!

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Our goal is to make people’s life more enjoyable. Each individual is different from each other. We are unique and that is wonderful. Different people has different needs and as a martial arts, we are here to show the way to achieve goals in a pleasant way. Yes, what we teach and preach has enormous benefits: self confidence, discipline, respect, healthy and social. Our mission is give our students the ability to stay safe and happy!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sixbladesdenver.com
• Instagram: sixbladessouthdenver
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@rodrigoantunes?si=0sCqVqj0dSUULwlB