Interview with Gracie China Instructor Chet Quint [Part 2]

read part 1 here

You have a very successful academy in Beijing, where I had the
privilege to train during 4 months. While I was there I could see new
students were coming in all the time. What are your plans for expansion
? Do you plan to open new schools in other cities, or maybe hold BJJ or
submissions grappling competitions ?

We enjoyed having you here, my friend. Now I have schools in Beijing and Shanghai. I also have an affiliate school in Hong Kong so I'm very busy. My plan is to keep doing what I'm doing. We teach authentic Gracie Jiu Jitsu and authentic Muay Thai (my partner is former world Muay Thai Champion, Vince Soberano). We just focus on the quality of our classes and the quality of our students. It took me 10 years to earn my Black Belt and I am very proud of my lineage. When a teacher promotes his student to Black Belt, he not just saying that you have mastered the art's fundamentals but also says that you have the skill and authority to teach and promote others in the system. That's why only a Black Belt can promote students and why it takes so long to earn a Black Belt in Gracie Jiu Jitsu. The Jiu Jitsu we practice comes directly from Helio and Carlos Gracie. When a student takes a class at our school he can immediately see the difference.

Since we trained Shuai Jiao together, I know you have a lot of
interest for this art. What do you see as the strong points of Shuai
Jiao ? Do you think it's a good complement for BJJ, compared to say Judo
or Freestyle Wrestling ?

Shuai Jiao is a great style and works together perfectly with BJJ and MMA. I don't think that you should try to make an "either-or" question out of Shuai Jiao. Judo is a great stand-up grappling style, but Shuai Jiao is ANOTHER 3000 year old study in grappling and the jacket we use requires completely different grips and strategies. A judo champion won't be able to beat a Shuai Jiao champion in a Chinese Wrestling competition and a Shuai Jiao Champion won't win in a judo competition. Both styles have strong and weak points. The rules create the environment and from the environment the art evolves.

I would like to finish by saying it is a pleasure to be here in China spreading Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai. Every day I get to put on my kimomo and teach the art that I love and help other people understand it and also understand themselves. But this relationship is symbiotic. As you have said, we have trained Shuai Jiao together, so I also have been very lucky to find Master Li Baoru, our teacher. Li Laoshi has helped to give me a great insight into the rich martial art of Shuai Jiao and into Chinese culture as well. This interaction between teacher and student is unique in the martial arts and it should never be taken for granted.