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 pin you in place like a note on a bulletin board, Rocha doesn’t seem to have too much trouble in dark alleys.
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 stays busy with a fast-growing academy, an even faster-growing son, and typical Libra hobbies: surfing, snowboarding, and avoiding conflict.
Although a peace-loving nature may seem at odds with her chosen profession, Rocha’s long years of fighting have taught her to choose her battles carefully.
“Sometimes drunk guys want to pick on 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 an issue of.”
Rocha’s Pound poise is useful for more than just breaking waves and avoiding bar fights. The immigration process requires soul navigation skills. A migrant 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 your new self with your new eyes in your new world in the constant cycle of learning and forgetting, leaving and returning, connecting and letting go. When running a business and raising a child are thrown into the mix, anyone could 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.’ never saw the favelas in Brazil. This place is Disneyland.”
Born near the sea, Rocha’s first love was the water. But when his family moved from the sleepy seaside town of Gávea to the harsh reality of Rio, 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 to anything goes. As its name suggests, Vale Tudo is a no-holds-barred, knock-down, hit-it-with-a-chair game that integrates elements of Thai boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and just plain mean-spiritedness.
In addition to the technical niceties of strategy and form, Rocha’s preparation involved countless hours perfecting the exquisite art of taking a hit.
How do you learn to take a hit?
Rocha smiles his crocodile smile. “You let someone else hit you until they get tired. Then you let someone else hit you.”
Needless to say, Vale Tudo has a high attrition rate, and Rocha’s affection for his teeth eventually won out over the dubious attractions of Vale Tudo’s testosterone-soaked festivities. Since then, he has dedicated his time and energy exclusively to the teaching and training of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Rocha’s life has had its fair share of ups and downs, but she talks about it with the even tone and emotional detachment of an accountant conducting an audit. The oldest 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 in the background.
“It bothered me,” says Rocha, echoing the sentiments of all teenagers from the beginning 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 of building something that would last for him and his family. His unique style attracted an immediate following and Rocha became their 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 coupled with her undeniable abilities 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 can perplex those who have not yet heard the call of Jiu-Jitsu, but those who have seem to think and talk about nothing else. BJJ fighters’ conversations revolve around three things: the submission they almost got; the new gi them made get; and any new style that is going to revolutionize 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 Libran aplomb.
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 myself and my brothers.
Why not a gun?
Because a gun will put you in jail, fast. There are a lot of fights in Rio, but most of them don’t 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 about all the fights?
If you want respect in Brazil, you must 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.
In America we have a saying: “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: “The second place is the first place of the losers”.
Is that why you moved to California?
I am 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’ve been 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 large 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 anything 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 I am most proud of 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 to surf.
Is there anything else that Jiu-Jitsu has given you besides muscles and lots of 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.