Aloisio Silva
Aloísio Silva built an early home for women's competitive jiu-jitsu in Rio, then a champion team in California after moving there in 1999.
Biography
Sources for this profile
Aloisio Silva BJJ (silvabjj.com), "Closer Look at Grand Master Aloisio Silva", history page(opens in a new tab)
Aloisio Silva was born in 1953 in the small town of Laguna, in the south of Brazil.
Where in the source: Opening line — "born in 1953"
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Aloisio Silva is a Brazilian national, born and raised in Brazil (Laguna, then Rio de Janeiro).
Where in the source: Opening line, on his birthplace — "the south of Brazil"
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As a boy he bought a Judo instruction book in Rio de Janeiro and practiced its techniques on friends before receiving formal training; at nine he moved to boarding school and trained Judo for three years under Master Osvaldo Duncan.
Where in the source: Boarding-school passage on his first Judo lessons — "the Master Osvaldo Duncan"
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As a teenager Silva discovered capoeira and trained daily under Master Preguiça in Rio de Janeiro, continuing under Master Caixote after Preguiça relocated to San Francisco to introduce capoeira to the United States.
Where in the source: Passage on his teenage years in capoeira — "meet Master Preguica"
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During his college years Silva trained Luta Livre Olímpica (submission wrestling) under Fausto Brunno Cilla, and also trained boxing and Judo at university level.
Where in the source: College-years passage on Luta Livre — "Fausto Brunno Cilla"
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In his twenties, already a businessman, Silva was introduced to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by his wife's cousin Nelson Graça Couto, then began training with Crolin Gracie and boxing with Ruben Dias at the Gracie Ipanema Academy.
Where in the source: Passage on the cousin who introduced him — "Nelson Graca Couto"
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Silva trained under Crolin Gracie and Rillion Gracie for eight years at the Gracie Ipanema Academy, and was present at the informal weekend training sessions in a small rented house in Barra that grew into the Gracie Barra academy once Jean Jacques Machado and his brothers began teaching weekday classes there.
Where in the source: Gracie Ipanema passage and the weekend-training passage that follows — "Crolin and Rillion Gracie", "the Gracie Barra Academy"
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Silva received his black belt from Master Carlos Robson Gracie, described as a teacher and close friend for many years who together with Silva even hosted a TV show in the 1990s; Robson Gracie is president of the Rio de Janeiro Federation that Helio Gracie created in 1967.
Where in the source: Promotion passage — "Carlos Robson Gracie"
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In 1986 Silva began teaching jiu-jitsu professionally at an academy called Mazda in Laranjeiras, Rio de Janeiro, where he built an early team of champions.
Where in the source: Passage on his first teaching job in 1986 — "Laranjeiras called Mazda"
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In 1989 Silva opened his own academy, Dojo Jiu-Jitsu, in Rio de Janeiro, at the same location where he had earlier trained capoeira under Master Preguiça.
Where in the source: Passage on the gym he opened in 1989 — "By 1989 Aloisio", "his own academy, Dojo Jiu-Jitsu"
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Dojo was the first academy with a competitive women's jiu-jitsu team; Silva's daughter Patricia Silva, whom he wanted to keep close, was among the first female black belts, and Silva opened a women's class at a time when women in jiu-jitsu mostly trained self-defense rather than competition.
Where in the source: Women's-team passage — "female jiu-jitsu team"
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Leka Vieira arrived at Dojo as a handball player who initially said she disliked jiu-jitsu, then became interested after watching a class; she went on to become, according to the academy's own account, Silva's first female black belt and the first woman to become a World Champion black belt.
Where in the source: Passage on Leka Vieira — "first female black belt"
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Silva's second academy, Dojo Sport Center, opened in the 1990s in Itaipava, Petrópolis, chosen for its mountain altitude and air quality; it was among the first gyms fully equipped for cross-training in multiple martial arts, and his third child, Rickson Silva, was born there in 1995 and named after his friend Rickson Gracie.
Where in the source: Itaipava passage, opening line — "second academy, Dojo Sport Center"
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Brazil's economic crisis in the 1990s forced the Itaipava academy to close, and many of its students continued training at Dojo Jiu-Jitsu in Rio; despite never becoming the largest BJJ team, Dojo produced numerous champions, among them Alexandre "Café" Dantas, Leka Vieira and Artur Ignarra.
Where in the source: Passage on the 1990s economic crisis and the champions list that follows — "was eventually closed", "such as Artur Ignaha"
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After seminar travels between Japan, Brazil and the US in 1998 convinced him jiu-jitsu was still underdeveloped there, Silva moved to California in 1999 together with his family and a small group of students, with help from friends already established in the US such as Joe Moreira, the Machado brothers and Rickson Gracie.
Where in the source: Passage on the 1999 move to California — "moved to California"
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In the early 2000s Silva taught at the Joe Moreira Academy in Costa Mesa, California, before deciding to build a team under his own name because other academies were already using the word 'Dojo'.
Where in the source: Passage on the Costa Mesa years — "the Joe Moreira Academy"
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In 2002 Silva opened his first US academy in Hawthorne, California, together with his son João Silva and daughter Patricia Silva; within the first year the Silva Team won first place at the USA International Jiu-Jitsu Tournament.
Where in the source: Passage on the 2002 Hawthorne opening — "first academy in Hawthorne"
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By 2003 the academy relocated to a larger facility in Lawndale, California; the Silva Team held the National Champion title in 2003 and 2004, the North American BJJ Champion title from 2005 to 2010, and the All Americas Team Champion title in 2010.
Where in the source: Passage on the 2003 move to Lawndale — "moved to Lawndale"
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The Lawndale location today serves as the Aloisio Silva Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Association headquarters with his son João Silva as primary instructor, while Aloisio Silva himself is today based in Lomita, California, still teaching on the mat; the academy's own account counts over ten Aloisio Silva academies across the United States.
Where in the source: Closing passage on where he teaches today — "based out of Lomita"
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The academy’s own history page describes what Silva’s mixed background meant for his students in practice: it says he taught them more take-downs from his judo, more mobility from his capoeira, and techniques for getting to an opponent’s back from his wrestling; that his students soon began winning many of the big tournaments; and that for many years opposing coaches would shout "E Judoca" (written without an accent on the page) when his students competed, meaning the student was a judo fighter, because they knew that staying standing meant being taken down.
Where in the source: Passage on what his mixed background gave his students, and on the opposing coaches' shout — "taught more take-downs", "coach would scream"
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BJJ Heroes, "Alexandre 'Café' Dantas", bjj-fighters profile(opens in a new tab)
Dojo, the Rio de Janeiro academy referred to in Alexandre "Café" Dantas's biography, was led by Aloisio Silva.
Where in the source: Alexandre "Café" Dantas | BJJ Heroes — "That gym was Dojo, led by Aloisio Silva"
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BJJ Heroes lists Alexandre "Café" Dantas's lineage as Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Robson Gracie > Aloisio Silva > Alexandre Dantas.
Where in the source: Alexandre "Café" Dantas | BJJ Heroes — "Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Robson Gracie > Aloisio Silva > Alexandre Dantas"
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Alexandre "Café" Dantas joined Dojo as a boy alongside his friend Dino Amaral; he trained mainly with Master Silva and with Artur Ignarra through his colored-belt career, and won gold in the brown-belt division at the 1999 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, receiving his black belt while still on the podium.
Where in the source: Alexandre "Café" Dantas | BJJ Heroes — "His win was rewarded with a black belt, which Café received while still on the podium"
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Shortly after the 1999 World Championship, upon returning from seminars in Japan, Dantas learned that Aloisio Silva was planning to move to the United States, and Silva invited him to come along.
Where in the source: Alexandre "Café" Dantas | BJJ Heroes — "Master Aloisio told Dantas of his plans to go live in the US, and asked him if he wanted to come along"
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BJJ Heroes, "Alessandra 'Leka' Vieira", bjj-fighters profile(opens in a new tab)
Alessandra "Leka" Vieira received her blue belt from coach Aloisio Silva after an intensive six-month training period (training up to three times a day), after joining Dojo as a former handball player.
Where in the source: Alessandra "Leka" Vieira | BJJ Heroes — "receiving her blue belt from coach Aloisio Silva after an impressive 6 month period"
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BJJ Heroes lists Leka Vieira's lineage as Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Robson Gracie > Aloísio Silva > Leka Vieira.
Where in the source: Alessandra "Leka" Vieira | BJJ Heroes — "Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Robson Gracie > Aloísio Silva > Leka Vieira"
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Sport Jiu-Jitsu International Federation (SJJIF), “Aloisio Silva Bjj”, registered academy directory, undated(opens in a new tab)
The SJJIF public academy directory lists Aloisio Silva among the professors of Aloisio Silva BJJ and records his belt as red-black, seventh degree.
Where in the source: “ALOISIO SILVA BJJ” → “Professors” → “Aloisio Silva” → “Belt: RED BLACK 7th Degree”
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IBJJF, “World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 1999”, official results(opens in a new tab)
IBJJF’s 1999 World Championship results place Alessandra Vieira of Dojo/Machado first in the adult women’s featherweight division that combined purple, brown and black belts; Daniela Figueredo was second, Leticia Ribeiro and Fernanda Bastos third.
Where in the source: “World Jiu-Jitsu IBJJF Championship 1999” → “Adult / Purple Brown Black / Female / Feather” → “1 Alessandra Vieira Dojo/Machado”
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BJJ Heroes, “Timeline, The Development Of The Female Division In The IBJJF World Championships”, 10 December 2021(opens in a new tab)
BJJ Heroes’ historical review says Vieira was the first woman who held a black belt to win a World Championship title, in the 1999 women’s featherweight division, and explains that women’s belts were still combined then.
Where in the source: “1999 – More divisions for Women” — “first female black belt to become a world champion”
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Rose Miller, FloGrappling, “Women’s Jiu-Jitsu Continues To Grow At 2019 IBJJF World Championships”, 29 May 2019(opens in a new tab)
FloGrappling distinguishes Vieira as the first woman with a black belt to win a world title from the first woman of any belt to win Worlds; women of lower belts had already won.
Where in the source: 2019 women’s Worlds feature — “while Leka Vieira was the first female black belt”
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