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Two training partners meeting on the mat.Drawn in cream, forest green, and muted terracotta. People and objects are symbolic illustrations.
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Leandro Issa

A teacher who treats explaining BJJ as another way to learn.

Biography

Leandro Issa encountered BJJ through his brother’s demonstrations and Royce Gracie. Speaking to ONE in 2018, he credited the sport with discipline, humility and focus. Evolve describes his mother, a history teacher and government clerk, and grandmother raising him. Fatherhood frightened him at 15; family support included grandmother’s childcare. At purple belt, class assistance and mat cleaning earned training and lodging in his professor’s São José dos Campos garage; friends funded food and entries. Summer coconut sales and municipal guiding supported striking studies in Rio. In America, he slept on mats and folded newspapers for food. Roberto Gordo Correa trained him. Students and Google Translate helped his English. Recalling his 1998 Ubatuba start in 2016, he described living and teaching with Rafael Gordinho Lima as Singapore classes grew. Alongside introducing an unfamiliar sport, he taught BJJ to Muay Thai colleagues and learned from them. BJJ and conditioning anchored his training, supplemented by judo and wrestling; he advised strikers to establish gi foundations before adding wrestling for MMA. In ONE’s 2017 teaching feature, he puts posture, pressure and balance ahead of video homework. Repetition develops timing, while calm defence comes before controlling or submitting an opponent. He measures students against their own progress. Pairing beginners with experienced students lets the latter explain the rules, goals and basics; teaching becomes another way to learn. Barbara Katter’s 2020 Evolve guest account credits his technical corrections and emphasis on positions and points in competition, alongside help from other coaches and training partners.

Sources for this profile

  • ONE, 2018.(opens in a new tab)

    • Issa recalled his brother’s demonstrations and watching Royce Gracie before his first class; he credited BJJ with greater discipline, humility and focus.

      Where in the source: First class; reflection.

      Accessed:

  • Evolve.(opens in a new tab)

    • His history-teacher/government-clerk mother and grandmother raised him. Fatherhood at 15 frightened him; family support and grandmother’s childcare helped. A purple belt, he assisted classes and cleaned mats for training/lodging in his professor’s São José dos Campos garage; friends funded food/entries. Summer coconut sales and municipal guiding sustained Rio’s new striking studies. In America he slept on mats, folding newspapers for food.

      Where in the source: Autobiography.

      Accessed:

  • Evolve.(opens in a new tab)

    • Roberto Gordo Correa trained him; students and Google Translate helped his English.

      Where in the source: Biography.

      Accessed:

  • BJJEE, 2016.(opens in a new tab)

    • Issa recalled his 1998 Ubatuba start, living/teaching with Rafael Gordinho Lima, introducing BJJ as Singapore classes grew and reciprocal Muay Thai learning. He prioritised BJJ/conditioning with judo/wrestling supplements and gi foundations before mixing wrestling into MMA.

      Where in the source: Questions 1–3, 7–10.

      Accessed:

  • ONE, 2017.(opens in a new tab)

    • Issa teaches posture, pressure and balance before video homework; drilling for timing; calm defence before control/submission; individual progress; and experienced/beginner pairing to explain rules/goals/basics, with teaching also learning.

      Where in the source: Five teaching sections.

      Accessed:

  • Evolve guest post, BJJEE, 2020.(opens in a new tab)

    • Barbara Katter credits Issa with technique correction and competition focus on positions/points, alongside other coaches and partners.

      Where in the source: Preparation account.

      Accessed:

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