“Filho de peixe, peixinho é!”

Like Father, Like Daughter...“Filho de peixe, peixinho é!” Directly translates to "Son of fish, goldfish is!" And holds true for the daughter of multi-world champion Rômulo Barral who made CompNet her first tournament and took the gold! This past weekend was the Carlos Gracie Jr. Cup in Orange, California. It was a great tournament with over 1,000 competitors! Each CompNet brings a new experience to families and their competitors, and this last weekend was no exception.

Rômulo Barral is a Black Belt, a Professor, a high-level GB world competitor, and most importantly, father to Bella Barral, our newest CompNet Champion. We got to sit down with Rômulo, who told us about his eldest daughter's trajectory, her training routine, and her passion for Jiu-Jitsu, “She is very disciplined and an excellent student!”

Turning eight this December, Bella officially started training at the age of 6. However, if you ask her father, he’ll say she’s been on the mats since birth. It was easy to get her started since they were always at the school. She got used to being there on the mats every day. “She would come in after training, run, and play with everyone. That's her environment. She says it's the place she likes to be most.”

So it wasn’t a hard choice for Bella when asked if she would like to participate in her first competition. Rômulo explains how many of his students were signed up, and even Bella’s friends. He says, “I asked if she wanted to, and she accepted right away. It was awesome, and I was even a little surprised she wanted to compete. She would then ask me every day: ‘Have you signed me up for the CompNet? Have you put me in? Am I registered?’ It was really cool because the initiative came from her, and during the tournament, she had fun."

This was her first competition, and it was perfect for it to be a CompNet tournament. 

Rômulo states, “It was very cool, very well organized, we took a lot of students. The preparation was normal, I have a mat at home, and we were training, but I felt it put a little pressure on her. She started to get a little worried, so I decided to let her take the class with Professor Jason and train as if it were a regular class. 

I didn't interfere too much, and I think this is the key point in the life of a child athlete.

“We cannot demand too much from the child. We have to let it happen naturally. I think I got it right. I let her take classes twice a week and then go to compete."

There were seven competitors in her bracket, and Bella performed exceptionally, scoring 41 points between her three matches, putting her at the top of the podium! There are many benefits of sharing a common passion. And Rômulo shares how “Jiu-Jitsu connects us much more, and this is a bonus we'll have for a lifetime. I don't force her to compete, but my daughters will have to train. They will have to be black belts. I think it's crucial to form discipline, character, and confidence to be together on the mat, training, learning, and traveling. We'll take this with us for the rest of our lives!!”

The dynamic of a Parent/Child relationship changes when your father is a multi-world champion. We asked Rômulo how he manages this—sharing that he tries to keep it as much “father-daughter” as possible. Claiming he is not yet her Professor, but still helps with challenges she may be facing and making the point that if and when she chooses to get more serious, he will start to train her if she wants to follow that path. Often the Professor/Student relationship is more rigid and strict, so he prefers focusing on the father-daughter relationship more. 

Rômulo demands discipline, focus, and being a good student both in school and with  Jiu-Jitsu. Stating, “The athlete's father is a little different. I like being just a father because our relationship will change a lot when she asks me to be her coach and train her to be an athlete. On the mats, I am very demanding. I expect the best from the student, especially if they want to follow a competitive athlete’s path, which is a difficult path. If she chooses that, it will be time to be a father and a coach.

As a father, I'm very loving and supportive, but as a coach, I'm very demanding and strict. This will certainly generate conflicts, but it is good for her development and to help her achieve her dreams."

We closed our interview by asking his advice to parents who may be competitors themselves with little ones getting started, and what he thinks of Bella’s future BJJ career. 

“My advice is to let everything flow naturally and talk a lot every day, especially when they are young. It’s crucial to explain the importance of training, and that it will help with everything in life. I advise athletic parents to take them to the gym, let them play, and if sometimes they don't want to do the entire class, it's important not to force them! I advise talking until the time comes when they start to get a taste for the sport.

“Bella nowadays asks me to take her to the gym and train. I don't have to demand anything. She goes there and does everything right.”

I will support what she chooses and give her support. Obviously, in Jiu-Jitsu, I'll be able to offer a lot more from all the experience I've had competing, teaching, and training since I was young. If she chooses Jiu-Jitsu, I'll do my best to help her achieve her dreams, but it's too early to talk about it!”

The U.S. Nationals CompNet is happening in Sedona, Arizona Saturday, Nov. 6th. Don’t miss out!

Use code CNBLOG to get 10% off registration

Check out the Tournament Page to sign up for the US Nationals CompNet

Blog written by: Alicinha - Gracie Barra Brown Belt