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Seven-time jiu jitsu world champ shares skills at Bloomingdale studio

On the street where he grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Rodrigo Medeiros was introduced to his life's passion by admiring and emulating his contemporaries.

"On my street there were a lot of jiu jitsu fighters," said the world champion Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt, who goes by the nickname Comprido, a Portuguese word that means "long," a descriptor of his height.

By the time he was 19, he had won his first of seven world championships, which have included two absolute division championships wherein competitors compete across weight classes.

"I have the record of the fastest (opponent) submission, 17 seconds," he said. "I have many titles."

He began training up-and-coming fighters, and took education classes while attending college in Brazil. He moved to the Chicago area at the age of 30.

"I'm living here 10 years," he said.

He and two business partners opened a Brazilian jiu jitsu studio in Palatine.

"Then, I decided to open my own place," he said.

  Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros teaches jiu jitsu at in his Comprido Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy at Stratford Square Mall. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com

He currently runs the Comprido Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in a space inside Stratford Square Mall in Bloomingdale. A second location recently opened in Highland Park.

He teaches both children and adults, male and female, including members of local police departments. He also takes his expertise on the road.

"I travel all around the world to teach," he said.

He has mentored several UFC fighters who participate in mixed martial arts competitions.

"If you are a mixed martial arts fighter, you need to have jiu jitsu knowledge," he said.

Jiu jitsu, he said, is a martial art that originated in India, spread to Japan and then to Brazil. The sport centers on grappling and ground fighting.

"I work more for self-defense," he said. "I can control any person without having to hurt my opponent."

  Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros, with Isaac Lainez, 4, says jiu jitsu helps build self-confidence, strength, speed and coordination. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com

The sport teaches life skills that can benefit anyone, especially the young, he said.

"Martial arts, in general, are very important in helping with the development of kids. You help them make decisions for themselves," he said. "It makes you a stronger person. You know how to make fast decisions."

Jessica Buchman, an 18-year-old 2017 graduate of Palatine High School, holds the 2017 International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Championship in the Adult Blue Belt division. She has been one of Medeiros' students since she was 11.

"It's pretty challenging," she said. "I did a little karate when I was younger but I was never into it."

When she tried jiu jitsu, she said she found her martial arts niche.

"It never gets boring. It never gets repetitive," she said. "The difference between jiu jitsu and other grappling sports is, the goal is to submit the person, before you have to control the person."

  Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros opened the Comprido Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Academy in Bloomingdale in 2011, and opened a second location in Highland Park in June. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com

Kicks and strikes are illegal, she said, but chokeholds are not. When a competitor reaches the point where injury is a real threat, they may tap to signal surrender.

"The injury rate is less than other sports," said Buchman, who said her ultimate goal is to become a black belt world champion and to teach jiu jitsu.

When she was a younger competitor, she took classes led by Medeiros' assistant instructors, who are also world champions. In those classes, male and female compete against each other until the age of 16, she said.

She said she likes Medeiros' teaching style.

"He is a seven-time world champion and two-time absolute champ in the black belt division," she said. "He really has a wide variety of positions he can teach. He's super-experienced so there's not a position he doesn't understand."

"My classes are sports jiu jitsu with a big complement of self-defense," Medeiros said. "We spar every day. It's not just 'drill.' "

  Rodrigo "Comprido" Medeiros, left, teaches Jiu Jitsu at the Stratford Square Mall. Above, he poses for a photo with other instructors and students. Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.com

Medeiros said he is proud of Buchman and all of his students.

"We won the Chicago Open 10 times," he said. "Our team in the Midwest is one of the strongest. Everybody is there because they enjoy it. I try to keep a balance. Competition helps bring you alive but I try not to push too hard."

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