F.A.Q. Frequently Asked Questions

The art of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was created by Helio Gracie and has been refined by the legendary Gracie Family of Brazil for the past 90 years. It is a complete system of self-defense that consists of techniques that utilize timing, distance and a combination of strikes, throws, controlling positions and submissions. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was designed to allow a practitioner to neutralize an aggressor in any scenario. As a result the system includes both stand-up and ground techniques and self-defense techniques against unarmed and armed attackers. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu also enforces a strong moral and ethical code, encouraging personal development, while teaching situational awareness and building mental strength through regular training. These additional benefits give practitioners the confidence and ability to think clearly and decisively in a self-defense scenario. Together this combination of skills and training have been proven to be the most complete and effective system of self-defense in the world. It is a system that by design can be safely practiced by anyone regardless of age, gender or physical ability. What makes it different and so accessible is the fact that it is based on the principles of balance, timing and leverage rather than speed or strength.

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is a complete self-defense system that focuses on survival, defense, escape and submission counterattacks while Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a sports modified form of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu that was developed as a result of jiu-jitsu competition and point scoring strategy.

Professor Xavier teaches his students Gracie jiu-jitsu as a complete self-defense system and is dedicated to preserving and sharing the principles and techniques of the art as they were taught to him by his teachers, Helio Gracie’s sons.

While there are many jiu-jitsu instructors in the Houston area none have been groomed to teach by Helio Gracie’s own sons and none have Professor Leonardo Xavier’s decades of teaching experience. He is the only Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Professor in the Houston area certified to teach by the Academia Gracie de Jiu-Jitsu in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Recognized in the martial arts world and the jiu-jitsu community as a world-class authority of the art and one of its most charismatic professors, few people can match his ability to combine his deep technical knowledge with his passion and enthusiasm for teaching.  His technical and teaching abilities have been recognized by the Gracie Family including the legendary Masters Rickson, Royler and Rolker Gracie. He has over 20 years of teaching experience and has devoted his life to sharing the benefits of jiu-jitsu with his students.

Gracie Jiu-jitsu is the ideal self-defense system for women. With a focus on leverage and technique, jiu-jitsu can be practiced by anyone and is designed to neutralize an attacker regardless of their size or strength. In addition to offering co-ed classes that focus on the fundamentals of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Professor Xavier holds regular women’s self-defense seminars to reinforce the skills developed in class for his students and to introduce the benefits of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to the community. All classes are conducted in a safe and supportive environment under the supervision of Professor Xavier.

The LX Jiu-Jitsu Academy is a safe environment to learn the art of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Professor Xavier ensures the safety of his students through supervision and by teaching them proper technique and etiquette when training. There is zero tolerance for disrespect or disregard for safety in the academy.

Beyond self-defense, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu teaches skills that encourage personal development including honor, self-respect and respect for others while enforcing a strong moral and ethical code. It improves confidence, patience, situational awareness, mental strength and the ability to think clearly and decisively under pressure. Jiu-jitsu also encourages overall health, promoting a healthy diet while discouraging the consumption of anything that may harm the body. In order to ensure you enjoy all of the benefits of this beautiful art, it is important to learn from a qualified, experienced and certified professor in a safe and supportive environment like the one you will find at LX Jiu-Jitsu.

When selecting a school that is right for you, a good rule of thumb is to check whether the name on the front of the school matches the name of the instructor that teaches the daily classes. If it does not and the school is an affiliate under “head instructor” it is recommended to check whether the head instructor is fully engaged with the daily activity at the school. If the head instructor does not regularly teach classes, you should confirm that the instructor that does teach the classes is an experienced and certified jiu-jitsu professor. It is also fair to ask how long the instructor has trained under the head instructor and how often they get to train with the head instructor.

At LX Jiu-Jitsu, Professor Xavier’s name is on the front of the school and as the head instructor he teaches most of the classes, and directly oversees all of the daily activities at the school. His school is a representation of his dedication to teaching the art of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and his desire to share its benefits with the community. As a result he has created and works extremely hard to maintain a safe, respectful, clean and supportive school environment where everyone has the opportunity to learn the art of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is a full body workout that develops strength, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance through regular training. Many people have lost a significant amount weight and have improved their overall level of fitness as a result of this this unique form of exercise and a focus on a healthy diet, which is also encouraged by Professor Xavier.

Professor Xavier is a 4th degree Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belt under the legendary Master Rickson Gracie. He is the only certified Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Professor in the Houston area recognized by the Academia Gracie de Jiu-Jitsu, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, now known as Gracie Humaitá. His technical and teaching abilities have been recognized by the Gracie Family including the legendary Masters Rickson, Royler and Rolker Gracie. Professor Xavier has dedicated his life to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and has over 20 years of teaching experience with over 15 of those as a black belt.

Professor Xavier is also a world class competitor that represented the famous Gracie Humaitá competition team successfully in various prestigious events. Professor Xavier’s accolades as a competitor include Multiple-time Medalist at the World Championships or the “Mundials”, Pan-American Champion, 2x Brazilian National Champion and multiple-time Rio de Janeiro state champion.

Professor Xavier opened the first and only authentic Gracie Jiu-Jitsu school in the Houston area in 2004. He has been a proud part of the Sugar Land community for over 10 years.

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is designed around natural body movements and can benefit anyone regardless of age, gender or physical ability. We have a very diverse group of students that includes men, women and children of all age groups where everyone is able to train in a safe and supportive environment.

What makes jiu-jitsu so effective is the fact that it is based on the principles of weight distribution, balance, timing and leverage rather than speed or strength. It was designed with the purpose of allowing a smaller person to defend themselves from a larger attacker and to ensure that anyone, regardless of their physical ability, could utilize the techniques for self-defense.

LX jiu-jitsu offers a variety of classes to meet everyone’s needs including co-ed fundamentals and self-defense classes, women’s self-defense seminars and children’s classes for different age groups.

Professor Xavier’s mission is to preserve and teach Gracie Jiu-Jitsu as a complete self-defense system. While supportive of all of his students’ endeavours, he does not require anyone to compete.