CMBJJ (Chiang Mai BJJ) and EMAC (Executive Martial Arts Center) are proud to announce the arrival of Professor Pedro "Bebe" Schmall to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Pedro will begin instructing both gi and no-gi Brazilian Jiu-jitsu starting November 3rd, 2009. The academy will be located immediately adjacent to the Bossotel Inn (10/4 Railway Road, Chiang Mai) directly across from the Chiang Mai railway station.
Pedro hails from the birthplace of Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) where he began training under Fernando "Pinduka" Guimarães and the legendary Carlson Gracie. Earlier in his career, Pedro was a fierce competitor and perfected his trade alongside great champions such as Mario Sperry, Murilo Bustamante, and Ricardo Liborio. His determination and hard work earned him many tournament victories for the Carlson Gracie Team.
After Carlson Gracie relocated to the USA, Pedro continued his training under Royler Gracie who awarded him with his brown and black belts. In addition to his competition experience, Pedro has extensive coaching experience around the world including the USA, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Mainland China.
Pedro has been training and teaching Brazilian Jiu-jitsu for over 20 years. Pedro's jiu-jitsu is no-nonsense, just heavy and tight, the way jiu-jitsu ought to be. If you would like to experience world-class Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and take your skills to another level, please contact CMBJJ (chiangmaibjj@hotmail.com) for more information.
The new schedule and prices are as follows:
Schedule
Weekdays (M-F)
6:00- 8:00 pm (Pedro)
8:00- 9:00 pm (Open mat)
Saturday
12:00- 2:00pm (Pedro)
Sunday
12:00- 2:00pm (Open mat)
Fees
3,000 baht= 1 month, 6 days/ week
7,500 baht= 3 months, 6 days/ week
1,500 baht= 1 month, 6 days/ week, students (under 18 years old with ID)
1,500 baht= Private lesson (Pedro)
Gracie Humaita black-belt, Pedro 'Bebe' Schmall, returns to Thailand and sets up shop in Chiang Mai after having lead the BJJ/MMA program at Beijing BJJ for the past 2 years. As one of the key instructors to the AOW pro-team, Prof Schmall brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience. -Lukemobile phone: +(66) 855481574
email: pedroschmall@hotmail.com
Bio by Gregory Brundage
Pedro"BB"Schmall – Short biography/Interview
September 22, 2009
Pedro "BB" Schmall (June 22nd, 1973) is widely considered one of the leading Jiu-jitsu instructors in Asia, having studied under Fernando Pinduka, Carlson Gracie and Royler Gracie. He has trained both Jiu-jitsu and MMA fighters in Brazil, U.S., Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Mongolia and most recently, China.
Born in Rio de Janeiro, Pedro “BB” Schmall began his sports life at the age of 8 when his father, Hermann Schmall, gave him a surf board while on vacation in the South of Brazil.
Though surfing by itself can be a tough and even deadly sport, so was the beach environment with which he had to contend. Surfers contend for each good wave and sometimes have fights. This was the environment that fostered the initial motivation to learn BJJ.
After three years of training Pedro, at the age of 18, was one of the best players in Rio de Janeiro. At that time, there was no UFC, and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) was little known outside of Rio. “People couldn’t even pronounce the name.”
Then in 1992, tragedy struck. He was in a motorcycle accident which shattered his left shin. A first surgery left him with a metal antenna sticking out his leg, and he walked in a crouch for a year. After the second year, doctors took bone from his hip and put it in his shin.
Meanwhile, the first UFC fights were held in 1993. Many of his teammates, like Jose Mario "Zen Machine" Sperry, Allan Goes, Paulo Filho, Victor Belfort, Wallid Smail and Ricardo Liborio have gone on to become legends in the MMA world.
After a second, and then third surgery, Pedro was still limping. In his own words: “I got really depressed. When I was dating my wife, Simoni, I was talking about my life. She listened and told me: ‘You have to fix your leg otherwise you will never stop limping for the rest of your life.’ I was out of shape (116kg), a brown belt, depressed and completely lost. Muay Thai and even soccer were completely forbidden.”
In December 2003, he had his fourth surgery, and the results were better than he’d hoped. No pain, no weird feeling, he could run, play soccer, fight Muay Thai, and BJJ. One year later, on exactly the same date as his surgery, he was awarded his life’s dream, a Black Belt from Royler Gracie.
PEDRO’S BJJ TEACHING CAREER
Pedro started teaching BJJ almost as soon as he started training with Fernando Pinduka back in 1989. He was promoted to assistant teacher in 1989. When he was training in Carlson Gracie Academy he taught small kids (6-8 years old) in morning classes. When he was promoted to Purple Belt (before the accident) he rented some mat space in a Judo school in Rio and started with his own group of students.
Shortly after the fourth surgery, and his promotion to Black Belt, in 2005 he moved to the U.S. to learn to speak English and tried to open a BJJ academy. Like most people, he started in someone’s garage, specifically a good friend named Dwight Schubert, who now is a BJJ teacher in Fort Collins, Colorado.
When the group started growing, he looked for a more professional place and met Hai Tran, who opened the doors of his academy for Pedro.
After six months in the States, he went back to Brazil to reunite with his wife and daughter. But he still wanted to spread BJJ around the world and started searching for other opportunities. In 2007, he taught in Thailand, Indonesia and Taiwan, before settling down in Beijing. After two years in China, Pedro is read for a new challenge, this time in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he will start a new MMA training center.
In Beijing, Pedro was responsible for training the Chinese fighters for Art of War. He also took part in a TV show, in which he explained the audience the BJJ technics utilized in the fights.
During his time in Beijing he went on two trips to Mongolia to teach and met two great MMA fighters, Dorjderem and Jadamba Naratungalag, who did a great job in Art of War 13. Pedro is also their manager, a new facet of his career that he intends to develop further in the future.
There are many great fighters in the world, but great teachers are harder to find. In class, Pedro puts safety first, and works hard to ensure that all students get the techniques he’s teaching, correct. His knowledge of BJJ techniques is encyclopedic, and he’s a man who loves the art and his job.
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