Joe D’Arce is a veteran Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner who hails from Brentwood NY. In his own words, he says “I started training at the Renzo Gracie academy at 16 years old. I would take the train into NYC from Long Island and walk to the academy from Penn Station. I used to do my High School home work on the train.” Since then, he was promoted to black belt in 2003, when he was 22 years old under Renzo Gracie. These days, Joe teaches out of his own gym, DarceBJJ but still considers himself a student of Renzo’s.
We asked him about his style whilst training, he said “My favorite guard would probably be Butterfly guard. Butterfly guard sweeps and half guard are my favorite guard positions. Ever since I was a blue belt I’ve always passed the guard via tight half guard type smash passing. Renzo is known for that style of passing, and my favorite submission would probably be the classic X choke from the mount.”
We also asked who Joe’s best every training partner was, this was his answer, “In my opinion the best practitioner I’ve had the pleasure of training with is Roger Gracie. Roger would come to Renzo’s often to train. I trained with him a few times, amazing jiu jitsu. If he is mounted on you, just tap cause you aren’t getting out.”
Q&A
As the Darce choke was named after you, who named it, and what year was this in I also heard John Danaher had a hand in it?
“I’ve been using the choke known as the Darce for a long time, probably since 2001 or 2002. I learned the choke at Renzo’s from John Danaher. It played well into my game because at the time, I had an injured shoulder so rolling to take the back wasn’t an option for me on one side. In 2003 or 2004, after a kickboxing sparring session at Bellmore Kickboxing on Long Island, I rolled a bit with Jason Mayhem Miller. In the training session, I had some success with the choke. Jason really liked the move and upon his return to Vegas, he showed the technique to his BJJ coach at the time, Marc Laimon. Laimon took a liking to the choke and referred to the move as the Darce. Laimon was coaching a lot of MMA fighters at the time so slowly the move started to become known as the Darce choke.”
There seems to be a successful culture coming from Renzo’s, not just on the mat but as people away from BJJ, why do you think this is?
“In my opinion, the successful culture from Renzo’s comes from hard work. Not everyone can deal with tough training, some people fold and don’t come back. Overcoming adversity builds character, which follows you off the mats.”
Back when you did MMA, was this a potential career for you at the time or was it just part of your martial arts lifestyle at the time?
“I had a few MMA fights, I felt it was the next step after competing in numerous grappling and BJJ events. I was in my early 20’s so I viewed fighting as another competition. I knew I wanted to continue competing in grappling events as well though.”
As a police officer, do you think BJJ is as effective as people make out? Also, do you think police officers are under trained with fighting as it seems to be a hot topic right now.
“I’ve been a police officer for 15 years, I think all law enforcement agencies should incorporate at least basic BJJ fundamentals in their tactics programs. Applied correctly, the fundamentals of BJJ can help you control a resisting or combative person while using the least force necessary, which is always the goal. Rener Gracie is a big advocate for law enforcement implementing jiu-jitsu in their tactics curriculum.”
I am not that clued up on the history, but what came first, the Darce, Anaconda or the Brabo with the lapel? And do you know which one inspired the other?
“I’m really not too sure what came first. If I had to guess I’d say Anaconda, Brabo, and the Darce, in that order.”
You’ve been grappling for quite some time. How has it changed since the early days?
“Yes, I’ve been grappling for about 25 years, in that time what has changed is the amount of accessible knowledge available. I remember watching VHS tapes of BJJ matches, taking notes of the techniques used by the elite competitors. Now, there are so many digital outlets with quality material for those looking to learn and progress.”
We would like to thank Joe for the interview, you can find more about Joe’s gym at www.darcebjj.com
