Our School
"We seek to train the body, mind and spirit through the highest level of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instruction. We envision it as a vehicle for individual development and the strengthening of the family spirit, going beyond the winning-losing or contest philosophy." - Master Carlos Gracie Jr.
Gracie Barra Drippings Springs was founded in 2021 by Professor Alexandre “Dande” Santos and Professor Robert “Max” Bookman.
GB Dripping Springs is one small part of the larger Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu network, Gracie Barra, led by Master Carlos Gracie Jr. and his team of world renown black belt instructors. Gracie Barra has 900+ schools spanning 6 different continents and is recognized as one of the most dominating and successful Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu teams of all time, dating back to 1986.
Our Mission is Jiu-Jitsu For Everyone (TM) and we offer Gi and NoGi classes for beginners, experienced grapplers, competitive fighters, children, and people of all ages and abilities. As a member of Gracie Barra, students have the benefit of training at any Gracie Barra location in the world, including 8 locations in the greater Austin area alone. You will never run out of new training partners or quality instructors.
Nestled in the Texas Hill Country on Highway 290, our facility is beautiful and well air-conditioned, with a large mat area, spectator seating, showers, and a wrap around deck, perfect for absorbing the hill country views.
Meet our Team
Professor Alexandre “Dande” Santos
Professor Alexandre Ferreira Santos, “Dande” has been a professional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor for over 10 years, both in Brazil and The United States. As a competitor he has achieved prestigious titles at Worlds, Pan-Ams, Brazilian Nationals, and the Brazilian State Championship. Professor Dande’s dedication, skill, and passion for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (combined with his back ground in physical therapy) make him one of Gracie Barra’s most sought after instructors.
Professor Dande was born and raised in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, where he founded one of the city’s first Jiu-Jitsu schools. Since then, he has overseen the growth of many academies around The United States (GB South Austin, GB Buda, GB West Lake, and GB Drippings Springs, naming only those in the greater Austin area). Currently, he receives students from all over the world to train with him at his primary academy Gracie Barra South Austin.
Professor Robert “Max” Bookman
Professor Max grew up in Santa Monica, California. He moved to Austin in 2001 to attend the University of Texas where he was a letter winner on the NCAA Swimming & Diving Team and graduated with a B.S. in Kinesiology. In 2005 he began his career as a professional performance coach under mentors Todd Wright (LA Clippers) and Logan Schwartz (University of Texas) catering to a wide variety of amateur, professional, and Olympic athletes. Starting his own company in 2011, Max worked closely with Longhorn Aquatics, Austin Swim Club, and the West Lake High School Mountain Bike Team where he volunteered as head coach for 3 years.
While Max was first introduced to martial arts at a young age by his father, Bruce Bookman (Chief Instructor at Tenzan Aikido and Gracie Barra Black Belt), it was not until 2012 that he met Professor Alexandre “Dande” Santos and started training at Gracie Barra South Austin alongside his younger brother, Keith Bookman. Max competed with great results from white to black belt under Professor Dande and has stood on the podium of some of the IBJJF’s biggest tournaments. Upon receiving his blackbelt in 2019, Professor Max began working for Professor Dande as a full time Jiu-Jitsu instructor at Gracie Barra South Austin until the two opened Gracie Barra Dripping Springs together in 2021 (Professor Dande naming Max as the Chief Instructor).
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Chief Instructor Aryan
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Instructor Will
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Instructor/Program Director Jess
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Instructor/General Manager Josh