Sports
João Bizerra on His Early Career Before Círculo Militar
His journey includes a six-year stint at Corinthians, a transition through Parque da Mooca, and his dedication to swimming.
Before building nearly four decades of history at Círculo Militar de São Paulo, swim coach João Luiz Bizerra started out in gyms and spent six years at Corinthians. In an interview with Natação Stemma, he looked back on his early career and the path that led him to the club in 1988.
João Luiz Bizerra's career is widely associated with his 39 years as head coach at Círculo Militar de São Paulo, but his earliest days on the pool deck began much earlier. On the Natação Stemma podcast, hosted by Samir Barel and Wanderley Santos, the coach looked back on his six years at Corinthians and the series of events leading up to his arrival at the traditional São Paulo club in 1988.
PUBLICIDADE (GAM) — 1250x250
The transition from fitness gyms to Corinthians
His professional journey began while Bizerra was still finishing his physical education degree and teaching at a gym during the era of the Troféu Jovem Pan/Kibon competitions. Coaching a group of young boys, his work caught the eye of a swim director from Sport Club Corinthians Paulista through one student's father, a Ford executive. An invitation for a tryout with twelve youth swimmers at Parque São Jorge quickly turned into an outright hire: the Corinthians board wanted to bring in not only the kids, but the coach himself to lead the junior division.
In 1981, his daily routine started with a double shift: Bizerra opened the gym in the morning for adult classes and spent his afternoons at Corinthians. A few months later, at the invitation of coach Rogério Ventura, he took over the age-group squad. His tenure at the Parque São Jorge club lasted until late 1987, when the team finished as state runners-up in their division.
Board turnover and the bridge through Parque da Mooca
His departure from Corinthians came abruptly following the club's presidential election, won by Vicente Matheus, which resulted in the immediate dismissal of the entire coaching staff. Rather than leaving the athletes stranded, Bizerra and the swimmers' families arranged a provisional affiliation with Clube Atlético Parque da Mooca, using a 25-meter pool to keep up their training and competition schedule.
Around the same time, coach Luiz Prado decided to step down from Círculo Militar due to the grueling daily commute from Santo André to the capital. With Prado's direct endorsement, talks progressed smoothly to a final contract. On March 8, 1988, João Bizerra officially took charge of the Círculo Militar swim team, kicking off one of the longest-running eras in Brazilian swimming.
Choosing swimming and formative influences
His career path, however, went against the original wishes of his father, a board member at Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras who wanted him to work in soccer in upstate São Paulo before moving to the club's youth academy. Confident in his calling to the pool, Bizerra stuck with swimming, drawing inspiration from his father's work ethic—a bank clerk who supplemented his income by working at weekend street markets.
As an athlete, Bizerra was shaped by historic figures in São Paulo swimming. He took his first strokes at the Centro Educacional e Esportivo Arthur Friedenreich in Vila Prudente under coach José Paulo Scatena. Later, he moved to Clube Atlético Juventus under the guidance of William Urizzi de Lima, following the coach to Esporte Clube Pinheiros and later swimming for the São Caetano do Sul team during his college years.
PUBLICIDADE (GAM) — 1250x250
