Around the time he qualified as a BJJ instructor, Deoclecio Paulo joined the Brazilian Army — a decision that would shape both his personal path and the wider geographic spread of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Rather than allowing military postings to interrupt his connection to the art, he treated each new assignment as an opportunity, opening academies wherever the army stationed him and building BJJ communities from the ground up.
Among his early postings, Deoclecio established an academy in Marquês de Valença, extending the Oswaldo Fadda tradition into territory it had not previously reached. His most successful academy of this period, however, took root in Jacarepaguá — one of the largest neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro — at number 32 Camélias Street in Vila Valqueire. That academy flourished over several years, producing a strong pool of technically sound and competitive practitioners. His ability to build genuine BJJ communities in each location he inhabited became a defining hallmark of his career.