MASTER RENZO GRACIE
Who Are We?
We are a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym located in Martisnburg, WV, whose goal is to provide students with an environment to learn and experience the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. We offer Jiu-Jitsu classes for students of all ages and all skill levels.
What is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling-based martial art whose central theme is the skill of controlling a resisting opponent in ways that force him to submit. Due to the fact that control is generally easier on the ground than in a standing position, much of the technique of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is centered around the skill of taking an opponent down to the ground and wrestling for dominant control positions from where the opponent can be rendered harmless. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is truly the physics of the fight game.
In the last days of the 19th century, some Jiu-Jitsu masters emigrated from Japan to other continents, teaching the martial arts as well as taking part in fights and competitions. Mitsuyo Maeda was one such master. Maeda arrived in Brazil in 1915, and settled in Belem do Para, where he met a man named Gastao Gracie.
The father of eight children, among them five boys and three girls, Gastao became a Jiu-Jitsu enthusiast and brought his oldest son, Carlos, to learn from the Japanese master.
For a naturally frail fifteen-year old Carlos Gracie, Jiu-Jitsu became a method not simply for fighting, but for personal improvement. At nineteen, he moved to Rio de Janeiro with his family and began teaching and fighting. In his travels, Carlos would teach classes, and also proved the efficiency of the art by beating opponents who were physically stronger. In 1925, he returned to Rio and opened the first school, known as the “Academia Gracie de Jiu-Jitsu.”
Jiu-Jitsu promotes the concept that a smaller, weaker person can successfully defend against a bigger, stronger assailant by using leverage and proper technique.
Tips For Success
Train to the best of your ability and always apply maximum effort.
Attend classes regularly to get the most out of your training.
Listen to your instructors carefully.
Learn any and all new skills with precision, concentration and motivation.
We are proud to be an official
WeDefy Foundation Training Facility
