Local martial arts enthusiasts had the opportunity to learn from some of the top Gracie jiu-jitsu instructors in the country as Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Shepparton hosted a landmark event at the weekend.
The dojo hosted a day-long training conference on Sunday, providing dozens of people with the chance to hone their skills with a host of Gracie Instructor Certification Program instructors.
More than 50 people took part in the seminar, which featured in-depth training on three specific elements of jiu-jitsu.
It was a coming together of coaches and students from the nine Gracie University-certified training centres across Australia, and Scott Butler, the head instructor at GJJS and a Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt himself, said the inaugural event was a huge success.
“The feedback was huge, both on social media and personal messages,” he said.
"People came from Queensland, came from around the Sydney area and the Blue Mountains in NSW, from all around Melbourne.
“Fifty people was more than what we expected for our first conference, bearing in mind that a lot of people had to travel.
“We wanted to make the first one so good that the people would tell their friends and the event would self-propel.
"We made it so interactive with everybody, we made it so friendly, with a clean environment, we put on lunch, people just are raving about the next one.”
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Arm bar: Francis Reyes practices a submission manoeuvre. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 2 of 4
Jiu-jitsu: PJ Wharewaka and Cliinton Logue grapple on the mat. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 3 of 4
Rolling: Lisa Altivilla and Inga Sommerfeld sparring on Sunday. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 4 of 4
Takedown: Patrick Osborne and Orcar Loudon. Photo by Rechelle ZammitJiu-jitsu was first formed in Japan centuries ago and focuses on throws, holds and grappling more so than punches or kicks, and enhanced by the Gracie family to three fundamental principles – natural body movement, energy efficiency and street applicability.
The discipline has been taught for hundreds of years, but Butler said Gracie University and GJJS offers a modern way to teach the martial art, with hundreds of training centres across the globe.
“Gracie University is unique, by way of being accessible through online learning,” Butler said.
“What I mean by that is that it's a pure university – all courses are online.
“Students can plan for their upcoming lessons prior to class. And then after the class, they can review the lesson so they can make their learning experience more enjoyable and beneficial.
“That way they retain what they're learning more easily. Instead of the old traditional way of you turn up to class, you learn, you go home, and then you think a day later, ‘what did I just learn?’. Everything is backed up online.”
The Gracie Academy first started in 1925 and since then it has grown into a global training network with Certified Training Centres (CTCs) across the world.
GJJS was the first CTC to open in Australia. GJJS’s first dojo opened at Kialla in 2015, before shifting to its current location at 74 Knight St, Shepparton in 2018.
With a total of nine CTCs now operating Down Under, Butler said the weekend’s seminar was the first time the heads of each gym were able to meet in person, with plans for bigger and better conferences in the future.
“Because this was the first location to open up in Shepparton, and now there's other locations, we put an event together to have the first combined training of the CTC schools to come to Shepparton and train together with the instructors coming from those locations,” Butler said.
“This was the first meeting where we all got together face-to-face, in one room.
“There are going to be two conferences every year, and we are going to swap them around other training centres. So the next one will be in Melbourne, and then after that it might be in Sydney or it might be in the Blue Mountains.”
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Learning from the best: Black belt Scott Butler helps Isabella Scordamaglia and Lisa Ciccone. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 2 of 5
On top: Jesse Farrow and Nicholas Wheelhouse. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 3 of 5
Demonstration: Scott Butler instructing with the assistance of Paul Wallace. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 4 of 5
Tapping out: Nick Carradus and Adam Fernades. Photo by Rechelle ZammitImage 5 of 5
Side control: Harrison Butler and Liz Butler. Photo by Rechelle ZammitGJJS offers a wide variety of classes – from beginner adult programs to women’s empowerment classes, to the master cycle and bullyproof programs specifically for children between five and 12.
Butler said people of all ages and health could join at any time, with no prior experience necessary.
“Everybody can learn jiu-jitsu,” he said.
"New participants can just turn up 15 minutes prior to a class. We have a 10-calendar day free trial, so they can try it absolutely obligation free, it doesn't cost them a cent.
“The feedback we get, especially in our bullyproof program is huge from parents.
“If everybody learned jiu-jitsu the world would be a safer place. It really does teach people control ― managing the distance, de-escalating the situation.
“It is a very practical self-defence without punching or kicking and making the situation worse.”
GJJS is open from 4pm-9pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, from 5.30pm-8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 7am-11am on Saturdays.