Friday, June 11

The ultimate in fitness

You may not think it's possible, but in one hour you can travel from Japan to Brazil and land in Pittsburgh. How? By taking a martial arts class at Renzo Gracie Pittsburgh Academy in Lawrenceville.

Warren Stout, the fitness center's owner and instructor, carries on a tradition in jiu jitsu that was brought to Brazil by a Japanese judo expert in the early part of the last century. The Gracie family, a Brazilian clan of Scottish descent, turned the martial art into a sport.

"The Gracie family are technical and martial arts innovators," said Stout,  who was a championship wrestler at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Penn. "Part of their genius was the way they have marketed the sport."

When the Gracies reintroduced Brazilian jiu jitsu to North America in the early 1990s, it took off, Stout said. Today, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, or UFC, promotes mixed martial arts competitions throughout the world.

Tonight (June 11) at 6 p.m., the academy will host special guest Gregor Gracie, one of the world's top grappling competitors. Gracie will hold a seminar focusing on the latest techniques using the "gi" (judo suite). Tomorrow morning at 10:00, Gracie will talk about techniques modified for mixed martial arts. Tickets are $50.

Brazilian "jiu jitsu changed my life for the better," said Stout, who won a coveted spot to train with the Gracie family in Rio de Janeiro in 2002.

The Renzo (pronounced HEN-zo) Gracie Pittsburgh Academy, located in bright, pleasant storefront at 5104 Butler Street,  offers classes for all levels. You can learn grappling techniques or take a cutting-edge exercise class. Want to learn more about Brazilian jiu jitsu? You can join a class for one week with no obligation.      

At a recent fundamentals class, the sweet guitar strings of Baden Powell played on the sound system. The atmosphere was focused, but relaxed and friendly, not frenetic or loud like so many fitness or training classes can be.

Jiu jitsu is "so much more than just a sport or martial art," Stout said.

Renzo Gracie Academy
5104 Butler Street
Pittsburgh, PA 
310-623-0141










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