Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy

I started taking a jiu jitsu self defense course at CWRU with Mark Stefanac from Relson Gracie Jiu Jitsu and, confession… I got totally hooked. Mark offered to let us try out some classes at his school in Willoughby and, from the very first time I went, I felt completely welcome and at home. The other students were happy to practice with me and to provide little bits of advice here and there so that I could learn without it seeming overwhelming.
Saturday morning the school runs a women’s self defense course, which is free and immensely practical. The beauty of jiu jitsu is that you don’t have to be strong — you just have to be smart. This martial art (used by the Samurai and subsequently developed in Brazil by the Gracie brothers — very interesting history) uses leverage and physics so that 100lbs girl in our class was able to beat a 200lbs guy.
What I really appreciate about Mark and Ron’s school is how welcoming they are. They really care about making a difference in Cleveland through jiu jitsu. They have the free women’s self defense course, a fantastic kids program, and they are building a brand new facility so that their regular students will have more space to practice, locker rooms, an area where their kids can play while they take classes, and so much more.
If you are interested in trying a martial art, I definitely recommend trying jiu jitsu and, moreover, trying Mark and Ron’s school because you can come here knowing that you will be able to learn and practice in a welcoming environment in which everyone is focused on learning *safely* rather than trying to prove that they know more than you.
Very glad that I had the opportunity to train here for a few months before I go back to Buffalo and, because of this school, I will definitely be looking for a place to train in Buffalo.