Academy Specializes In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instruction
Posted
Staff Report-
In the most literate sense, students are becoming the teacher at a former academy in Warsaw. Absolute Fitness Academy LLC started Jan. 1 and is owned and operated by Chad Stevens, Jason Thoman and Jim Katris. The academy specializes in the instruction of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for kids and adults. The academy is at 2307 E. Center St. in the former Total Jiu-Jitsu facility. When the instructor from Total Jiu-Jitsu took a sabbatical from training, three of his students (Stevens, Thoman and Katris) decided to continue a Jiu-Jitsu program in Warsaw and started Absolute Fitness Academy. Their motivation came from their love of Jiu-Jitsu, their desire to train locally, and a desire to develop a kids’ Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program that focuses on self defense with an anti-bullying theme. Each of the three owners has children from their own family enrolled in the kids’ Jiu-Jitsu program. The kids program follows the anti-bully theme that was made famous by the Gracie Family. The Gracie Family is synonymous with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Absolute Fitness Academy is run like a martial arts & conditioning co-op. In addition to Absolute Fitness Academy, the facility is also the home of two new programs: Brooks Brothers Wrestling (run by Robert Ford and his two sons, Jarred and Justin Brooks), and Ryan Hill MMA and Conditioning (run by Taekwondo World Champion Ryan Hill). In addition, Bob Firari continues to run a boxing program as he has for the past four years. While the programs are run independently of one another, each of the programs is run by experienced and dedicated individuals who embrace the idea of cross-training in the various disciplines of martial arts and conditioning methods. Basically, they have formed a martial arts family under one roof.Despite all the programs being fairly new, the academy has seen some success stories. Last month, Jarred Brooks won the Indiana State Wrestling Championship and is currently ranked number one in the nation. In addition, TJ Pettigrew recently defended his belt as a Mixed Martial Arts Champion in Fort Wayne. The academy is hosting an open house/grand opening March 10 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. You can also follow Absolute Fitness Academy on Facebook or visit www.absolutefitnessacademy.com
