Our Instructors:
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Instructor Name: Garrett Erickson
Title: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Instructor
Other Information: Garrett Erickson has 19 years of experience on the mat. Since 1999, he has been learning the art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He trained at the Monkey Bar Gym in Madison until 2005, when he moved to the Wausau area. In December of 2010, he earned his black belt from 2X BJJ World Champion Thiago Veiga, co-founder of the Luiz Claudio Combat Team (LCCT) based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Before beginning his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu journey, Garrett wrestled for 7 seasons including 2 seasons at the college level.
Garrett is licensed through the State of Wisconsin as Mixed Martial Arts Trainer, Mixed Martial Arts Second (Cornerman) and Juvenile Martial Arts Instructor. |
Garrett's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu lineage: Helio Gracie (Founder) --> Rickson Gracie --> Luiz Claudio --> Garrett Erickson |
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Instructor Name: Will Wood
Title: Assistant Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Instructor
Other Information: Will started training Jiu Jitsu in October 2002. It was an unusual hobby for a 34 year old father father of one to pick up with the wife! After renting VHS tapes the early UFC bouts, this Gracie Jiu Jitsu stuff looked too cool to pass up.
After a few years of training, Will met Garrett. Garrett very patiently (very patiently!) fixed the fundamentals in Will's game.
Will enjoys playing a bottom game and concentrates on defense. If the other guy can't tap you he will eventually leave something open during the attack. It's much more fun to out think an opponent than out muscle him. If you're using muscle and/or conditioning to beat an opponent you really need to work on technique.
Will earned his purple belt from Luiz Claudio in April of 2009. |
Instructor Name: Kristie Ponce
Title: Kid's Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Instructor
Other Information: Kristie Ponce began her martial arts training with American
Freestyle Karate at the young and tender age of 34.
Five years later her younger brother
completed National Guard basic training, where he was introduced to Gracie
Jiu
Jitsu. He convinced Kristie that she
needed to add grappling to her self-defense skillset. A Google search
lead her to Great White
Martial Arts. Impressed by the
techniques, she quickly became addicted.
When people ask
her why she feels the need to study two very different
types of martial arts, her usual reply is: “Since I don’t
spend a lot of time
laying down in public, I have to expect a self-defense situation to start with
me on my feet,
hence the karate. As
small as I am, I also have to assume that it will end on the ground, and
Brazilian jiu jitsu
practitioners OWN the ground!”
Kristie loves helping teach the kids’ classes at Great White
Martial Arts, and continues to study both karate and
Brazilian jiu jitsu with
enthusiasm. Kristie is a black belt in
Karate and received her blue belt in Jiu Jitsu
in April of 2010. |
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