From East Mountain Living magazine
BY FAERL TORRES
Gracie Humaita Jiu Jitsu Cedar Crest, the new martial arts and self-defense school is about more than just take-down techniques and physical exercise; the Gracie philosophy is a lifestyle of discipline, respect and community, framed around the practice of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
and Judo. Jiu Jitsu and Judo translate to the “gentle art” and the “gentle way”, respectively, because they focus on submission and control with minimal harm. The gentIe way doesn’t stop on the mat, it teaches students to treat everyone – opponents and peers – with respect. “It’s a whole philosophy of living and being that permeates every aspect of life,” Kati Gibler, owner and black belt professor says.
Gibler is passionate about Jiu Jitsu and Judo, and equally passionate about teaching her student’s life lessons that will transfer far and wide. For kids who start at an early age, Judo and Jiu Jitsu teach skills they’ll use throughout their life –respect, grit and perseverance. “We can’t be successful unless we can show respect for people and expertise,” Gibler says. “You’re not going to be successful in life if you don’t learn to fail and get up and try agaIn. Gibler experienced this firsthand as a geologist traveling all over the world. Judo taught her how to develop a culture of cooperation with people everywhere she went. This skill ensured her success in a male-dominated field where she was able to foster internal motivation in her colleagues and lead them to work together. Gibler began practicing Judo after getting her son involved. Judo was a great outlet for building physical confidence and coordination in her, small, frequently bIlllied five-year-old. After a week of watching him train, she decided it would be a fantastic outlet for her too. “It was a relationship . . .made in heaven,” Gibler says. Gibler quickly flourished, winning every state championship she entered. In 1998, as a brown belt, she received a waiver to enter the US Judo Federation
National Championship and compete against black belts. Gibler won gold. In 2002, she met Terry Spell, who introduced her to Jiu Jitsu. Spell, a professor of geosciences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, shared a love of geology and martial arts with Gibler and together they pursued Judo and Jiu Jitsu, earning black belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Gracie Humaita Professor Mica Cipili in Las Vegas, NV With a love for teaching, Gibler knew she wanted her own school one day. After moving to Sandia Park, their plans came together. They spent some time working at another Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school in Tijeras, but ultimately, wanted to run a (Gracie Humaita school with the philosophies and standards Gibler and Spell trained under. “At Gracie, they don’t disregard the respect and culture and discipline the original heritage and tradition of the sport,” Spell says, attributing much of that tradition to fostering a family environment. Grandmaster Helio Gracie and eight-degree black belt Royler Gracie, whose practice and academy Gibler and Spell follow, promote a specific culture that must be maintained to be called a “Gracie” school.
The Gracie Humaita standard is high, with a lot of traditions and rules for the structure and operation to ensure success for the school, as well as for the individual students and community “We found having a set of rules . . . and high standards is really important for everyone,” Gibler says. It also helps weed out the people who come because they want to learn to fight. Those people either change how they think and learn to respect the gentle way, or they leave. At Gracie Cedar Crest the emphasis is on more than just the physical aspects of the sport. It’s about the culture. “[We] make a place for everyone who comes through the door,” Spell says. “The criteria for being good isn’t about whether you can beat someone up, but the kind of person you’re developing into.” Gibler and Spell enforce the Gracie Humaita academy rules to ensure respect and “create a nice culture for families and people who deserve to learn Jiu Jitsu,” Gibler says. Gibler is especially passionate about teaching young kids, girls and women. The physical skills Jiu Jitsu and Judo teaches foster confIdence. For wornen, the ability to defend yourself and the confidence in knowing you can, makes it easier to stand up and say “No.” Gracie Jiu Jitsu is all about leveraging skill to compensate for strength, making smaller, weaker students capable of overcoming stronger opponents. It’s a perfect model for self-defense training, for which Gibler is a huge advocate. “It’s a big deal to me,” she says. ”l’m always thinking about how to teach that better. Every Wednesday at 6pm, Gibler teaches a women’s self-defense class focusing on defensive techniques that don’t take a lot of strength or coordination. The first class for any new student is a free trial and they encourage everyone – young and old to stop by the school and see if it’s the right fit. After opening at the beginning of the summer, the school is thriving and (Gracie is growing with each class. “Gracie. . . is much bigger than us,” Gibler says, “it’s a worldwide family” The Cedar Crest family may be in its infancy, but it’s growing stronger and establishing roots in the community, training students to be physically capable and fit. lvlore importantly, Gracie Cedar Crest is training people who are kind, considerate and ready to stand up for honor, family and a legacy of justice. “There’s a hidden side to the martial arts,” Spell says. “Over the years. . .it changes who you are in a lot of ways, because it’s a process.” To get a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, which Spell and Gibler both have, is a ten-year journey of training and commitment. “It’s really, really hard and you get hurt and get disappointed and frustrated, but if you keep going. . . you eventually achieve what seemed impossible at first,” Spell says. “People looking in . . . only see people . . . learning how to fight, but there’s so much more. There’s a whole other side [that] teaches you how to be a better person.” Part of Gibler and Spell’s commitment to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Judo is their belief in the larger benefits – the development of honesty, morality, and a higher level of ethics. The tenants of honor, family and legacy manifest in every class on the mat and every day in real life – take care of your partner, look out for the little one, win or learn, respect your professor and never Stop trying