Gracie Jiu-Jitsu blue belt, Houston Cottrell, 16 years old, is the youngest certified instructor with the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy, and now head instructor and owner of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Madison.
His academy is Mississippi’s only Gracie Academy-certified training center.
Cottrell teaches both adults and children, with the Gracie bullyproof program.
He told Jacksonfreepress:
“Our program teaches kids physical self-defense and how to defend themselves verbally,”
“When you know you can defend yourself physically if necessary, you can focus on defending yourself verbally first. You can tell the bully not to do that again and stand up to them without hurting the bully.”
Cottrell’s own parents train at his academy.
“Taking courses together gives families something to do together and have in common, and that’s something that’s needed today,”
Cottrell also offers private lessons by appointment.
The academy:
His bio from his academy website:
‘Houston Cottrell is a certified Gracie Jiu-jitsu Blue Belt under the Gracie Academy in Torrance, CA. Having completed an extensive instructor certification program in July 2014 he became the youngest certified Gracie Jiu-jitsu Instructor. Houston is passionate about teaching and this certification means that Houston will be teaching the exact same techniques that are taught at the Gracie Academy in Torrance using the same teaching methodologies and guidelines that Grandmaster Helio Gracie outlined. He is excited to bring the “Gentle Art” as well as the Gracie philosophies to Mississippi.
Houston has taught both adult and children’s classes in various martial arts since he was nine years old and also holds a black belt in Shaolin Kempo Karate.”
Sloth Jiu-Jitsu: you can be slow and unathletic and still kick butt in Jiu-Jitsu.