We were lucky to catch up with Eric Biesenbach and Martin Hodo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Eric and Martin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Both of our Lone Star Jiu-Jitsu locations in Schertz and New Braunfels are Gracie Certified Training Centers®. This means many different things, but primarily it means that we adhere to the Gracie University® set of standardized curricula developed by Ryron and Rener Gracie. The eldest grandsons of Helio Gracie spent years organizing the hundreds of techniques of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) into linear curricula that are suitable for everyone, regardless of age, physical ability, or self defense goals. No matter who you are, what you want to gain, or what you already know (or don’t know!), we have a program that will help you reach your goals in a fun and safe learning environment.

In addition to the standardized curricula that virtually no other schools offer, Gracie Certified Training Centers® also have a unique style of presenting our techniques. Perfected over three generations, the teaching methodology we use allows students to learn at their own pace without feeling overwhelmed or left behind. Furthermore, we conduct all group classes with the utmost concern for safety, and we demand that all students treat each other respectfully regardless of skill level, gender, race, nationality, or creed.

Lastly, we focus on teaching our students how to keep themselves safe in a street fight. While most schools are concerned with teaching sportive techniques that are only effective against other BJJ opponents, every technique in the Gracie Combatives® and Gracie Women Empowered® programs are punch safe, energy efficient, and rely on natural body movements, making them perfect for anyone who wants to learn to protect themselves in any situation.

We don’t just teach people how to fight, we give people the confidence so they never need to.

Eric and Martin , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Predators and bullies rarely attack people bigger and stronger than themselves. The great power of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lies in its ability to remove a larger opponent’s advantage by putting them in a weaker position and using leverage-based techniques designed to control and exhaust them. Both of our Lone Star Jiu-Jitsu locations are Gracie Certified Training Centers®, meaning we use the most effective and efficient curriculum and strategies to bring true self-defense to our students in the safest and most welcoming environment around.

Eric and Martin pursued their certifications from Gracie University and founded Lone Star Jiu-Jitsu because they truly believe Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the best martial art for everyday people to defend themselves against bigger, stronger, more aggressive opponents. They offer Gracie Combatives® for everyone ages 13+, Gracie Women Empowered® for women 13+, and Gracie Bullyproof® for ages 3-12 at each of their locations in Schertz and New Braunfels. No matter your age, size, or athletic ability, Lone Star Jiu-Jitsu offers a program to safely and effectively teach the greatest self-defense martial art on the planet.

For more information about Gracie University or Lone Star Jiu-Jitsu, you can visit GracieUniversity.com or GJJLoneStar.com

How’d you meet your business partner?

Eric was Martin’s instructor when he joined the Gracie Certified Training Center® in New Braunfels. Once Martin gained his certification to teach Gracie Combatives® and Gracie Bullyproof®, they formed a partnership and founded Lone Star Jiu-Jitsu in Schertz, now called Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Schertz. With the success of the Gracie programs in Schertz, Eric and Martin have joined back up with their former head instructor, Everett, in New Braunfels to launch a second Lone Star Jiu-Jitsu location there. Now with Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Schertz and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu New Braunfels in full swing, they hope to bring the superpower of jiu-jitsu to the entire south central Texas community.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

One of our fellow CTC owners in Seguin, Yvonne Sifuentes, was doing an event in New Braunfels to promote her children’s Jiu-Jitsu book, The Shitzu Who Knew Jiu-Jitsu, and asked if we would like to join her that day to do some demonstrations. On the fly, with no rehearsal, we put on a skit for the kids, where we told a story about standing up to a bully. Marc Torres, who also owns a Certified Training Center® in San Antonio, was dressed in the main character dog costume, and Martin twisted his hat backwards to play the bully. Unscripted and unrehearsed Eric told a story as the two of them illustrated the story in real time. One of the most important things we teach in bullyproof is the 3 “T” steps: Talk, Tell, Tackle. So when Eric got to the last T step in the story, the bully (Martin) shoved the Shitzu (Marc). Without hesitation, Marc double leg tackled Martin on stage and all the kids erupted in ooohs and ahhhhs and applause! Using Jiu-Jitsu, he controlled the bully and Eric narrated the negotiation for the bully to apologize and leave him alone.

Contact Info:

• Website: Gjjlonestar.com
• Instagram: @gjjlonestar
• Facebook: Lone Star Jiu-Jitsu