Mark Greubel acknowledges that his experience in a bullying situation at the age fourteen, when he did not have control of the situation, impacted the course of his life. He recognizes that if he’d had the knowledge and the practice needed to successfully defend himself, he could have avoided the incident altogether.
“I opened Greubel’s Mixed Martial Arts in 2005 because there were no true mixed martial arts gyms anywhere near where we lived,” says Mark. “Being a victim of bullying as a child, I really felt that there was a need to help others who wanted to empower themselves and learn how to effectively defend themselves.”
Mark and his staff empower others by offering a variety of training opportunities through classes in boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing, mixed martial arts (MMA), Muay Thai, cardio kickboxing, and circuit training for fitness. Although well known for their adult programs, there are kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu classes for kids starting as young as five years old.
“When people come in off the street, they don’t really know what they’re capable of, but we offer the ability for them to learn,” explains Mark. “They start to get a better understanding of what their bodies are capable of doing, how to produce power, and how to train the body to stay strong in certain situations.”
“Ninety-seven percent of our members are here to just learn martial arts and get in great shape,” adds Mark. “We specialize in taking ordinary people and having extraordinary results. The vast majority of people want to come in and get a great workout and learn martial arts and how to defend themselves. We have a pretty good track record of filling those goals for them.”
A frequent question Mark gets is about whether or not he offers self defense classes. “Martial arts in its purist form is self-defense,” explains Mark. “We, through repetition, allow you to build certain reflexes to deal with stimulus coming at you when you have to defend yourself and we build those reflexes in a safe manner.”
For individuals looking to enter the competitive arena, Greubel’s MMA offers instruction by world-renown competitors and coaches. “My personal specialty is kickboxing,” says Mark. “I've been coaching the World Association of Kickboxing Organization’s (WAKO) United States kickboxing team since 2006 and I have been responsible for helping build the curriculum for the sport of kickboxing in the U.S.”
Mark’s training and influence will soon expand to the Olympic games. “The International Olympic Committee just recognized WAKO and the sport of kickboxing,” explains Mark. “This would effectively make me the Olympic coach when the sport debuts in the games.”
Experience on the world stage doesn’t stop with Mark, it includes other instructors as well. “We have Sergio Cunha coaching at our gym,” adds Mark. “Sergio currently teaches the Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as well as the MMA competition classes. He has coached fourteen Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions including Anderson Silva, Shogun Rua, Lyoto Machida, BJ Penn, and Elias Theadureu.”
If you’re familiar with the competitive circuit, you’ll recognize a few of Greubel’s MMA clients as well. “We have several high-level pro fighters training at our gym,” shares Mark, “including pro boxer Justin Deloach, pro boxer Dominique Roundtree, female bare-knuckle world champion Helen Peralta, and the 7ft tall 300lb son of Smoking Joe Frazier, Zeus Frazier.”
With the high level of training and coaching experience offered through Greubel’s MMA, Mark knows it’s more than an ordinary gym. “I tell people they go to the academy because I feel like it’s the college of martial arts,” says Mark. “We’ve taken our art forms to the highest level globally and we’re offering that amount of knowledge for people here in Augusta.”
Greubel’s Mixed Martial Arts offers flat-rate memberships and has two locations in the CSRA: 4014 Columbia Road in Martinez and 618 East Robinson Avenue in Grovetown. Be sure to visit www.gmma.ninja and sign up for a free week of classes. For more information, call 706-737-0911.