Professor Fred Jennings, Martial Arts Instructor

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Professor Fred Jennings

Fred received his Black Belt from Jeremy Arel on April 28th, 2021. He has trained in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for almost 15 years. He became interested in the combat arts while serving in the US Marine Corps. After leaving active duty, he found Mixed Martial Arts as a way to fill the void once filled by combat training. In addition to Jiu Jitsu, he actively trained in Muay Thai, Western boxing, and Krav Maga until 2012, when he decided to move to Great Grappling and devote his training time solely to BJJ. He was the lead instructor at 704 BJJ in Gastonia, NC, which at the time was a Great Grappling affiliate, through 2016 and 2017. Fred loves to share the mat with his middle daughter, who might possibly enjoy grappling even more than he does, and often assists in our children's classes. Fred fills in for Professor Arel in our adult classes whenever he gets the opportunity and received Great Grappling's Leadership Award in 2017.

Robert Gathings

I’ve been training at Great Grappling for about a year and a half now, and it has truly had a positive impact on my life. I’ve lost a noticeable amount of weight, gained previously undiscovered confidence in myself, and made connections that will last a lifetime. While training, I’ve met people from all walks of life who have been brought together through the common interest of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and the community that has developed through it is incredible. Professor and owner Jeremy Arel also offers a one week free trial to new students who want to try BJJ before committing to a membership, so it’s definitely worth checking out.

Michael Baker

I've been training at Great Grappling for 6 years, and I cannot give it higher praise. Professor Jeremy has created a community of people that care about training and growing as martial artists--but also care about each other as people. If you are a parent looking for a way to teach your children self-confidence or self-defense, this place is a must. If you are hoping to find an academy where you can learn this amazing art called Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, this is the place. Come train with us!

Justin Bench

Hey all,

I ran into the Jeremy by complete accident, by rolling up to Gordo’s academy to train a few weeks and asking about places to stay. What I got was an amazingly warm welcome and a new family for a few weeks. Everyone at the Connection Rio house was friendly and fun, and they were serious about training BJJ. Awesome.

As for Jeremy himself, it is few and far between to find people who are as dedicated to teaching as this man. The classes are very well researched, based upon extensive experience, and set in a format to learn through muscle memory. All of the techniques build off of each other in a continuum, designed around building a game plan and prepping for competition. Jeremy keeps things moving and fast-paced, but you never feel exhausted until its all over and you realize you’ve been training hard and nonstop. I highly recommend his classes and I’ll definitely be back again.

Thanks, Jeremy!, will be seeing you at the Rio Open!

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