Sensei Greg Stolze

By DORIAN SERRA

Sensei Greg Stolze has just finished leading his first week of Jiu-Jitsu classes here at Beloit College. These sessions will be occurring Monday at 4:30 pm and Saturday at 2:30 pm in the third-floor gym of the Powerhouse. He teaches a specific variation of this martial art by the name of Danzan-ryu, though he has practiced many others. Danzan-ryu is a development of Jiu Jitsu by Seishiro Okazaki. 

Though he was born in Japan, he created and taught this form in Hawaii. Through Hawaii, Danzan-ryu has made its way into the United States. Stolze intends to continue these classes indefinitely and everyone is welcome to attend with no experience required. 

Stolze’s objective is to give people a taste of the value of martial arts. He wants people to know what it can give them, and to be able to leave the class feeling safer and less scared. He draws from his own experience noting that it gives a connection and control over the body which he uses to protect himself in everyday life. This can be anything as simple as slipping on a grape in the grocery store which his own child has done. He himself fell down a flight of stairs managing to walk away with nothing but a few bruises. He even recalls a friend of his who was once thrown off of a third story building and with the knowledge of how to fall safely, was able to walk out of the situation without a single broken bone. 

While he wishes no one to have to use this art defensively, he teaches it specifically in this way. He finds himself feeling safer with just the knowledge of how to protect himself and is of the opinion that it is better for one to “be aware rather than ignorantly afraid.” Though he has not run a class in a little over a year he has taught cumulatively in the past for five years, and has been practicing Danzan-ryu since 2003 in Chicago. He does want to note that he believes all martial arts to be both important in general as well as in regards to their own niches. Jiu Jitsu is also an art to him, it is personal in practice and style. The personal influences of his own sensei’s have carried on through him. Stolze points to a known concept within the martial arts that “the influence of an instructor lasts three generations.” His own instructors have had a clear influence on his style and attitude which comes through in his teaching. Though he is a fourth level black belt, he is humble in his opinions and attitudes and enjoys every aspect of this tradition. Stolze aims to run a safe and welcoming dojo. He understands the importance of comfort saying that “you have to trust the people you’re training with,” especially with the dangerous nature of the practice. He is optimistic about the future of this program, especially as it has already grown significantly in its sole two sessions.

Featured Image Credit: Kings Academy of Martial Arts