Who Are We?
Agogi Academy of Combatives is a part of the Pedro Sauer Association in Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Both owners, Kathy Ortiz and Chris Holmes, met and became training partners in the D.C. area in a Pedro Sauer school. They seek to provide the Citrus County area with the same high quality Gracie Jiu Jitsu and self-defense programs that they encountered in Pedro Sauer schools.
Master Pedro Sauer has been their direct teacher. He was a student under Helio Gracie, the founder of Gracie Jiu Jitsu and the only non-Gracie family member who has been granted the use of the name Gracie Jiu Jitsu for the type of Jiu Jitsu he teaches. Read more about the Pedro Sauer Association here!
Our Programs
Gracie Jiu Jitsu is a form of Jiu Jitsu that is based on self defense. Since most fights end up on the ground, learning to defend yourself on the ground is essential. Agogi Academy of Combatives is an affiliate of Pedro Sauer.
The program’s mission is to provide support, training and networking for women who want to learn to protect themselves. Grace Cassens, a purple belt in Pedro Sauer Jiu Jitsu, is the head instructor for the program that covers self-defense, fitness, and jiu jitsu.
Our Instructors
Chris was born in the Midwest but has settled into the Central Florida area permanently. He was on his high school wrestling team and continued on to coach and compete in wrestling in the late 1990s.
He discovered Gracie Jiu Jitsu by watching a video of Royce Gracie fighting in the UFC. He immediately sought out a Jiu Jitsu instructor and has continued to train since. Chris is a certified instructor in the Pedro Sauer Association. . When he lived in the Washington, DC area, Chris worked as an instructor and school manager for Pedro Sauer’s main academy.
Chris is dedicated both professionally and personally to the development of Self Defense.
He continued his training in Tae Kwon Do under Terry Noel in Kendall, FL. For more info: CLICK HERE
We as a household really appreciate the open schedule and friendly learning environment. My daughter has learned a bundle of lifelong self-defense tactics and says its like a extended family and I agree. She is more fitness aware since she started about a year ago now.”
“My son and I are very pleased with the training we receive at your Agogi Academy of Combatives. The school is a “no pressure” school allowing students time to master all of the techniques without criticism from the instructors.”
“The training at Agogi has given me confidence in my day to day life. I have lost weight due to training with Chris and Kathy. The environment there feels like home.”
“I’m very satisfied with your class and the way you prepare the children for real life, because it’s not all rainbows and unicorns. Chris is amazing, his temperament, patience, and charisma is infectious.”