Rener Gracie is a 3rd degree black belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and a head instructor at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy and co-creator of Gracie University, the world's largest online jiu-jitsu training program. He is the grandson of Helio Gracie, the creator of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, and the second eldest son of Rorion Gracie, the father of Gracie jiu-jitsu in the United States. Raised from birth to teach jiu-jitsu, Rener has spent over twenty years on the mats at the Gracie Academy studying the art under Rorion and Helio's tutelage. A black belt at age 19, Rener earned a reputation as a gifted teacher. While Helio created Gracie jiu-jitsu and Rorion introduced it to the world by co-creating the Ultimate Fighting Championship to showcase the effectiveness of the family's art, Rener and his brother, Ryron Gracie, made the art available to everyone with Internet access or a DVD player. The brothers created Gracie University, the world's first interactive, online martial arts learning center, and developed distance learning packages for the Academy's proprietary courses. Today, Gracie University has more than 70,000 active students in 196 countries offering tailored self-defense programs for men, women, and children. The curriculum includes Gracie Combatives, Gracie Bullyproof, Women Empowered, and the Master Cycle as well as special instructor certification courses. They also offer special courses for military and law enforcement professionals.
