Fallon Chamber celebrates new jiu-jitsu training center

Dan and Kimberly Muller have opened the doors to their Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Fallon training center in the plaza at 5070 Reno Highway, formerly the location of Winans Yoder furniture.

A red ribbon ceremony hosted Aug. 10 by the Fallon Chamber of Commerce brought together family, friends and the community to celebrate.

A subset of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Gracie is designed to empower the weak against the strong through core techniques based on timing, leverage and energy management. Co-owner and main instructor Dan Muller will be retiring to Fallon from his public works job in the Navy. A jiu-jitsu blue belt level with two stripes, Muller has been training for the last 13 years even as he moved to new duty stations in Virginia, California and Nevada.

“I was able to keep training in the same Gracie Jiu-Jitsu style because it is a network of certified training centers all over the world,” he said. “It’s a universal instruction. All of the schools have the same format, the same lessons.”

Gracie “combatives” is an adults’ beginner class that focuses on the 36 core techniques. Dan Muller said the Gracie curriculum teaches to the lowest common denominator so that everybody can learn at the same pace and no one gets frustrated or left behind. “Combatives” is also available in sessions for women led by Muller’s wife, co-owner and blue belt level assistant instructor, Kimberly.

Kimberly Muller, a licensed veterinary technician at Fallon Veterinary Clinic, started jiu-jitsu training in 2011 after someone broke into the couples’ home while they were at work. She said the incident made her feel angry and violated and caused her to question whether she could have defended herself if she had been home alone at the time. By the end of that week she and her husband found the self-defense classes at a nearby certified “Gracie Garage” training center and joined immediately.

“I feel it is important to train, or begin training, to build a sense of self-worth and self-carriage,” she said. “There is no greater confidence that comes when you realize that you can handle most any difficult situation that may present itself.”

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Fallon also offers “bullyproof” classes at their facility, teaching students three to 12 years old how to use leverage-based control holds to neutralize threats without violence.

“We have some tough conversations,” Dan Muller said. “How to stand up for yourself. How to diffuse a situation. If it becomes physical, how to defend yourself without having to hurt somebody.”

Monthly tuition includes unlimited classes. New students can sign up for a 10-day free trial. Information and registration are available by email at gjjfallon@gmail.com or by phone at 775-481-5836.