Shepparton's Scott Butler with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts pioneer Rickson Gracie.
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Shepparton Gracie Jiu-Jitsu founder Scott Butler recounted his own journey in the world of martial arts - and how he is helping others to follow in his footsteps.
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The institution’s head instructor has been educating talents from around the Goulburn Valley region in self-defence martial arts for over a decade, having first established the gym at Knight St back in 2015.
The 55-year-old has assembled an ensemble cast of instructors who help to deliver a number of programs at the gym in the form of Clinton Logue, Paul Wallace, Peter Walsh and Elizabeth Butler.
In the intervening years, he has been imparting the knowledge and expertise he first learned from coaches at the world-famous Gracie University, which provides global Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instruction directly from source.
The Torrance, California campus has been a hotbed for the emergence of competitors and coaching minds alike since it was first set up by Rener and Ryron Gracie 18 years ago.
Household names from UFC featherweight Brian Ortega and UFC commentator Joe Rogan to professional boxer Ryan Garcia, actors Vince Vaughn and Jim Carrey and late TV chef Anthony Bourdain have taken to the mat at the university in the past.
Among the 400,000 students who have studied via the online training platform is Shepparton’s very own Butler, who first visited the Torrance campus in 2014 - the first of over 20 journeys Stateside.
He completed the Gracie University Instructor Certification Program (ICP) the following year and even travelled to the prestigious Gracie 100 event at the fabled Gracie Academy in Brazil in 2025.
This was the latest step in his own personal journey, having been involved in martial arts for the past 43 years.
Speaking with the News, he opened up on how a combination of the curriculum, the camaraderie, and quality of the instruction, has led to his own gym earning a strong reputation across the region and beyond.
“The system that they teach at Gracie University made so much sense to me,” he said.
“It was what I wanted to introduce my kids to, originally we were training out of my garage and had 14 adults and 25 kids (taking part) and then we ventured down the route of starting our own gym with all the right accreditations.
“The (teacher) training process is quite lengthy, first you have to be chosen and then you have to do the combative test with 95 per cent pass rate - once you’ve done that you are accepted to start the process.
“You have to complete 52 videos and five teaching assessment videos where you have to show you can teach which you submit to an assessor in California, before being put through an evaluation at Torrent.
“Because (Gracie Jiu-Jitsu) is based on self-defence, our community outreach is via our Bullyproof program - which kids and parents both love - and we have 117 kids and 180 students overall on the books.”
Shepparton Gracie Jiu-Jitsu instructors Scott Butler and Peter Walsh
The Bully proof program helps youngsters to use verbal assertiveness to deter bullies and establish several non-violent self-defence techniques.
Led by Elizabeth Butler, the Women Empowered program has been in place over the last 11 years too, helping survivors of domestic violence and abuse.
“They like that program because it’s all women, it is a powerful program,” Butler said.
“We’ve had a wide range of different students come to us with some very deep emotional scars that they’ve wanted to address - some are with us for a few months, some for years depending on the individual.“
In addition, Butler has pioneered a Combative program, teaching students the 36 core techniques of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
Speaking alongside instructor Walsh, the founder also outlined how their Character Development program has helped students in terms of the six key components of responsibility, health, respect, citizenship, manners and caring.
“It’s broken into those six components and that is a bi-monthly change, and we create stories around each story which the kids can relate to,” Butler continued.
“We develop a really good culture here, with people who embrace that culture.
“There is a level of discipline that comes with Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and so the students who have come through go on a personal journey.
“Those who stay on the journey for the long-haul, I see change in the development of their holistic approach to health, stretching and training - which shows in the other areas of their life.
“There’s change that we see from the students in how they go about things.”
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