Chris Haueter

This week's episode of The Grappling Monthly Podcast we had the privilege of sitting down with 6th degree black belt and legend in the game: Professor Chris Haueter in his home in Redondo Beach, California. Prof. Haueter is one of the first 12 non-Brazilians to be awarded the rank of black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in the United States in the late 90's. Chris Haueter was born in 1964 in California. Like many other children who grew up during the 1970s, Haueter started his martial arts training through shotokan karate, influenced by the popular kung fu movies of the era, eventually developing his nunchaku skills. Has Chris reached high school, he started wrestling. He did well throughout the school program, representing his varsity team as a 98lbs athlete. Although successful, a serious injuries took him off the team for half of his sophomore and all of his junior year. After going through the school system, Chris Haueter joined the US Marine Corps. Looking for something to keep him occupied, he sought several martial arts, including muay Thai and boxing. It was after his first (and only) pro Thai boxing match (1987) that Haueter decided to go back to grappling. Although he had won the match, he felt the striking arts left open too many options for future head trauma. As Chris returned to his old wrestling room, he found an aikido instructor named Mits Yamashita demonstrating a grappling position (mounted armbar). Haueter was interested in the position and asked for it to be performed on him, which Mits did successfully. As Chris showed the desire to learn more, Yamashita directed him to Rorion Gracie’s academy. At the Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy Chris Haueter met Rorion’s cousin, Rigan Machado – who was one of jiu jitsu’s most celebrated champions at the time. Machado became Haueter’s main coach, and when Rigan moved away from the Gracie academy to form his own, Chris followed. His dedication and hard work culminated with Chris Haueter receiving his black belt on December 1996. During the ceremony 4 other black belts were handed: Renato Magno, David Meyers, Rick Williams, Fernando Vasconcelos. Haueter also became known for coining a few of Brazilian jiu jitsu’s positions which were unnamed in Portuguese. One of those was the famous “combat base” stance. One that later gave name to Chris’ academy in California. Grappling Monthly is dedicated to the people, culture, and business of the grappling arts. We produce original documentaries, podcasts, short and long-form videos, and features that spotlight the global grappling community, from practitioners and coaches to creators, organizers, and entrepreneurs. Our goal is to bring attention to the people of jiu jitsu and their stories and to explore the realities, values, and voices shaping the grappling world today. https://www.grapplingmonthly.com #jiujitsu #jiujitsubrésilien #brazilianjiujitsu #combatsports #martialarts #selfdefense #selfimprovement #bjj #blackbelt #grappling #thegrapplingmonthlypodcast #gi #nogi #ibjjf #adcc #chrishaueter #redondobeachca #california #usa #bjjdirtydozen #ricksongracie #roycegracie #roriongracie #ufc Many thanks to our sponsor https://www.baitapparel.com