Elite Training Center was featured in the April 8 Beach Reporter. The article is partly quoted below:
According to Elite Training Center’s Program Director, Shawni Young, the Redondo Beach self-defense school’s main emphasis is not on technique itself but rather the confidence students feel when using it. Unlike most training studios that offer one main style of fighting, Elite Training Center offers an array of combat-style options, including mixed marital arts, Krav Maga, close-quarter combat, military and law enforcement training, and fitness classes.
“We take variations of traditional forms of martial arts and make them very effective and straight to the point,” said Young. “You can find schools that offer a bit of variation, but we have department heads in each of the martial arts we offer, so it’s like there are separate schools within a school. We do everything 100 percent.”
According to Young, the studio’s owner, Brian Rauchbach, who moved from Brooklyn to the South Bay about 15 years ago, is the reason for the school’s tremendous success.“The only reason we’re able to pull all this off is because of Brian’s experience,” said Young. “He was in military operations and personal security for over 25 years. He’s a certified Mui Thai instructor and has worked with a ton of government agencies. He’s also a black belt in Gracie and Japanese Ju Jitsu, which are just some of his accolades. He is very active in his business and personally teaches classes here. Most grand masters are not present at their business, so it’s really cool that he is so hands-on.”
Elite Training Center offers classes to kids as young as five years old and has students who are in their 70s.
“Our first line of defense for our students is for them to know how to protect themselves. Attackers tend to focus on people who carry themselves with a demeanor of fear and insecurity,” said Young. The school teaches its students that in order to improve who they are in life, they first have to care about improving the person next to them.“If people in our classes focus on making themselves better, then the person standing next to them will become better too,” said Young.
“Negative, selfish attitudes are not welcome at our school. We only want students who want to learn, grow and evolve into improved, stronger people.”
In addition to martial arts classes, the studio has a large extreme fitness program, which includes cardio kickboxing and bodybuilding.
“Being a martial arts academy that has almost 1,200 students allows us to have a major influence in people’s lives. Doing good and helping others can have a huge chain reaction,” said Young.
