Georges St-Pierre & The Reinitz Y-Wrestling Centre: A story of friendship and reverence

For 17 years, Georges St-Pierre dominated the world of mixed martial arts – he’s a champion in two weight divisions, a Hall of Famer and what’s now considered as one of the best fighters of all time. And now, after retiring in Feb. 2019, St-Pierre was ready to discuss and reminisce on the George and Eleanor Reinitz Y-Wrestling Centre, and those inside it, that he attributes as being responsible for instilling the knowledge and skills that turned him into the legend we now know today.

George Reinitz & the inauguration of the George and Eleanor Reinitz Y-Wrestling Club

Founded in 2001 by George Reinitz and Victor Zilberman, the Reinitz Wrestling Club has attracted a range of talented individuals over the years, and continues to do so to this day, leading many of its wrestlers to victory in the Junior and Senior National Championships.

As a three-time Quebec and Canada national wrestling champion himself, Reinitz says he first started the club as a way to give back to the sport that had done so much for him. A goal he’s clearly reached, as he’s helped transform Quebec wrestling into one of the top-ranked in Canadian wrestling today.

But a feat worthy of discussing, remains his contribution for shaping the young 19-year-old Georges St-Pierre’s skills and eventual success.

Humble beginnings & a craving for knowledge

Having started karate at a young age, St-Pierre found his way to the Reinitz Y-Wrestling Club at the end of the year 2000, where he decided to add wrestling to his arsenal of fighting skills before ultimately deciding to begin his professional career in mixed martial arts.

“I just thought that he was so fit, I had never seen anybody fit like that before,” Reinitz said with a smile, when asked what he first thought of St-Pierre’s abilities after seeing him in the gym the first few times.

St-Pierre describes the challenges and adversity he faced while learning wrestling techniques in the early years of his career, saying “When you first start wrestling, you never get the best in the beginning, it takes a long time before you’re able to master the technique and be the dominant athlete on the mat, it’s like a school of life.”

“I’ve never seen anybody who wants to learn all the time everything — that’s such a rare person — I have to admire it,” said Reinitz of St-Pierre’s all-around attitude towards the sport.  

With a combination of Reinitz’ coaching methods, incredibly hard work and perseverance, both Reinitz and St-Pierre agree that one his best traits, wasn’t only his ability to learn the wrestling skills rapidly, but to apply them incredibly well during his fights.

Among the skills he learned during his time at the club, is the now famous ‘Zilberman single leg attack’, taught by another of his coaches and fellow co-founder of the wrestling club, Victor Zilberman. St-Pierre became known for using this technique to take his opponents down to the floor, where his wrestling skills often earned him the victory.

“I attribute a lot of my success to wrestling,” said St-Pierre. “For me, wrestling is very important because if you’re a good wrestler in mixed martial arts, you can decide whether the fight goes to the ground or if it stays standing up. You have the ability to decide where you want to take the fight. I think if you control the pace, it’s a great advantage to have,” he added.

“He learned how to defend himself, he was so smart by knowing how to get on top instead of getting on the bottom,” Reinitz remarked.

A sense of community & passing down the knowledge

Now that he’s officially stepped away from the octagon of the UFC, St-Pierre still can’t get enough of the wrestling mat, as he finds himself joining wrestling practice at the Reinitz Y-Wrestling Club as often as he possibly can.

St-Pierre describes his time at the club now not only as a way to stay healthy, but as a way for him to give back the knowledge he’s acquired over the years and help other young athletes jumpstart their careers. “With George, a lot of the techniques have been passed through generations,” said George as he went on to explain:

“Over time, why the sport always progresses is that we learn from our predecessor, we learn from their mistakes, we don’t have to make the same mistakes. It’s my turn now, I can pass my knowledge to the next generation. They don’t have to repeat the same mistakes that I did. That’s how the sport gets better.”

But St-Pierre said that sharing the knowledge not only helps the sport, it also helps athletes build character and mental strength, before going on to describe a young man he’s had the pleasure to watch evolve over the years.

“I remember when he came out, he lacked a lot of confidence. He made me remember when I was young, he looked down, he couldn’t look at someone in the eyes when he was talking to them,” he said.

“Wrestling made him strong, now he stands up straight when he talks to someone, he shakes someone’s hand, he looks at them in the eyes,” as he went on to describe the benefits many of wrestling.

Reinitz describes St-Pierre’s presence in the gym an amazing service for the community and for the youth in ensuring they become not only good wrestlers but good citizens.

“He’s an example for a lot of kids over here,” said Reinitz.