Gracie University
June 27, 2009 by danielson
Filed under Training Journal
I briefly mentioned this in my last training update post, but I wanted to take a few minutes to elaborate on it in more detail. About 3 months ago, I found this website called www.gracieuniversity.com, and I was curious to find out more about it, so I signed up for the free account. I wasn’t quite sure what Gracie University was at the time I did. I actually thought it might be some sort of fly in camp or week long seminar. After I joined the site I realized that the Gracie’s had developed an online distance learning program, and my first impression was to be disappointed in this concept. I had the same reaction that many other skeptics do, and thought that the Gracie’s were “selling out” and watering down Jiu Jitsu by creating this. It was only recently that I realized it was the exact opposite. I’ll explain in detail in a moment, but first I want to kind of explain how the process of me transforming from a skeptic to a believer took place.
About one month ago, I received an email from another member (Bill) of Gracie University in the area. He wanted to put together a “Gracie Garage” and had contacted about 10 other members in the local area who had expressed an interest in finding a training partner. So I read Bill’s email and responded, and set a time to meet. Bill has a personal training studio not to far from me, and I drove down to check it out and meet with him. Bill had explained that 2 other people were also coming to meet and later that same day I met both William and Rex. Rex and I actually share a love and appreciation of Muay Thai as well, which was cool. Bill, William and Rex are all great guys and are now my training partners in our own “Gracie Garage.”
At this point I had not even seen one of the Gracie University videos, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I met the following week and Bill and I went through Lesson 1. Each lesson shows about 20-30 minutes of demonstration on several variations of one specific technique. The videos are hosted and taught by Rener and Ryron Gracie, who are the Grandsons of Helio Gracie.
The way Gracie Academy is set up, is that it is broken up into 2 parts. Part 1 is called Gracie Combatives, and it teaches you 36 “Core Techniques” of Gracie Jiu Jitsu. Upon Mastery of these techniques, you have the opportunity to record and submit a video test with specific guidelines and upload that video to Gracie University.com to be graded by one of the instructors. If you pass the test, you are rewarded with a Blue Belt, and approved for Part 2, which is called The Master Cycle. Part 1 is set up very logically and has a nice, seemless flow from one technique to the next.
Now, I realize that some people may think that you are taking a shortcut by taking your test via a video upload, but in reality, you will find that the tests is more difficult and graded harder this way. I have actually taken online college courses in the past, and I have always found them much more difficult than the classes where I went to class once a week. Here are some examples of the Gracie University Blue Belt Qualification Tests.
Now, after you pass the Blue Belt course, as I said, you can begin Part 2, which is the Master Cycle, and will allow you to continue your distance learning via Gracie University, and take various tests for belt stripes and eventually a Purple and Brown Belt. You will continue this path all the way until you are ready to take your test for your Black Belt. In order to take your Black Belt test, you actually have to fly out to California and take a 5 day evaluation at the Gracie Academy in Torrence, CA. While I can’t tell you anything about this path yet, since I am not on it, I can tell you that I am excited to eventually pursue it. On the bottom of this post I have included a video tour of the Gracie University website which is hosted by Rener Gracie. Check it out, and if you are into the concept, surf over to www.gracieuniversity.com and sign up to begin your training. You can actually purchase the individual lessons on DVD or as individual online video streams, which is pretty cool also.
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I’ve got a review of the Gracie Combatives DVDs up here, if you’re interested. I thought the instruction was very accomplished, but I still have my doubts about the whole online belt ranking question.
Still, have to say I’m tempted to take the test just so I can see the next stage of the course, as that will apparently involve skilled opponents (as opposed to the assumption throughout Gracie Combatives that your attacker is completely clueless on the gounrd). Shame they aren’t releasing that on DVD, as I don’t really fancy paying a subscription fee for the videos, especially if you can only access them online.
There is only one problem I have with this and that is that you do not need to ‘test’ in person, you can do it via video upload.
I think they should require people to test in person- that would give it much more legitimacy. Another thing I will mention is that you can’t teach athletisism.
Peace & Leo Viera Jiujitsu
American Wanna,
I defintely agree with most of the stuff you said. Especially the athletisism part. I believe they have an option where you can test at a local GJJ school, but then you still have to send your test in to the Academy via video.
I am willing to see how it works out. I’m no so much into it for the belt/rank as much as I am into it for finding some cool training partners and learning some killer tecniques.
Thanks for visiting my site and for commenting.
Dan
I think what they’re doing is great! Especially for those, like myself, who have no other means of learning jiu jitsu. There aren’t too many martial arts around my way, let alone bjj schools. So for me, this works great. I see what you guys are saying about the ranking and everything, but according to their website even their live tests are recorded.
Hi and nice website.
I have been studying off of Gracie University for 8 months now and almost completed the Gracie Combatives course. It the most excellent instruction I have seen around. I have gone to 2 different sport bjj clubs here in town and the instruction regarding techniques has come up short compared to the instruction received from Ryron and Rener online. Also there’s a very large difference between the jiu jitsu I learn from GU (Street effective – punch proof jiu jitsu) vs the sport jiu jitsu that I would learn from either of the bjj clubs here town. I asked a few of the guys at one of the schools i visited if they knew how to escape a headlock while on the ground and they had no idea. (They were purple belts). I also watched and while sparring noticed everything is geared toward tournament sparring, and that they leave themselve very open to be punched in the face. For this reason I have decided to continue GU and will never supplement my GU experience with any other jiu jitsu training. I completely believe what Ryron and Rener teach is going to be the most effective jiu jitsu for if you run into problems on the street. I know some folks also have rervations about no sparring full sparring during the combatives. That is only during the Gracie Combatives (white to blue belt) course. Once you achieve your blue belt you enter the Master Cycle and begin free sparring. So a person spends 6 months to a year studying technique and doing technique exercises that teach us flow and develop our reflexes. Even though we don’t free spar, as we perform the techniques and get better at performing them we begin implementing resistance so that we can still perform the technique against a resisting opponent. Then once we hit blue belt,then we begin free sparring. I think Ryron and Rener have it right. This way when we do begin sparring full on we have excellent technique and a full box of tools to work with as we start learning to spar. I have heard other people comment “I can’t believe you hit blue belt and haven’t sparred”. To that you have to understand that a Gracie Jiu Jitsu blue belt from the torrance academy is different than a blue belt from a regular bjj club. Most blue belts from bjj clubs acheive their blue belt when they can hang with other blue belts sparring. (Tournament mindset) Grand Master Helio Gracie stated that anyone who can defend themselves properly in the street should be given a blue belt, and that’s exactly what the torrance academy does. You achieve a blue belt based on being able to defend yourself in the street. The gracie combatives teaches you the techniques to be able to do this against most bigger stronger non jiu jitsu people.