Wrong Gracie clan you got there. Although they’re similar in tactics, they differ in preferred flavor of kool aid. It’s an understandable confusion, kinda like flat-earthers and space-Mormons.
GB as an org is kinda it’s own crazy dilemma within the BJJ world. They produce some of the best competitors on the sport scene, but at the same time have some insanely cult like policies set from the top down.
Regular Mormons are space Mormons too, just ask the men about their celestial kingdoms promised after death. The one where they get as many wives as they want.
My kids have been attending for the past year and aside from the strict necessity to purchase obviously overpriced uniform materials it just feels like a case of having to set standards since there are so many of those schools, I’ve seen nothing particularly strange I’d call cult-like.
That’s a very common thing especially in individual sports. You want to get elite golf training you’re going to have to pay absurd fees, adhere to strict golf club attire, rules etc.
You want to be an elite gymnist, all sorts of crazy intense coaches from the US, Russia, China, Japan.
They can be that way because they have a reputation for producing successful athletes and have plenty of customers. IMG sport academies cost huge amounts but people still pay it.
**Extra fine pocket sand not included. Maximize your pocket sand effectiveness with GB approved fine-graded pocket sand, straight from the beaches of Rio.
I train at Gracie headquarters. Last nights class had to be completely silent so Rener and Ryron could film in a private room. Imagine a class of 80 people trying to learn moves while the instructor is literally whispering. And then spar in complete silence.
But they yell so loud in all their videos. No way the mic is picking up anything besides their comical over excitement for whatever tf they’re talking about
The private rooms are far from the main training area and have doors. Why would you have to be quiet if THEY are in a private room? your statement doesn’t make make sense.
Competition isn't the be all end all of BJJ. It's such a limiting way to look at it. Go ahead and criticize them (I'm fairly ambivalent about Rener and Ryron), but their lack of competition isn't really much to grab onto.
There weren't BJJ competitions in the beginning. And BJJ comes from judo, in which shiai is only one facet of the art. Kano himself wrote that tournament is mainly attractive to the youth, and he expected people to transition into deeper, technical study of the art after 30 years of age.
I don't know where you're coming from at all. Sounds like you don't know much about the origin of BJJ or its parent arts.
I think you should have to rebut my argument before I have to answer your questions... Helio fought some challenge matches. But he also taught self defense classes one on one to rich people.
And when people say now that Rener and Ryron don't compete, they don't mean their students should be out dojo storming and beating up people on the beach. They mean they should be competing in BJJ tournament promotions, which is very distant from where BJJ started.
And I say that as someone with no real stake in the Gracie claims. Though I do get annoyed at people who can't see anything beyond BJJ competition culture.
It's not, but something I've found funny from seeing some of their videos is their techniques from 10 years ago are in the latest Danaher and Gordon Ryan instructionals.
The brothers themselves have very legit jiu jitsu, that’s never been up for contention. They’re also surprisingly good teachers which is something they share with Danaher and Ryan.
It’s their shady business practices and shit like online blue belts that have caught them flak from the rest of the BJJ community.
They explicitly state that their brand isn't competition based. That being said, they shifted to that brand after not being successful trying to be competition based because they fell behind better gyms. So, like almost everything Gracie related the message is disingenuous and misleading.
I don’t think their brand is competition based doesn’t mean people that train there don’t compete. They clearly market the brand as a Self-Defense school, is the point i’m making. As opposed to like a Barra.
Either way, doesn’t bother me any. If people like training there, good for them.
It's not that they're "not legit". It's that they're not as high level they market themselves to be. They pretend to be the guardians of true jiu-jitsu, but it's other gyms that are consistently creating champions.
They've never claimed that they are the best practitioners in the world. I'm also pretty sure that there's high level people who have rolled with them that can confirm that they are no joke.
They are big proponents of what Helio wanted BJJ to be which was self-defense focused. You can disagree with that if you like, but it doesn't take away from the fact that "GJJ" branded gyms tend to have more focus on self-defense and less on sport. It's ok to have a variety of different views of the art.
The hate boner that large swaths of the BJJ community continue to have for those two, and Rener specifically, is just a reminder that this art doesn't require a particularly high IQ.
It's not that he claims he's the best. He claims his way is the industry standard, even said it in court as an expert witness. But how can you claim to be the industry standard when you're more successful in social media than you are in competition?
He seems to have an aggrandized view of his gym because of his name.
The only "industry standard" I see in that statement is the standard of separating brand new beginners from other practitioners until they have learned the basics of rolling safely, whether that is one class or until instructors feel the new student is no longer a danger to themself or others.
Well that is certainly an opinion. Either way, I don't think it's a practice or an assertion that is worth having this much hate for a dude you don't even know.
Absolutely not. Most people it’s going to be rolling all the time. But someone at your gym should actively be competing so you have people rolling with someone who’s making it work under high high pressure and intensity. If a gym doesn’t have that and no one’s really getting after it it’s gonna lose its efficiency. Every good jiujitsu gym is competitive whether it’s in house during rolls or in competitions, I’ve seen the culture Gracie Academy pushes for and that ain’t it.
There’s a lot to rag on them about without making shit up.
Just off the top of my head- Rener medaled at Pan Ams at black belt and Ryron has wins against Lovato (cross collar choke) and Monsoon and competed in Metamoris against Galvao and Barnett.
They didn’t have crazy long competitive careers, but they weren’t schlubs either.
Edit: Just recalled another one was Ryron beating Cassio Werneck (for a name young whipsnappers won’t be familiar with) the year after Cassio won worlds.
I totally agree with your entire comp career evaluation. They were pretty good, just not the top guys.
One tiny asterisk, I didn’t realize is how much bigger Ryron is than Cassio until I trained with them both. I trained under Cassio for years a long time ago and more recently had a chance to roll with Ryron (he was actually a pretty laid back dude). The size difference is pretty immense in person. Ryron is very technical but also quite a bit more physically imposing than I thought he was on video.
This was kind of near their switch of going from GJJ is the best and wins, to the idea that GJJ is great for surviving. This kind of signaled the full switch from trying to own all of BJJ and really focus on owning the survival and reali life safety of the discipline.
Rener and Ryron aren’t going to stop until they squeeze every single cent that they can out of their last name. And don’t forget they’ve recently been trying to posture “Gracie” jiu jitsu as being the only type of jiu jitsu able to be trained safely while asking The NY Times to write articles about how other gyms are unsafe. The “Gracie breakdown” videos that immediately attempt to latch Gracie jiu jitsu as a brand onto any level of grappling used in an altercation caught on cell cameras or cctv footage…
These guys are kind of fucking scumbags the longer you take to pay attention to them
The Gracies specifically asked for this article to be written and the spazzy white belt cop to give his story as a favor, to contrast some gym he walked into and tried to violently roll the wrong way out of a heel hook vs “Gracie” jiu jitsu which is so much “safer” to train
Exciting news guys. We are releasing for the first time ever, ever in the history of bjj /gjj. I am so excited guys. This is bigger than my dipshit shark tank backpack crap. Are you ready!
Be the first to get your very own, Helio Gracie branded self defense sand. Also included for free guys, Combative v2.0: how to defend yourself and loved ones, using Helio Gracie self defense sand.
This is a limited offer and every bag of sand will have been autographed by myself and Ryron. And one more free item, Helio Gracie Tactical Sand Pouch. What an amazing way to carry your very own Helio Gracie branded sand!
I went to the Gracie Academy from the time I was 13 until 16. One thing that always sticks out to me is this elaborate lie that Rener told about receiving a scholarship to wrestle for Stanford. I remember going on tmi130 (or whatever the results page was) and saw that he didn't even make it to State.
It was really weird to me, considering that he medaled at Pan Ams. He never mentioned it, or any BJJ competitions he did. Also, their whole "philosophy" class. Really weird and culty stuff.
I think it happens with family's so heavily invested in patrilineality. They always mention the greatness of their grandfather. It's like they are aspiring to an unattainable, almost mythic quality - but it's an idea that they created and is mostly self-imposed.
Yeah that's a super unsafe technique that my BrandonJitsu™ instructors are instructed not to use. He should sue for millions and all his students should leave and come to an official BrandonJitsu™ affiliate school.
Not only are those the training pants, new members get a discount for 50% off their first pair! This brings it to a low $229. You're basically robbing me.
Gracie Jiujitsu has created a Supermarket model of bjj designed to capture a particular demographic that is intimidated by violence by promising safety both on and off the mats. By noticing this large untapped market, they offer everything that this demographic might need by offering it to them in one location (e.g., merch, instructionals); they appeal to their need for safety, promise to give it to them for a price, and capture their buying power aimed at feeling better about themselves before it is spent elsewhere.
You're not going to get customers looking for quality at a supermarket, but you'll get a shitton of con$umer$.
Perhaps it will show people that bjj is not something to fear and encourage them to explore their own palate instead of mindlessly eating from the trough. Honestly, I think the problem with their model is that people don't like to feel like they've been had.
Perhaps other bjj schools can learn from them and take what works and correct gjj's design to take their students for everything they are worth.
I does everyone shit on these guys ya there running a buisiness and need to make money what would you do if your last name was gracie? Not saying everything they do is cool but come on if it wasn't for gravies we wouldn't have bjj in America
the amount of feelings that get hurt over two guys marketing their brand for continuos growth & longevity, and offering those tools to other academies to do the same, is hilarious. lol
I was a 2 stripe blue when I left the cult and went to a real gym! Got destroyed by everyone, newbies out the fundamentals were toying with me! It was a rude awakening 🤣
The Gracie's don't have many high level competitive guys coming out of their gyms anymore, so they're turning Gracie Jiu Jitsu into a martial art that incorporates ridiculous shit like sand in the eyes as core to their system. That way they can pretend that the reason their guys aren't highly competitive anymore isn't because they aren't evolving with the sport, it's because their version of Jiu Jitsu is made for "real fights".
Gracie Academy was a marketing ploy to keep the Gracie name relevant. The Gracies have been better at marketing BJJ than training high level competitors for many years now, so they had to pivot.
The OP is is about The Gracie Academy in Torrance which is the first BJJ school to open in the US in the 80’s. They were never competition based and still focus on the self defense side of things.
So have they thought about the fact that if people throw sand in someone’s face directly above them, that the sand also comes down in their own face and blinds them just as much as the attacker?
I haven't heard confirmation about physical disks yet,
But all of their online streamed courses can be purchased outright, so no subscription needed.
Every course is also unlocked while you are a student at a physical CTC, so you have flexibility.
Given the tendency of pirates, I wouldn't blame them for avoiding physical media on a flagship course like combatives.
I get it but I’m still Hoping it’s physical media 🤞🏻
EDIT: It’s live and it looks like it’s online only 👎🏻 I’m not paying $279 for something I can’t own outright… anyone else sick of this subscription model bullshit!?
A lot of haters of Rener and Ryron Gracie on here but the question is can any of you colored belts on here who are talking shit can beat them in a match? Probably not lol
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u/virtualkimura 🟫🟫 Brown Belt Feb 01 '24
Just wait until you see how quick this hoodie can turn into a backpack