Has anyone else heard about this? They’re doing online courses and a few lessons and then giving black belts in three years. My old TKD buddy just got his. He’s can barely move, let alone do BJJ. Though his tai chi and breaking are amazing. But yeah, anyone else heard of this?
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Gracie university give belts via online classes with video evaluation so id not be surprised if GB were doing something similar.
https://www.gracieuniversity.com/Pages/Public/TestingInformation
That is a hard test.
Its looking like they realized he’s retarded and sold him a belt.
Im not entirely against it .
I can see where it would be useful and like most things it can be done well or poorly .
Not sure how anyone could be ok with this crap, especially Osiris.
Basically, your current belt doesn’t matter to Ryron and Rener unless you also jump through hoops for them.
Your purple belt doesn’t matter unless it’s street-worthy, to these two idiots.
More pay to play bullshit. They want you to brand your ass with their family names like you are a beef cow.
"if you were awarded a purple belt by a BJJ instructor, and you pass the official Gracie Combatives test, then Ryron and Rener would consider assessing your skills to see if your purple belt can be formally recognized by Gracie University. Bottom line: without the street readiness, nothing matters."
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It’s a well done technical curriculum that gives people who don’t have access to a BJJ gym an opportunity to learn and train Jiu-Jitsu in garage academies.
The online blue belt exam is not an easy test.
The program also presents a fairly wide curriculum beyond that level, that is traditional Helio Gracie style Jiu-Jitsu.
It is therefore also a useful supplementary curriculum for those that train in grappling gyms that do not train striking while grappling, because the traditional Gracie curriculum does train striking while grappling.
The curriculum is fairly well thought out, and was filmed and edited with relatively high production value.
It is easy to hate on other people’s products or offerings, but they put some time, and investment into it.
And, not everybody has access or can get to a Gracie jiu-jitsu academy where striking while grappling is practiced.
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I’m not ok with it. This was Gracie Barra by the way, not GU
So they are trying to lock down another monopoly?
Which makes sense. As over here it seems it is getting away from them a bit.
The combatives idea is an interesting take on trying to gain that niche. Rather than going head to head with the good bjj guys. Or MMA guys.
They just shift the goal posts.
Blue ocean strategy
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On the other hand, this democratizes Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, rather than the reverse.
Because the entire world gets access to Helio’s curriculum, if they want it, from their home, at a low price, because the costs are spread out.
No one has to buy it, but if you want to know what Helio Gracie and his sons teach, there it is.
When I learned Jiu-Jitsu, people were jealous, with their teaching, and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu instruction was rare.
Now it is everywhere.
On Youtube, for free, or the cost of suffering through an ad.
Paid offerings such as BJJ Fanatics, and Gracie University.
Grapple Fu schools on many if not every corner.
I like this, it prevents monopolies and tyrants, or people teaching their students wrong, or holding them back in their instruction as a joke.
Likewise, all the competitions venues, and availability are a good thing.
This is the part that bothers me.
Nobody has a monopoly on any martial arts lineage. Even Wing Chun has its lineage wars.
It’s not the quality of instruction or scale that is going to irk people, but the handing out of ranks and colors over Zoom.
I don’t think the fathers of various arts would support this sort of thing. Just because the technology makes it possible (and lucrative for the Gracie clan) doesn’t make it ethical.
How do you compare someone who sweated for their belt on the mats over so many nights, to someone practicing at home solo and sending in a video? We used to make jokes about those sort of “home rank up” tapes.
Remember Thomas Daw? He was willing to send belts to anybody who bought his fake home Snake Fist Karate package. I’m not sure the legitimacy of the art makes a difference when it comes to basic quality control.
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