The Gracie Global Training Program
In order to understand the importance of the Gracie Global Training Program, you must first understand the "3 Phases" and the difference between Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The 3 Phases
The primary objective of the Gracie Family has always been to empower people all over the world with the invaluable techniques of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. This objective is so monumental that it has required the relentless commitment from 3 generations of Gracies and has been broken down into the following 3 phases:
Phase 1: Create Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
In 1925 Helio Gracie began learning traditional Japanese Jiu-Jitsu from his older brother Carlos. Limited by his frail physique, Helio started modifying the techniques and unknowingly sparked the biggest revolution in martial arts history.
Phase 2: Show the world the necessity for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
In 1993 Helio's eldest son, Rorion Gracie, created the Ultimate Fighting Championship and showed the world that the only reliable way for the average person to defeat a larger, more athletic opponent was with the leverage based techniques of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
Phase 3: Teach pure Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to the world.
In 2008 Rorion assigns his eldest sons, Ryron and Rener Gracie, with the responsibility of structuring and implementing the first ever Gracie Global Training Program through which the pure self-defense techniques and teaching methods practiced by the Grand Master, found exclusively at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy, will finally be made available to students around the world. |
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or Gracie Jiu-Jitsu?
In the late 1920s, Helio Gracie began modifying the traditional Japanese jiu-jitsu techniques to accommodate his frail physique, with the objective of developing a system that would enable him to defend himself against larger opponents. After years of refinement, Helio proved his art’s effectiveness by routinely defeating larger and stronger opponents some of whom outweighed him by as much as one hundred pounds. As a result, Helio Gracie’s jiu-jitsu quickly became the new expression of jiu-jitsu in Brazil, overshadowing the traditional system.
In 1967, the first Federation of Jiu-Jitsu in Brazil was established, under the guidance of Helio Gracie, in order to host recreational competitions for practitioners of the art to test their self-defense skills in a safe setting. An unintended by-product of this development was a shift away from jiu-jitsu for self-defense to techniques and applications tailored to the rules of the sport. The excitement and fun of competition coupled with the prestige that accompanied tournament victories drove the vast majority of jiu-jitsu instructors to focus entirely on preparing their students for tournaments. They dedicated their training sessions to developing techniques that would lead to victory based on the point system, rules, and weight classes that governed sport jiu-jitsu. Unfortunately, their focus on the game undermined the art’s effectiveness because most of the sport jiu-jitsu techniques had little or no applicability in a real fight and worse, by perfecting them a student would develop reflexes that could be counter productive in a street self-defense situation. As a result, Helio Gracie resigned from the federation.
Rorion Gracie, Helio’s eldest son, was determined to share his father’s pure jiu-jitsu with the rest of the world. In the 1970s, he came to the United States and immediately noticed that most Americans had no appreciation for jiu-jitsu’s effectiveness. The few Americans with knowledge of martial arts confused Helio’s methods with the traditional Japanese jiu-jitsu that had already come to America in the 1950s. So, Rorion trademarked the name “Gracie Jiu-Jitsu” to emphasize the important distinction between Helio’s art and the Japanese version.
Rorion spent years leading a one-man campaign to open the eyes of American martial artists to the beauty, simplicity, and effectiveness of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. He concluded that, despite his tireless and constant efforts, he needed a more powerful and visible way to demonstrate the superiority of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu over all other martial arts. In a characteristically bold and novel move, Rorion created the Ultimate Fighting Championship ( UFC) in 1993. The spectacle shocked the martial arts world as they witnessed Gracie Jiu-Jitsu’s leverage based techniques repeatedly defeat larger, more athletic opponents armed with a wide variety of martial arts skills. The worldwide demand for Helio Gracie’s art spurred many sport jiu-jitsu practitioners to leave Brazil in order to capitalize on the increased demand for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu instruction. Due to legal restrictions on the use of the trademarked name “Gracie Jiu-Jitsu,” these instructors began using the name “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu” as an alternative.
The influx of sport jiu-jitsu instructors, many of whom were members of the very large extended Gracie family, led to the establishment of numerous jiu-jitsu schools all across the United States. Nearly all of these schools claimed to teach the same jiu-jitsu that was created by Grand Master Helio Gracie and used by Royce in the UFC when in fact they were teaching a version of the art that was modified specifically for sport competition. Students hoping to acquire the realistic self-defense skills they saw in the UFC flocked to these schools and often trained for several years before they came to the disappointing realization that what they were learning had very limited street applicability.
Although Brazilian and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu both trace back to Grand Masters Carlos and Helio Gracie, today, the term “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu” represents a version of their art that is designed for sport competition, whereas “Gracie Jiu-Jitsu” represents the most complete and purest form of the art designed and practiced entirely for self-defense in accordance to the principles of the Grand Masters.
Today, the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy and its Certified Training Centers are the only organizations that are fully committed to the preservation and perpetuation of pure Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Any school or individual claiming to teach or practice “Gracie Jiu-Jitsu” while failing to adhere to the techniques and principles established by the Grand Master is ruining the integrity of his art and should be reported. |
The Secret to Phase 3 Success: Structure
With Phases 1 and 2 of the Gracie Family objective accomplished, the time has come for the third Phase: To teach pure Gracie Jiu-Jitsu to the world. Realizing that the key to successful Phase 3 completion would be structure, the Gracie Academy has spent several years developing the most comprehensive Gracie Jiu-Jitsu curriculum of all time. Composed of two primary components: Gracie Combatives® and the Master Cycle™, the curriculum features over 600 techniques and defines the path from white to black belt more effectively than ever before. The fully comprehensive curriculum and the establishment of a standardized teaching formula gave birth to the Gracie Global Training Program through which instructors from around the globe can attend a series of intensive instructor certification courses and learn to teach all the techniques featured in the Official Gracie Academy Curriculum. Upon completing each intensive course, certified instructors will return home and be qualified to teach the newly learned segment of the curriculum in their communities.
The 4 Levels of Certification
There are four levels of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu certification at which a training center can be recognized by the Gracie Academy under the Global Training Program. Level 1 constitutes a school that can effectively teach the Gracie Combatives® course while Levels 2-4 constitute a school that can effectively teach various segments of the Master Cycle™. The four levels also correspond with the traditional belt system: Blue Belt, Purple Belt, Brown Belt and Black Belt.
- Level 1: Gracie Combatives® (Blue Belt)
Although Gracie Jiu-Jitsu consists of over 600 techniques, studies have shown that 36 techniques have been used more often and with greater success than all the other techniques combined. By focusing entirely on these 36 techniques a Certified Gracie Combatives Training Center is capable of taking any new student from “start” to “street ready” in the least amount of time possible. Once the 36 techniques have been perfected individually, the student will qualify to participate in the weekly Reflex Development Classes where they will learn how to execute all the techniques in combination. After the techniques have been mastered individually and in every possible combination, the student will qualify for promotion to Blue Belt. The potency of the 36 techniques and the unparalleled structure of the Gracie Combatives course makes it the best program for any new student of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu.
- Level 2: Purple Belt
Beyond Blue Belt, the Gracie Academy has divided all techniques that must be mastered before one is considered for promotion to Black Belt into seven Positional Chapters collectively known as the Master Cycle (Mount, Guard, Side Mount, Half Guard, Back Mount, Leg Locks and Standing). Master Cycle students study each chapter for 4-8 weeks before moving on to the next chapter. A Level 2 Certified Training Center can instruct the Master Cycle techniques required for promotion to Purple Belt.
- Level 3: Brown Belt
A Level 3 Certified Training Center can instruct the Master Cycle techniques required for promotion to Brown Belt.
- Level 4: Black Belt
A Level 4 Certified Training Center can instruct the Master Cycle techniques required for promotion to Black Belt. This is the highest level of certification.
Probationary Period
Upon completing any intensive training course, the instructors remain on probation until they prove that they can effectively transfer all their knowledge to their students. Once the Gracie Academy verifies that an instructor can effectively teach all the newly learned techniques, the Academy will officially designate the school as a Certified Training Center.
Belt Promotions
Through the Global Training Program, students of all Certified Training Centers will receive belt promotions directly from the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy. All students will advance through the curriculum at their own pace. When Certified Instructors verify that a student has met the Official Belt Qualification Requirements, they will submit a detailed Promotion Request to the Gracie Academy. The head instructors of the Gracie Academy will review the request and then decide to approve or deny the promotion. Upon approval, the name of the qualified individual will be added to the list of Certified Belt Holders and an Official Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Belt along with a certificate of authenticity will be mailed to the training center to be awarded to the student.
The Path to Black Belt
If you are a new student to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu do not be concerned if the Certified Training Center in your community has not reached Level 4 certification. Understand that what matters most is that your instructor is committed to getting the information directly from the source. Focus entirely on taking it day by day and dedicate yourself to mastering each technique and strategy as it is taught to you. Trust that by the time you master a segment of the curriculum your instructor will have the next segment ready for you to learn. It will take time and discipline, but if you follow these guidelines and trust your instructor, you will make it to Black Belt.
Quality Control
The primary objective of the Global Training Program is to make Gracie Jiu-Jitsu available around the world in its purest form. In our quest to recruit and train martial arts instructors to join us in accomplishing this feat, we realize that not all certified instructors will be equally committed to upholding the integrity of the art. For this reason, we rely heavily on the students of each certified training center to report any potential incidences of instructor malpractice so that we may take immediate corrective measures. On the brighter side, we highly encourage students to send us their positive feedback regarding the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu classes or the certified instructor at the training center.
All student feedback should be sent to feedback@gracieacademy.com
The Gracie Triangle
As the demand for effective Gracie Jiu-Jitsu instruction increases, more and more schools are claiming to teach it without any credentials whatsoever. For this reason, we have decided to let all official Certified Training Centers display the trademarked Gracie Triangle logo (displayed below) on their storefronts. Any school claiming to teach Gracie Jiu-Jitsu without displaying the Gracie Triangle is not recognized by the Gracie Academy and therefore should not be trusted as a source of pure Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Any school that displays the Gracie Triangle and is not listed as a Certified Training Center is in violation of the law and will be prosecuted as such.
|
