Is Gracie Academy a Good Deal?

[Goat Gobbler]

Although I've been on Sherdog forever it seems, I've never been much of a poster, and at some point spent most of my time in the picture/multimedia section. In fact, I joined in August 2002, before any of my kids were even born!

Now I have five kids and as I've reinvigorated my interest in MMA, I've been thinking about some time of BJJ-type training for the family. We are short on money, so the idea of joining a local gym seems unlikely.

I came across Gracie University and it seemed like a potentially good program that I could use to get the whole family involved.

It's hard not to fall in love with Rener's passion for his "product"/art, but I I thought I'd reach out to Sherdog to see if the Gracie University was a good deal. Does anyone use it for him/herself or the family? Has it been beneficial?

Thanks in advance for any help!

where are you located? Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is everywhere now. DVD is great as a supplament, but it is not a substitute

 

[Goat Gobbler]

BTW I have all the DVD's, they're great, but ignore the preachy parts about how their gym is the only one that teaches "the real" jiu-jitsu, and that is why all you need are their DVD's and a garage. that's a marketing gimmick. they're smart kids

 

[TriangleMan]

Although I've been on Sherdog forever it seems, I've never been much of a poster, and at some point spent most of my time in the picture/multimedia section. In fact, I joined in August 2002, before any of my kids were even born!

Now I have five kids and as I've reinvigorated my interest in MMA, I've been thinking about some time of BJJ-type training for the family. We are short on money, so the idea of joining a local gym seems unlikely.

I came across Gracie University and it seemed like a potentially good program that I could use to get the whole family involved.

It's hard not to fall in love with Rener's passion for his "product"/art, but I I thought I'd reach out to Sherdog to see if the Gracie University was a good deal. Does anyone use it for him/herself or the family? Has it been beneficial?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Gracie University will be a bit rougher since its video teachings and grappling feels foreign to the individuals at first without instructors and a controlled environment. I'd highly recommend a school, I'm sure they'll work with you for pricing as they spread the gospel of BJJ (key example is Gracie Barra). BJJ is great self defense and a great confidence booster for kids and adults alike, so I'd recommend looking for a school. Gracie Academy is more self-defense oriented in the beginning, so that's their plus over some other schools.

 

[TriangleMan]

BTW I have all the DVD's, they're great, but ignore the preachy parts about how their gym is the only one that teaches "the real" jiu-jitsu, and that is why all you need are their DVD's and a garage. that's a marketing gimmick. they're smart kids

Yeah. That's why I'm not a fan of "Gracie Jiu-Jitsu" and their annoying slogans like "Keep it playful" or things like that. However, their jiu-jitsu is obviously great. It's not "real jiu-jitsu," but Rener and Ryron are great practitioners with great passion for teaching and sharing.

 

[KGB256]

If he gets the program for himself, his wife and kids can do it with him. That's 6 people sharing the knowledge for the price of one membership. Probably a much better deal than he's going to get at any gym.

The flexibility with schedule could be a blessing or a curse, depending on how motivated he is to train. For me, I need the structure of scheduled classes forcing me to set aside the time to train. If I could do it at my leisure I think life might get in the way too much to make good progress. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

As much as this may be a good deal, remember that you get what you pay for. The advancement won't be as fast learning from videos with the wife as it would be joining a gym and getting smashed on by some purple belts.

But if you're just in it to get some light exercise, learn a little bit of BJJ, and have fun? I say go for it. People here will tell you to just join a gym, but many fail to realize that the choice isn't always "GU vs real gym", it's often "GU vs don't train at all".

 

[MidMoRedzone]

where are you located? Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is everywhere now. DVD is great as a supplament, but it is not a substitute

Goat Gobbler -- I'm in Omaha, NE...I am aware of MMA and a specific BJJ school under Rodrigo Vaghi (though I think he's only there a handful of times a year)

 

[MidMoRedzone]

If he gets the program for himself, his wife and kids can do it with him. That's 6 people sharing the knowledge for the price of one membership. Probably a much better deal than he's going to get at any gym.

The flexibility with schedule could be a blessing or a curse, depending on how motivated he is to train. For me, I need the structure of scheduled classes forcing me to set aside the time to train. If I could do it at my leisure I think life might get in the way too much to make good progress. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

As much as this may be a good deal, remember that you get what you pay for. The advancement won't be as fast learning from videos with the wife as it would be joining a gym and getting smashed on by some purple belts.

But if you're just in it to get some light exercise, learn a little bit of BJJ, and have fun? I say go for it. People here will tell you to just join a gym, but many fail to realize that the choice isn't always "GU vs real gym", it's often "GU vs don't train at all".

I think KGB captured my situation perfectly. I could definitely see really needing that schedule to keep us all motivated, but cost and convenience may overrule other considerations.

I am glad I took the time to ask, because I got great feedback to mull over.

 

[lechien]

Goat Gobbler -- I'm in Omaha, NE...I am aware of MMA and a specific BJJ school under Rodrigo Vaghi (though I think he's only there a handful of times a year)

Have you look in the Gracie academy data base for any Gracie garage location near you?