What specifically do you dislike about Gracie Barra schools?

[JustSomeGuy]

I hear a lot of remarks about Gracie Barra. I hear people saying that Gracie Barra is bad for BJJ, but I don't hear a lot of specific reasoning as to why. What specifically do you dislike about Gracie Barra schools? Why do you feel they are bad for BJJ? Firsthand stories/experiences would be the best to share versus second hand hearsay.

 

[trustdoesntrust]

I hear a lot of remarks about Gracie Barra. I hear people saying that Gracie Barra is bad for BJJ, but I don't hear a lot of specific reasoning as to why. What specifically do you dislike about Gracie Barra schools? Why do you feel they are bad for BJJ? Firsthand stories/experiences would be the best to share versus second hand hearsay.

there was very recently something like a 20 page thread about this exact topic

 

[nooper]

I didn't like that they told me their fundamentals was only "25%" self defence.

also, nothing to do with GB, but I heard there is an MMA gym in a big American city that is haunted and none of the fighters will stay there alone.

 

[ijustwannasurf]

Basically, I'm just a hater.

 

[Calibur]

A few reasons. My main gripe is they seem to focus more on expanding a franchise as opposed to making a well rounded Jiu Jitsu player.

Every major TMA mistake is made by Gracie Barra but they pump out so many students that they can drown out any criticism. Just keep a couple of really good world champs like Jean Jacque Machado or Roger Gracie for legitimacy and than simply award black belts to randoms who punch their attendance cards for six years straight.

 

[GordoBarraBJJ]

A few reasons. My main gripe is they seem to focus more on expanding a franchise as opposed to making a well rounded Jiu Jitsu player.

Every major TMA mistake is made by Gracie Barra but they pump out so many students that they can drown out any criticism. Just keep a couple of really good world champs like Jean Jacque Machado or Roger Gracie for legitimacy and than simply award black belts to randoms who punch their attendance cards for six years straight.

they're not all like that - blanket statement.

 

[brendan raedy]

ITT: People talk about their perceptions of Gracie Barra schools, when 9/10 commenters have never set foot in one.

 

[Calibur]

they're not all like that - blanket statement.

Yeah. I know. There's too much variety too tell and I can't visit every school but the fact that it's in their SOP for the world to see is disturbing.

 

[dimmyfinster]

forcing you to buy the GB Gi and patch

 

[Rivet L]

There's been plenty of threads with plenty of specifics both regarding personal experience, and here-say. The most general complaints:
-mandatory purchase of an expensive poorly fitted/designed uniform
-more focus on maintaining franchise policies, then a level of training
-poor structure of curriculum
-very silly and limited 'self-defense' curriculum
-high franchise fees, which get passed on to the student
-problems with the billing system/contracts
-using/discarding/exploiting of talent
-a seemingly cloack-and-dagger operation at the top

 

[JustSomeGuy]

-poor structure of curriculum
-very silly and limited 'self-defense' curriculum

Could you elaborate on this?

 

[Rivet L]

Could you elaborate on this?

The advanced/BB progragm curriculum are essentially the same. And it just doesn't seem that they put much effort into designing it. It's a 16 week cycle, and they get really upset if you're not 'globably synched' with the rest of the schools. In that 16 week cycle, only 1 week is spent on open guard, and 1 week on passing open guard. This is an odd choice, as 80% of competition take place in those postitions. So you may end up with purple belts that don't have a developed guard, nor are good at passing, but have a mediocre grasp of all positions.

I also think it's really silly to make BB teach takedowns they have very little experience in doing (there a different takedown technique each week).

The fundamentals curriculum on the other hand, seems to have a lot of thought behind it (the app is quite pretty). But it covers too much material in too short of time. It also has only half of a week in an entire 16 week cycle that focuses on escaping side-control (an essential skill towards progressing in BJJ). It's also a very moves based curriculum, and not so much about movement. Not to mention, do to the "telephone nature" of this curriculum, everyone teaches the moves slightly differelty and leads to lots of confusion amongst beginners.

The Alliance curriculum (in my limited experience) has a much better structure and is more movement based. But I don't know how well it's implemented at various Alliance schools.

 

[JustSomeGuy]

What other schools have a better structured curriculum in your opinion?

 

[Rivet L]

What other schools have a better structured curriculum in your opinion?

Check the last sentence of my post.

 

[JustSomeGuy]

So Alliance is the only one with a better curriculum?

 

[Rivet L]

So Alliance is the only one with a better curriculum?

On paper, I would say yes. I don't know how well it's implement at all the Alliance schools. From my understanding, Atos doesn't have a structured curriculum but requires it's affiliates to send in their curriculum for approval, which seems like a better system.

In general, I don't see a universal curriculum as a good thing. Your curriculum needs to be adjusted towards the student body you have, and you need to have means by which to see if they're actually absorbing the curriculum.

Judo has a universal curriculum (with slight variation in each organization), but their curriculum is much smaller (40-100 techniques spread over several years).

 

[Jeff Goldblum69]

So many random gb black belts around the world AND somehow they're ALL under Carlos gracie jr

 

[Einarr]

I also think it's really silly to make BB teach takedowns they have very little experience in doing (there a different takedown technique each week).

Yeah, I've seen the curriculum and there's like a 2-week slot for "Inner Thigh Throw". Good luck getting a usable Uchi Mata practicing it for 10 minutes after the warm-up for 2 weeks every 16 weeks taught by someone who doesn't know how to do it properly. :icon_conf

 

[JustSomeGuy]

So many random gb black belts around the world AND somehow they're ALL under Carlos gracie jr

This one struck me as odd at first as well. I think I read somewhere that he has 600 blackbelts under him. But then I remembered that he has run one of the most successful BJJ schools in Rio and California for the last 31 years combined. I'm guessing you could create a lot of black belts in that amount of time. Some of the best black belts in the world came out of there as a matter of fact.

 

[Zankou]

Yeah, I've seen the curriculum and there's like a 2-week slot for "Inner Thigh Throw". Good luck getting a usable Uchi Mata practicing it for 10 minutes after the warm-up for 2 weeks every 16 weeks taught by someone who doesn't know how to do it properly. :icon_conf

I wish I could affirmatively go back in time and erase the training time when BJJ black belts taught us what they called "osoto gari" and "seoi nage."

It's almost as bad as when they teach striking.

One thing I do like about traditional BJJ self defense takedowns, however, is that they teach the body lock, which is a genuinely awesome and under-taught technique ... one of the best self defense techniques for sure. Much better than a shitty seoi nage attempt.