How many people have checked out gracieuniversity.com and what are your thoughts

[D.Stachovak]

I think Jiu Jitsu is a very "hands on" sort of martial art. I don't know if I'd trust a massage therapist who trained online,and I think Jiu Jitsu is also a personal one on one type of activity. If you'r having good luck with your online lessons,great! Good for you. I just think,like with anything else,a martial arts training should never be judged on how convienient is is for you. I urge you all,unless there is no other resource for you,to be taught by someone in person.

[Alex Lupton]

A bunch of the guys at our gym use the GU website a lot as the gym has a big number of white/ blue belts so the material that is currently up there is very useful. It will be interesting to see how the lessons progress and if the depth of their instruction continues up through Purple, Brown and Black belt.
I think it is very expensive but then, as many people have pointed out, so is a membership at any decent (and many indecent) BJJ/MMA club. And, although they sometimes sound like they are teaching 6 year olds, the level they break it down to and the length of the videos for anything from as simple a technique as an armbar to the essential positioning during guard/ scontrol and mount is a great resource. It's also a good way of seeing where your knowledge of the game you should have at the early stages should be (in traditional BJJ) and the 'street' application is a good tool.

All in all it is very good for beginners to do homework with, even if it is expensive and online.

[Brandon Mccaghren]

regardless of how they do their ranking, those guys (especially Rener) are incredible teachers and are as passionate about jiu jitsu as anyone in the world, and it shows in their instructionals. whether you want to rank under them or not, you really need to see their Gracie Combatives DVDs.

[Ryan Cook]

Hyron and Hener

jajajajajajajajaj

[VJ Bella]

I personally do not think you should have to pay to do belt testing...in fact I think its ludicrous to have to pay someone to judge the hard work, sacrafice and progress you have made (and paid for btw). The issue I have with online sites bjj is the amount of training partners you actually have to roll with. If you are rolling with the same 1-2 guys night after night you really only need to adjust to thier skillset\size\weight etc. I really think that rolling with as many people as you can and exposing yourself to all different styles is the best way to train. I was in shock when i first went to a school that concentrated on leglocks...same feeling the first time I went to a 10th planet school....

My advice...forget about the belt...its really only the ego that needs it anyway...your no better the 2 hours before you received your belt than you are the two hours after you receive it. Concentrate on your jiu-jitsu and getting better...thats really the only thing that matters. Go to open mats at other schools...join wrestling clubs...train at as many places as you can...and suplement your training with studying and viewing instruction at home.

[Travis Reichert]

I think VJ hit the nail on the head with that post. I agree with everyone they are good trainers and they wouldn't be such high ranking BB if they weren't. I just dont agree with the testing high promotion fee. I understand they have to sit around and break down the technique but still 80 is expensive. I also know there was a whole thread on mixedmartialarts.com about how much people where paying it was crazy.

[Lindsey Loewen]

If they didnt have a testing fee what would stop anonymous white belt from submitting a sub-par test every 10 minutes after he found out he failed. The test fee is near a the cost of a MMA/BJJ gym membership of one month, most martial artist pay more than that 12 times a year. The Academy isnt THAT big, they have ALOT of instructors but asking them to accept that volume of work would be ridiculous, it would force the objectivity to disappear (I know I wouldnt be as taxing on free belt test #130 as I would on belt test #4 that I was getting $80 to be a hardass in grading). The test fee stays the same all through the belts, which is very anti-mcdojo in my opinion and keeps the quality of people's submitted work very high. It would be wrong for a hands-on teacher to do the same buts its the only way for a distance learning grading system to be in any way legit. I had a problem with the kid's belt test being $75 but then I realized they get promoted at like 2 year intervals and GU gives them a program to last all the way up to 16, so even that is MUCH cheaper.

[Dustin C.]

can't you upload vids to the gracie academy for ranking? I think eddie should upload one, that would be hilarious.

lol

[Clinton lawrence]

in a way its a good thing what is happening over there in GU its exposing alot of people to jujitsu and with this oprah bullyproof deal thats in the works jujitsu is going to be in alot more peoples minds then it is now which is a good thing and trust me i have nothing but repect for rener and ryron but the idea of it being you do the combatives course test online and now your a blue belt hmmmmmmm abit to suss for me

[Micah Cotrell]

As much respect that I have for the Gracie family, I personally believe that they hold a monopoly on the jiu-jitsu industry. I am very appreciative of the fact that Eddie Bravo offers his jiu-jitsu for barely nothing. He has proven himself and deserves respect. He has proven himself to ungrudging.