Too Soft?

I love the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu system, but they are sure stingy with their promotions. This is quite amusing, as they attract a lot of hate online that says they just give their ranks away.

I think a lot of this is misunderstanding.

The Gracies have three separate, but related programs.

First is what goes on at their own Academy in Los Angeles. The standards there are very rigorous, and nobody ever accuses them of handing out belts willy nilly. An example is Ed O'Neil, the well-know TV actor. He has a Black Belt from the Gracies. Favouritism? Not likely. It took him 16 years to get it.

Second there are the Certified Training Centres. These are schools around the world lead by teachers who have gone through the Gracies instructor training program. Students at these schools are promoted in a fashion similar to the main Gracie Academy.

Third there is what the Gracies have named Gracie University. It is an online training method. At the end of the first part of the program, students can tape themselves performing a number of drills and upload their efforts. These are graded, and if good enough a Blue Belt can be earned. Continuing in the program in a similar fashion, it is possible to add a first stripe onto one's belt, and soon it will be possible to earn a second.

Nobody complains about the ranks from the first or second options being too easy. It is the third that draws all the flack.

Let's look at what happens if you begin the program. You sign up and pay your fee, and get access to a bunch of online video material, including the core 36 lessons. You start with lesson #1, called Trap and Roll. There is a 35 minute video, covering the concepts and moves for the 3 variations. All techniques have several variations, called “slices”.

Nay sayers would complain that watching a video doesn't make you able to do a technique, and they're right. Just watching all of the videos would be meaningless. However, this is automatically weeded out by the online testing procedure that I'll describe later.

Let's say you are serious, and practice the moves with a partner. No partner, no chance to figure out what's going on. So you are working together on the material, and something is wrong, you watch that part again, and try again. The video will end up acting as a reference. Let's say you are on the mat for an hour or so to get through it all. You still won't pass the Trap and Roll part of the exam. I've worked with a lot of beginners, and they never get it really right on the first day.

You follow the program exactly as prescribed, going through all 36 lessons, and then doing all 36 again, and then again for a third time.

Detractors say that isn't as good as learning from a real instructor, and I fully agree. A teacher can catch your mistakes for you, and correct them in a moment.

Let's say you decide it's time to test. You and your partner enlist a little help for the recording, and get to work practising the test itself.

Here, there are a million more complaints from outsiders. “Too easy to cheat,” they say.

“Bull,” I say.

The 36 techniques are divided into four groupings; Mount, Side Mount, Guard, and Standing. For example; the 3 variations of Trap and Roll are the first things done in the Mount Chapter.

It would be easy to pass if each Slice were recorded separately, or even if each Technique were to be done in isolation. That's not how it goes.

All of the Mount must be recorded as a single uninterrupted shot, as is Side Mount, Guard, and Standing. On average, each video must contain about 9 techniques or about 27 slices. There is a five-minute maximum for each of the four recordings.

It is OK to have the technique/slice names read out to the participants between movements, but no instruction can be given. No discussion can occur between the participants.

There is also a fifth video. It can be a short as four minutes, or as long as five. In it the the assistant attacks the candidate with any or all of the indicators that have been worked on, and in any order. It is called Free Style Fight Sim. To an untrained eye it will look as if the two are free rolling, but only the basic techniques are used.

As is is possible to do any or all of the test segments until the students are satisfied, the evaluation standard has been set correspondingly high. A maximum of 20 demerits are permitted on a passing test.

This is also the method of exam used by the Certified Training Centres. I studied under a qualified instructor to prepare for this exact same test. I have been in martial arts for over 30 years. I maintained almost perfect attendance. It took me 9 months of study, and I passed with 11 of the permitted 20 demerits. I can't really imagine preparing for this test in my basement with a buddy and actually passing.

Giving away Blue Belts? Hardly.

Could a person cheat? Actually, yes. If you had a Jiu-Jitsu friend and they were willing to put in the work to learn exactly what the Gracies expect on test videos, I guess you could get him to take the test for you. You'd actually need two such friends, as the recordings need two prepared people. To pass, they'd have to do everything exactly as the Gracies insist. It would be like getting them to learn the course for you. Assuming they agree, and pass, and claim to be you, then a lovely Gracie Blue Belt will arrive in the mail accompanied by a dandy certificate with your name on it.

So you decide to cheat. You registered with Gracie University and paid for the beginners course access ($144). You got a couple of trained friends to do the test, and they put in quite a bit of work to do so. You submitted the videos, and paid the evaluation fee ($85). Your friend passed, and a few weeks later a belt arrives with your falsified certificate.

I hate to tell you this, but you can buy a Blue Belt at any martial arts supply house for under $10. While you're at it, why not get a Purple instead. Blue is a dime a dozen. Purple is the rank that starts to mean something. Or Brown? Brown Belts are impressive. Black is nice, too.

While you're at it, put in 15 minutes with the right app and you can have a bitching certificate as well.

The point being, I am more impressed when I meet somebody who has a Gracie University Blue Belt over somebody who got theirs in a more conventional manner. Maybe they have limited free-rolling experience, but their dedication and determination cannot be questioned.