Who trains at a Gracie Barra??

[Lookyoung]

Originally Posted by Oldguy

I train at Gracie Barra in Irvine. It is the best place I have ever trained in my life. The students have great attitudes. The instructors are top notch. I like the atmosphere. I have improved more here than anywhere I have trained. I can't say enough good things about the instructors. They are really good.

The only downsides are that the classes can be large sometimes and I think they promote people too fast.

But, that is life. Nothing is perfect. The good significantly outweighs the bad.

I train at graciebarra Chicago. I agree they seem to at times promote people too fast. Our school makes every whitebelt have 106 hours of instruction(106 classes and than the student is elgible for there bluebelt) Afte bluebelt it is 250 classes for every other belt.

I probably have 175 classes. My instructors wanted to promote me sometime ago but I told them I wanted to get better first. Some of the bluebelts at my GB would probably get destroyed in a Naga whitebelt tournament. Does your school follow the same protocol?

I know things the format of all the Graciebarra's is changing.. Our instructors are going to change the cirriculum to 16 weeks of beginners, advanced, and than blackbelt program. It hasn't started yet but looks like it will soon. The funny thing is for the new program it appears that you only need 64 classes to advance to bluebelt which I feel is way too short.

My question is how long does it take to get a bluebelt at your school? Have you guys incorporated the new cirriculum? Is it much different than the old one?

IF you guy have what does the beginners, advanced, and blackbelt program differ from the old way?

Thanks if you have any questions about how my school is ran let me know.

[Il Wop-O]

We are an affiliate in Springfield, MO under Daniel "Montanha" Nycz De Lima (Gracie Barra Miami). We have an incredibly strong team environment here. It really is more like a family, no joke. The training is fantastic, it's not homogenized, we get a lot of innovative stuff here in addition to fundamentals, and we absorb a lot of wrestling as well (we are a heavily MMA-based school, so we have a lot of wrestlers, too.)

And our belting is actually on the long end, as well. Most guys are here for 2+ years (4 days/week avg.) before blue. And the test is brutal. But Daniel always says "If you guys get a bluebelt from me, you're gonna be a Brazil bluebelt, that good." Definitely no McDojo. We actually have quite a few short-sighted folk that quit because they "get tired of waiting for a belt promotion." But those are the TKD-mindset people.

Bottom line, I love training at GB.

[Calibur]

Every brazilian I ever talked to told me that Blue belts from Brazil mean almost nothing. My instructor (also Brazillian) also told me the same thing.

Anyway, I go my purple through Barra, and even though I am not part of them anymore, I still consider my GB coach and training partners true friends. I think a couple of them would actually committ felonies for me.

[DonkeyKong]

Gracie Barra Recife, under Ze Radiola

4 life

By the way, just because a blue belt in Brazil doesnt mean anything (i.e. doesn't get you respect), that doesn't mean that a brazilian blue belt doesn't mean anything. Especially in Gracie Barra, it is very hard to get.

[bjjaz]

Wow this thread got bumped from 2008.

[Calibur]

Originally Posted by DonkeyKong

Especially in Gracie Barra, it is very hard to get.

I have the exact opposite opinion.

[Balto]

Yeah most of the Brazilian blue belts I met were weaker rather than stronger than American blue belts. It's almost as if we put the blue belt on a higher pedestal here than in Brazil.

I think a lot of it stems from how young BJJ in America still is. More and more black belts are popping up now, but even just 5 years ago, a blue belt was considered a pretty solid rank in many parts of the country. Since many people in America were taught by blue belts initially, I think we attach more meaning to it right now.

[DonkeyKong]

Originally Posted by Calibur

I have the exact opposite opinion.

I can tell you the only way I've seen someone get a blue at Gracie Barra Recife:

1- win a state championship
2- train for 2 years assiduously & win a tough local championship

and sometimes, not even then.

After that, most belts were awarded for winning nationals or world championships.

[Calibur]

Originally Posted by DonkeyKong

I can tell you the only way I've seen someone get a blue at Gracie Barra Recife:

1- win a state championship
2- train for 2 years assiduously & win a tough local championship

and sometimes, not even then.

After that, most belts were awarded for winning nationals or world championships.

There can only be one winner in a state championship. If that rule was taken literally than there would be dozens of also rans who never become a blue belt.

When I joined Gracie Barra and told my instructor I had been training for 2 years and hadn't received my blue belt him and his brown belts were shocked. Almost disgusted. And than they told me (these are fresh off the boat Brazilians mind you) that "blue belt should be easy. In Brazil many get it in 6 months. Sometimes a year."

Every Gracie Barra I have been to has had similar standards. When I think of tough blue belt requirements I think of Carlson Gracie/Revolution. Those guys take forever.

Are you sure we're talking about the same organizations? Seriously.

[David Kless]

Gracie Barra Kenosha here! (WI) Under Black Belt Dave Rosenmarkle. War (262) area code~

EQUIPE!!!