Frequently Asked Questions

Although the arduous task of planning the linear curriculum from white to black belt is complete, the monumental task of producing all video lessons that will make the curriculum learnable by people all over the world will take several years. After blue belt, there are four courses that make up the curriculum at each belt level, one for each stripe. Due to the incredible amount of detail that goes into each lesson, it will take approximately three months to produce the lessons for each stripe course from blue to black belt. In order to ensure that Gracie University students always have something new to work on, we decided that we would make each new stripe course available online as soon as we finished it, rather than waiting to upload all four stripe courses at once. Naturally, there will be scheduling conflicts and production roadblocks that prevent us from keeping a perfect release schedule with regards to the Master Cycle, and in these cases you must remember to spend all extra time perfecting the lessons you already have access to so that when a new course pops up, you have the strongest possible foundation.

Yes, the Master Cycle course covers both gi and no-gi techniques. The advantage of no-gi training is that you are forced to refine your offensive tactics to a very high level, since you don’t have the gi to assist you in your control and submission attempts. The advantage of training with the gi is that you are forced to sharpen your defensive skills since your opponent will have more options of attack against you. The disadvantage of training exclusively with the gi on is that you become reliant on it. The disadvantage of training exclusively no-gi is that you become too comfortable with the limited control your opponent has over you in training, and one day, if you get in a street fight with someone who grabs your jacket or pants during the chaos, your unfamiliarity with their increased level of control will cause you to panic. Bottom line, to get a black belt, your success in a fight cannot be determined by what you are, or aren’t, wearing, and for this reason we will cover both, gi and no-gi, in the Master Cycle.

Although the sportive practice of the art does not include punches or kicks, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu is a complete system of self-defense that includes striking techniques. The difference between the striking techniques we use and those used in other martial arts is that we only strike when there is little or no chance that the opponent can strike back. In other words, we don’t trade strikes with our opponent, instead, we use the strikes to setup other more reliable means of victory. In the Master Cycle, we will cover how to strike while standing as well as the most effective striking strategies from each position on the ground. To learn and properly implement the striking techniques of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, you must first learn the techniques and distance-management principles that will keep you safe from your opponent’s strikes, and this is why we chose not to include any striking techniques in the Gracie Combatives course.

No, due to the vast number of techniques and the unprecedented level of detail in each lesson, the Master Cycle will only be available online. Fortunately, all Master Cycle lessons can now be viewed on any mobile device or Smartphone so you can take your lessons with you 24/7.

As described at the end of the Gracie Games course, once your child completes the Jr. Combatives course you should start over and do it again until you feel they are executing all the techniques accurately and with confidence and conviction. Then, move on to the adult Gracie Combatives curriculum, regardless of what their age is. In other words, if your child starts at 5 years old and races through the Gracie Games and Jr. Combatives course by the time they are 7 or 8 (which means they are a very fast learner), don’t hesitate to jump into the adult curriculum, and once they race through the Gracie Combatives program go right into the Master Cycle which is available exclusively through GracieUniversity.com. As long as they are learning and having fun, keep moving; but if it becomes overwhelming be sure to pull back. It should be noted that, although some will learn faster than others, no child is too mature for the Gracie Games. Adjust the intensity level to meet the capabilities of your child, and they will have fun regardless of their age. If they excel at all the Gracie Games, move right on to the Jr. Combatives course so you can keep the fire alive. Note that we require the child to be at least 4 years old in order to test for an official belt promotion.

Even though the GU curriculum is broken down into several different courses, all of which are designed to be completed in linear fashion, new students who have full access to the entire curriculum tend to progress faster since they tend to acquire the "big picture" understanding sooner than the rest. As a result, our most popular program for new students is the Unlimited Membership. To help make your decision, we highly recommend that you use your 5-day free trial period on the Unlimited Membership (or the VIP Membership) since that would give you full access to all Gracie University curriculum videos, Gracie Combatives through Master Cycle, and all the Bonus Breakdowns and Narrated Sparring Videos. Once you've had a chance to review all the Gracie University video libraries free trial, you can decide if you want to stick with the Unlimited Membership or if you want to choose a more basic plan for the time being. If you decide you want to go with a more basic plan, simply cancel your initial subscription and sign up for the plan of your choice. Keep in mind that the system only allows one 5-day trial period per person, which is why we strongly suggest that you use it on the Unlimited Membership.

To make the Gracie University curriculum available to more students around the globe, we have developed new subscription plans that allow students to access the entire curriculum for a small monthly fee as an option to our traditional pay-per-class model in which students purchase individual lessons or courses for a much higher one-time fee. Although both purchasing options remain available to all users for now, choosing which option is best for you -- pay-per-class or the new subscription model -- is based on how new you are to GU, and how much content you already own. To read more about which option is best for you, click here.

No matter what subscription option you choose, any lessons that have already been purchased by you will remain in your library, even if you choose to cancel your subscription.

We are 100% committed to creating the most comprehensive, easy-to-follow online jiu-jitsu academy on the planet. To ensure that Gracie University provides EXACTLY what you are looking for, we will give you full access to ANY subscription plan for five days before you pay a penny! If you're not 100% satisfied, simply click the "cancel my subscription" button during the trial period and you'll never be charged!

Once you are registered on Gracie University as a student you can sign-up for a 5-day free trial of a subscription level at any time. Start by going to the subscriptions overview page at www.GracieUniversity.com/subscriptions. On that page choose the subscription level you are interested in and click the "Try It!" button. It will be added to your cart and you will be taken through the purchase process as with any other product. The difference is that your credit card will not be charged until the trial period is over. During the 5 day trial you can cancel anytime and there will be no charges. This allows you to sample the content at that subscription level, decide if you like it (we're sure you will), and then keep going from there.

Canceling a subscription plan is very easy. Simply go to your "My Profile" section and click the "cancel my subscription" button and you won't be charged any future payments. Please note that your access to the lessons will end immediately so it is usually best to wait until the day before your current subscription is set to expire. It is very important that you cancel the day BEFORE as if you wait until the day the subscription renews your card will automatically be charged by the credit card processor.

Yes, you can earn rank with the new subscription programs EXACTLY the same way as before. Simply perfect all the lessons in a particular module and record yourself conducting the official test. Upload your video to the 'Testing Center' and we'll take it from there. If your test meets Gracie University standards, we'll send you your belt/stripe in the mail.

From a pure value perspective, the Unlimited Membership offers you the most bang for your buck. You get total access to the Gracie University curriculum and every new lesson that comes out.

No. With the new subscription programs, you do not need to earn rank or pass a test in order to gain access to the next segment of the curriculum. For example, a brand new Gracie University student who signs up for Unlimited Membership will get total instant access to Gracie Combatives, Women Empowered 2.0, and the Master Cycle. Earning rank is a personal preference and a privilege, but not a pre-requisite for any level of curriculum access.

Good question. With our five-day free trial you have nothing to lose and tons of new content to explore, including the weekly released new Bonus Gracie Breakdowns and Narrated Gracie Sparring Sessions, as well as the ever-growing blue-to-black Mastery Cycle curriculum. To learn more about each membership option or to start your five-day free trial today, click here.

No. Free training privileges at GU, CTCs, or seminars are reserved for students who hold active VIP Membership subscriptions for at least two months prior to the first training request.

No, each person only gets one 5-day free trial. When you sign up second time around, or anytime thereafter, you will be charged the first payment immediately upon enrollment.

Yes, you are allowed to "share" lessons with a training partner as long as you aren't logging in from multiple IP addresses at the same time. If you use the same account from multiple locations, it may cause your account to be flagged for suspicious behavior which may lead to us canceling the account altogether.

No, as a CTC Family Member, you get free access the the curriculum videos for the specific course that you are enrolled in, but you do not get free access to the Breakdown+ library. We do however, offer a 25% discount for all CTC Family Members on all subscription programs, so that CTC Family Members can access the extensive video libraries of Gracie-Narrated Sparring Videos and Bonus Gracie Breakdowns. All you have to do is sign up for the subscription program of your choice, and if your CTC Family Membership status is active, you will be issued the 25% discount checkout. If the discount is not issued at checkout, please contact the head instructor at your CTC to verify that he/she has added your name to the list of active Family Members for that CTC.

When you sign up for one of the new subscription programs, you get to choose if you want to pay month-to-month, or year-to-year. The benefit of the yearly payment plan is that you get two months free. For example, if you sign up for the Mastery Membership, you would pay $35 per month or $350 per year (which equates to two months free or a savings of $70). In addition, when you sign up for the yearly plan, you also get the free autographed Gracie University t-shirt.

The same way you shouldn't pay for food you don't like, we won't let you pay for lessons you don't love! Regardless of whether you sign up for the monthly billing or yearly billing option, you will be allowed to try any program free for five days before you are charged. Simply visit our membership breakdown page, choose from one of our seven convenient membership programs. You will be asked to provide your credit card information to start the trial period but you will NOT be charged until after the five-day trial is over. If you choose the yearly billing option, we will send you your free autographed t-shirt after the five-day trial is over and your credit card charge goes through. (Note: the free autographed t-shirt is not included with the monthly payment option).

The best way to upgrade your monthly subscription and avoid any duplicate payments is to wait until the day before your current subscription is going to be charged for the next period. Make sure it is the day BEFORE so that the next charge doesn't go through. On the day before, purchase the new subscription through the site as you normally would. This will automatically cancel your current subscription and give you immediate access to the new level. Please note that there will not be a five-day trial and that your card will be charged right away.

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The Gracie Combatives belt has replaced the blue belt (and the technical blue belt) as the symbol of completion for the Gracie Combatives program. You must pass the Gracie Combatives test with a score of 90 or higher in order to earn the promotion.

As outlined in the Testing Center, upon completing the Gracie Combatives course, you must dedicate at least six additional months before you may test for blue belt at a Certified Training Center. During that time, focus your training entirely on the techniques, drills, and live sparring exercises in the Master Cycle Blue Belt Stripe 1 (BBS1) curriculum. Although you will NOT be tested on the individual BBS1 techniques, you should study all 60 BBS1 lessons so that you will have a solid understanding of all seven positions of the Master Cycle curriculum to pass the blue belt test. On average, we expect a Gracie Combatives graduate to dedicate an additional 60-100 hours of BBS1 drilling and sparring in order to pass the blue belt test. Watch the sparring drill explanations of the BBS1 test (gi, no-gi, and fight simulation) to gain an understanding of the sparring format and our expectations for your performance.

Yes. Earning the Gracie Combatives belt is valid confirmation that your foundation is solid and you are prepared for the Master Cycle. If you move on to the Master Cycle but you are unable to test for your blue belt at a CTC, you are allowed to complete the Blue Belt Stripe Courses via video evaluation, and each time you pass a test, we will send you the official stripe. Keep in mind, however, that any stripe(s) earned like this should not be applied to the Gracie Combatives belt. Instead, you should hold on to the stripe(s), and when you eventually make your way to a CTC and successfully pass the live evaluation for blue belt, your stripes can be retroactively applied.

All lessons should be tracked in the Jiu-Jitsu Journal that comes with the DVDs, or in the digital Jiu-Jitsu Journal available on this website. For every 20 days of training (regardless of what lessons you cover) you award your child one stripe. Instructions on how to award stripes can be found in the Testing Center.

The Technical Blue Belt is essentially being replaced by the Gracie Combatives belt. So, if you’ve already earned your Technical Blue Belt, the 6-month minimum time requirement and the testing process (outlined in the Testing Center) is the same as if you earned your Gracie Combatives belt and were aiming to test for blue belt. The 6-month requirement begins from the day you earned your technical blue belt.

No. If you already have advanced rank from another organization, blue belt or higher, and you would like to test for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu blue belt, we will consider bypassing the 6-month minimum time requirement between Gracie Combatives completion and live blue belt testing.

Although the techniques being tested are exactly the same, there are some significant differences between video testing and live testing when it comes to the Gracie Combatives belt. The Video Evaluation Process is conducted with a partner of your choosing in a controlled environment where you can repeat the test as many times as you want before you submit your videos. The Live Verification Test is conducted at a CTC and your bad guy will be a certified instructor who will intentionally challenge your timing, technique, reflexes, and conviction. Most importantly, you only get one shot at it.

Yes. Although the new promotion process is effective immediately for all Gracie University students and Gracie University Headquarters, the process will go into effect at all Certified Training Centers on October 1, 2016.

If you are interested in participating in the ICP, you must score 95 or higher on the Gracie Combatives test, and you must be prepared to pass the blue belt live sparring evaluation when you arrive at Gracie University for Phase 3 of the ICP. The only exception to this is if you hold a blue belt or higher, from Gracie University or another legitimate jiu-jitsu organization, prior to your completion of the Gracie Combatives program and entry into the ICP. If you already hold advanced rank, you will not need to take the live blue belt sparring test.

Each time you submit a belt or stripe test using the Video Evaluation Process, it is thoroughly evaluated by one Gracie University instructor and then double-checked for accuracy by another. Due to the significant amount of time that is required from each evaluating instructor, you will be required to pay an evaluation fee of $105. Please keep in mind, however, that although you will need to pay the evaluation fee each time you take a test, when you pass a test, you will receive your belt and promotion certificate for free. Visit the Testing Center for details.

Once your child has earned four stripes on a particular belt, they qualify to test for promotion to the next belt level. Each time you submit a belt test using the Video Evaluation Process it is thoroughly evaluated by a Gracie University instructor to determine whether or not your child’s performance meets GU standards. There is a $95 evaluation/processing fee to submit a belt test online. If your child’s performance does not meet Gracie University standards, you will be notified of their shortcomings so that you can prepare to retest at a later date. If your child passes the test, we will send their official belt and promotion certificate for free (we’ll even pay the shipping) and their rank will be updated on the list of Bullyproof Belt Holders. Visit the Testing Center for details.

No. We don’t care where you learn the techniques. As long as you perfect them, you are invited to use the Gracie University Video Evaluation Process to test for promotion. The reason we set it up this way is because we understand that in many cases, GU students will get together in small groups to practice and even though not all members of the group will have purchased the DVD collection or the online courses, they are still learning the techniques from other members of the group and are equally dedicated to the curriculum. In order to use the Video Evaluation Process, the only thing you or your training partners must do is create a GU student profile, which is free.

If you have achieved rank in Gracie or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from any school that is not accredited by the Gracie University, your belt color will be recognized in the Gracie University student database, but it will be tagged as “unverified." In order to officially recognize your rank, we must verify your knowledge of the street applicable techniques of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, and the only way to do this is for you to demonstrate proficiency in the Gracie Combatives techniques by passing the Gracie Combatives test. In other words, if you were awarded a purple belt by a BJJ instructor and you pass the official Gracie Combatives test, then Ryron and Rener would consider assessing your skills to see if your purple belt can be formally recognized by the Gracie University. Bottom line: without the street readiness, nothing matters.

Absolutely. If you were promoted by a legitimate source and are confident in the street applicability of your techniques, you are invited to jump straight to the Gracie Combatives test without completing the lessons. But, if upon viewing the belt testing requirements/demonstration videos, you are not 100% confident in your ability to execute all the required techniques and drills instinctively, we recommend you dedicate yourself to completing the entire curriculum in the prescribed sequence before taking the test. This is the same for the Gracie Bullyproof program. As long as your child earns all four stripes on their belt according to the promotion standards, you are invited to use the evaluation process to test for promotion. Remember, the belt should be a result of your training, not the reason for it.

No, although your goal should be to execute the techniques as accurately as possible, if an injury or physical limitation prevents you from executing a technique exactly as it is taught, you will not be penalized. The only requirement is that you notify us of the physical limitation when you upload your test videos so that we can take it into consideration during the evaluation.

Each time you submit a test, it is thoroughly evaluated by one Gracie University instructor and then double-checked for accuracy by another. If you fail a test the first time, you are allowed to take it again as soon as you correct your mistakes, but you will be required to pay the testing fee once again, since every evaluation requires the same amount of time from the evaluating instructors, regardless of whether it is a first time test or a repeat.

Immediately after you submit your Gracie Combatives Proficiency Test videos in the Testing Center, a Gracie University instructor will be notified. Once the instructor has completed their evaluation and the results are available for your viewing, you will receive an email notification. If you fail the test, you will be able to retest once you have corrected all the mistakes. If you pass the test, you will receive your belt, along with a personalized certificate of authenticity, in the mail.

Your belt will be under Ryron and Rener Gracie, since they are your primary instructors.

Here at Gracie University, where we have a fixed number of classes on the schedule, students are required to spend at least 8 months between stripes from blue to black belt. Through the online platform, however, you have complete access to the curriculum, and you can dedicate as much time as you wish to your training since you are not limited by the class schedule of your school. As a result, we understand that, although it is unlikely, it is possible for you to advance through the ranks faster than someone who commits only one hour a day, three days a week, at an actual school. For this reason, there is no set time that you must spend at each belt or stripe before testing for your next promotion, except for the 6-12 month requirement between Gracie Combatives completion and blue belt testing.

Due to the fact that each Master Cycle Stripe Course features nearly twice as many lessons as the Gracie Combatives course (60 lessons vs. 36 lessons), the tests take twice as much time to grade. To compensate for this, the evaluation fees for stripe tests are slightly higher than the Gracie Combatives Belt testing fees.

Each time all the lessons for a particular stripe course are made available online, the test for that segment of the curriculum will also be made available. Once you earn four stripes on your blue belt, you will qualify to request a "Live Verification Test" for purple belt consideration with an authorized Gracie University black belt instructor at Gracie University Headquarters or at an authorized CTC near you. The same process will occur after your earn four stripes on your purple belt. For more information on this process, visit the Testing Center.

No. You can wear whatever you’d like during your Gracie Combatives test. This is the same for children in the Bullyproof program.

Make sure your videos are no larger than1GB, have less than 50 characters in their filenames, and are in .wmv, .avi, .mpeg, or .mov format.

Yes. Once you complete the ICP you can begin teaching at your home or Gracie Garage on an unofficial basis, so you can sharpen your teaching skills while passing the knowledge on to friends and family members. You cannot, however, market/promote/or profit from the trademarks or proprietary training programs until you establish a Certified Training Center that meets our School Requirements.

Yes. We’ve finally opened the ICP to all dedicated students, even those with no teaching background. Our belief is that there are thousands of extremely dedicated practitioners who would make great GJJ instructors if only given the right training and the opportunity to shine. In order to participate, you must meet the established Instructor Requirements.

Yes, although we’ll be glad to verify your belt level in person when we meet you, in order to be considered for participation in the Gracie University Instructor Certification Program, you must first demonstrate a very high level of proficiency in the Gracie Combatives techniques, since they are the foundation of the Gracie University curriculum and is what separates all Certified Training Centers from other jiu-jitsu schools. The way to demonstrate proficiency is to pass the Gracie Combatives Test with a 95 or greater. This doesn’t mean you will need to wear the Gracie Combatives belt once you’re done, you will continue wearing your existing belt. Once you complete the Gracie University Instructor Certification Program, and you come to California, we will gladly verify your skill level so you can maintain your existing rank.

Yes. If you do not pass the Gracie Combatives course with minimum score of 95, you may retest only once in your attempt to meet the ICP qualification standard. That said, you should aim for perfection the first time around. In the event that you do need to retest, you will need to submit five brand new test videos. Here are the steps you have to take if you wish to resubmit for ICP consideration:

1. You must wait at least one month before resubmitting your test.
2. You must fix all errors and notes indicated by the evaluator. All techniques must be reflexive.
3. You must re-shoot all 5 drills and resubmit 5 new videos. If you include a previously submitted video, your test will be rejected and considered a fail.
4. Even if you "pass" with 95 or better, you will not be accepted into the ICP if you do not wait at least 30 days. No exceptions.

There are four levels of certification at which a Gracie Jiu-JItsu instructor can be recognized. Upon successfully completing the Gracie University ICP, and instructor is certified at Level 1 and is authorized to establish a CTC to teach Gracie Combatives and Gracie Bullyproof to the general public. If the instructor successfully upholds the Gracie University quality standard while continuing to sharpen his own skills as a student and teacher of the art, he will be considered for higher levels of certification at which he will be authorized to teach additional segments of the Gracie University curriculum such as the Master Cycle and the Women Empowered program.

It is becoming more and more common for instructors of advanced rank (purple/brown/black belts) to join the Instructor Certification Program with hopes of establishing Certified Training Centers. On a case-by-case basis, we allow these advanced instructors to start off at Level 2 or Level 3 due to their extensive teaching experience before joining the ICP.

Gracie University does not do "Affiliation" we do "Certification." Many well established jiu-jitsu instructors want to join the network so they can benefit from our optimum program structure, powerful teaching methods, and unparalleled marketing, but they don’t want to violate their allegiance or affiliation to their original instructor/organization. No problem. We do not get tangled up in the politics of BJJ, and we do not care whose name is on your storefront. Our only concern is that once you are a "Certified Training Center" that any students we send your way will get the exact same learning experience that they would get at Jiu-Jitsu heaven in Torrance! Over the years, we've had several high ranking black belts from other "affiliations" go through the ICP and establish Certified Training Centers out of their existing schools without any problems whatsoever. If you're in a similar situation and you'd like to speak to a few of these black belts, simply contact us and we'll connect you.

If you have a question that is not answered here or in the ICP General Info Section, please post it in the Forum under ‘Instructor Certification Program’.

We want to make sure all Gracie University students have good video performance. The videos themselves are hosted on a major international video network with many distributed servers that can handle large numbers of viewers at the same time. On rare occasions there have been temporary regional outages but in most cases video buffering will be related to local PC or network issues. Sometimes it can be your Internet Service Provider (ISP) that is having issues. Even though you may be having good results with other major video sites such as YouTube, it may still be a localized issue as the ISP will have different connections to different primary data pipelines.

If the video issues don’t clear up after a day or so, it is best to first double-check all of your local network connections and settings to confirm that everything is working well. If that doesn’t help please contact support and we will help narrow down the issue. Include your system type (PC or Mac), your browser type and version, your type of network connection, and the city/state you are accessing the lessons from. It may be necessary to run a Trace Route and we’ll help you with that process. We’ll use the information to find the source of the issue and how it can best be solved.

The interactive lesson system should run well on any multimedia capable PC, Mac or Linux system that has a broadband connection. Some of the specific requirements include Flash Player version 8 or above, and a current browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, or Chrome.

No, you have unlimited viewing capability.

Questions posted in the Gracie University forums will not appear until AFTER they have been answered by a GU instructor. Please be patient and do not post your question twice.