want2learn   10 #1 Posted December 9, 2006 So we have Gracie Barra, Royce Gracie Dronfield, Castle BBA, which is the best place to learn BJJ properly and are there any other teams around? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
lotar   10 #2 Posted December 9, 2006 Try both and see which you prefer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
bjjfighter   10 #3 Posted December 9, 2006 graciebarra no contest! The only team that has a blackbelt teaching every week, to learn properly you need to be taught by experts, There is regularly more than 1 blackbelt on the mat so the tuition is of a high level. I`ve been to the other clubs, which are taught by bluebelts.  Always find it odd when folk who are only beginning learning something begin to teach it.It would be like opening a firm of solicitors one week into your law degree! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
jimanyjim   10 #4 Posted December 9, 2006 Prediction: This thread will end in aggressive posturing, with people who don't even train bjj chiming in. It will be largely unhelpful. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
chefkicker   11 #5 Posted December 10, 2006 graciebarra no contest! The only team that has a blackbelt teaching every week, to learn properly you need to be taught by experts, There is regularly more than 1 blackbelt on the mat so the tuition is of a high level. I`ve been to the other clubs, which are taught by bluebelts.  Always find it odd when folk who are only beginning learning something begin to teach it.It would be like opening a firm of solicitors one week into your law degree!  The colour of ones belt does not guarantee good teaching ability. I have heard positive things about all 3 so there is none of this "no contest " about it!  Which one is best at what??? Atmosphere? Standard of tuition? User friendliness? Competition results?  If it is MMA, then Royce Gracie have done the best at MMA so far (to my knowledge). So far the Royce Gracie lot have done well at MMA. Gracie Barra do well in the gorilla tournament from the looks of things. Brian Aikens place have entered one fighter into MMA, Kent Cooper.  Horses for courses I'd say. None of them deserve to be put down. All strong teams by the sound of things. Me personally I'd go for the Royce Gracie team purely based on what I have seen of them but GOD would have to invent an 8th day into the week first Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Crayfish   10 #6 Posted December 10, 2006 As it happens, Legarto is a good teacher although I've only been fortunate enough to attend a couple of his classes. For technical knowledge, I would go for Gracie Barra, but the people I've met from the Royce Gracie club are also top people as well as being physically good athletes (don't know if that's connected to the training). At the end of the day I think it comes down to whichever one's most convenient to get to, particularly for a beginner either should give you a decent initial grounding, although I think that the Gracie Barra club may be able to take technique a little further. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
troyhark   10 #7 Posted December 10, 2006 graciebarra no contest! The only team that has a blackbelt teaching every week, to learn properly you need to be taught by experts, There is regularly more than 1 blackbelt on the mat so the tuition is of a high level. I`ve been to the other clubs, which are taught by bluebelts. One of my students was a Black Belt in BJJA, yet he failed his Dark Blue belt grading in my style. He went away and attending grading in a different area when I said he wasn't good enough to grade to dark blue yet, as bourne out by him staying a light blue belt. Light Blue is only half way to black in this style so those bluebelts may be a lot better than your black belts, they may not be, but judging simply by belt colour is not wise as standards vary enormously. Always find it odd when folk who are only beginning learning something begin to teach it.It would be like opening a firm of solicitors one week into your law degree! When you teach others you should learn a lot more than by simply passively taking classes. I'd also say, if you haven't taught, you probably aren't ready to be a black belt. Besides, it can take longer/be harder to get blue belt in some styles than a black belt in others. See my example above. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
troyhark   10 #8 Posted December 10, 2006 Prediction: This thread will end in aggressive posturing, with people who don't even train bjj chiming in. It will be largely unhelpful. Unlike this incredibly useful post! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
barracuda   10 #9 Posted December 10, 2006 If it is MMA, then Royce Gracie have done the best at MMA so far (to my knowledge). So far the Royce Gracie lot have done well at MMA. Gracie Barra do well in the gorilla tournament from the looks of things. Brian Aikens place have entered one fighter into MMA, Kent Cooper.  MMA ? Who mentioned MMA ?  If you're serious about learning BJJ you can't get much better than RG or GB. Both are well run friendly clubs with some top guys Me personally, I'd go for GB for their greater tuition/experience/knowledge. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
_pj_ Â Â 10 #10 Posted December 10, 2006 You also need to look at someones' history. For example my instructor Tim Maskrey (a few of you will know him) of Wirksworth Derbyshire started teaching at blue belt, but he was already a 3rd degree kick boxer and a 1st degree judo player. Â Admittedly he is now a bjj brown belt (from Royce Gracie). Â A few of us at Tim's already hold belts in other stuff and I know this to be the case up at the RGJJN. In my case didn't help much when it came to the rolling. In fact as far as I'm concerned didn't help at all:D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
bjjfighter   10 #11 Posted December 10, 2006 The instructors at royce gracie sheff, paul chapman and steve marsden, have all been students of one of the black belt teachers at graciebarra sheff(ben). Tim was a student of his at graciebarra in notts. Anyone implying that a bluebelt in bjj can teach as well as the blackbelt that teaches them is an idiot. Most people who leave graciebarra do so as it is easier to get a belt from another team,they cant live with the standards set by graciebarra.  Bjj is one of the hardest martial arts in the world to gain blackbelt status with graciebarra being one of the hardest of all the teams.  If you want to learn bjj,not kung fu or mma or kickboxing then graciebarrasheff is the best club,it has the best fighters and the best teachers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...
Crayfish   10 #12 Posted December 10, 2006 I'll second that hardness, took me five-six years to get my blue belt  Troy - what style do you practice, and what organisation did that individual get their black belt from? Having met a couple of black belts in Gracie Barra, I'd be extremely confident of their ability to make it in other arts at the very least, and might possibly suspect them of being able to fly, and headbutt brick walls down in their spare time. Okay, perhaps not, but they are serious, dedicated martial artists and athletes who shouldn't have a problem learning physical movements of any sort. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Share this content via...