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What is Gracie Barra?
Gracie Barra is the largest brand of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools in the world. They also offer online courses, seminars and sell their branded products online. At the time of writing, they currently have over 800 schools worldwide and are still growing. The organization was founded by BJJ legend Carlos Gracie Jr.
What is the difference between Gracie & Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu?
There is no real difference in the style or teachings of BJJ. The Gracie’s are a very large family from Brazil, largely credited with creating BJJ and bringing it to the mainstream. Gracie Barra is one chain of gyms that was created (Barra being the original location in Brazil). There are now various Gracie organizations throughout the world with different gyms such as Ralph Gracie, Gracie University, Clark Gracie, Roger Gracie, and many others. These organizations are different businesses from one another but will have family connections.
Is Gracie Barra a franchise?
Gracie Barra operates very similarly to a franchise – however, not everyone can open a school. Firstly you will need to be vetted to make sure you meet the required standards for an instructor and then must undergo further specific training.
When your school is open there are certain rules and requirements your school must adhere to. The brand is quite strong in BJJ so you will get students more easily, the trade-off being that you must pay the GB organization.
Think of it as similar to owning a Starbucks. All of the promotion has already been done, you must now just run the shop well and serve good coffee. You will earn a lot of money but must pay some of the profits to the brand.
Is Gracie Barra a Mcdojo?
No, this is quite a silly question since there are over 800 schools. Whilst I am sure there are some bad schools, this can be said for literally any brand. I am sure if you went to a Starbucks coffee shop, some shops would be cleaner than others, some would have bad staff, some would be great. The same can be said for Gracie Barra. You should read the reviews for your local school online, find out who is the head instructor and what their credentials are.
How much does Gracie Barra cost?
Again, this will vary depending on the location of the school. California will be more expensive than Alabama for example. GB schools are generally more expensive than other GB schools because they will have higher overheads. With this being said, you can expect a more structured class and in theory, you should never be taught by a bad teacher. You should research and compare the costs and benefits of various schools in your area. If you are unsure about what to look for in a school, please feel free to contact us.
Are Gracie Barra schools good?
This will of course once again depend on school to school. Overall though yes, they are good. If you look at their instructors online and their competition record as a gym, it is very good. Of course, with there being so many schools, it is unlikely that literally every single one of these is a brilliant school. But on the whole, they have a decent quality control so it certainly shouldn’t be a bad school. They are probably worth the money you will spend if you’re looking for a safe place to train.
Is Gracie Barra good for self defense?
Whilst it is not a self defense specialist BJJ school. If you learn BJJ and stick at it, you will become better at self defense the more you train. There are a large number of schools that will claim to be good at self defense but will not spar or train with contact. Therefore it is difficult to tell who is the best gym for self defense BJJ. Gracie Barra certainly isn’t a bad choice for this, but it won’t be the best in the world either.
Do I have to wear a Gracie Barra gi?
Yes, if your school doesn’t already have this policy, it will in the future. This is the most criticized policy of Gracie Barra. You must wear their brand of kimono if you wish to train at the school. Often a Gracie Barra gi will be around 1.5x the cost of a normal gi.
The quality of their gi’s is not bad as they have used various brands such as Adidas and Storm. However if you want to wear your own gi, then this school is not for you.
Is there a Gracie Barra curriculum?
Yes, learning is more structured than a normal BJJ school. You may think this is a positive or a negative, but really it’s just personal preference. Every week the curriculum will rotate and you will be learning a new position. They have numbered weeks so each school should be teaching the same thing no matter which GB you are attending. Of course, each instructor will vary on which style and techniques they prefer, so it is not robotic.
Gracie Barra for MMA
If you are looking to learn MMA then Gracie Barra is not advised if you want to learn everything under one roof. GB is certainly not bad to cross train at and you will probably learn better BJJ in a GB school compared to a mixed MMA gym. However, you will not learn high level Muay Thai or wrestling in a Gracie Barra school since it is set up to teach purely BJJ.
