BJJ Grandmaster

**riceavenger** · Posted On: 6/17/2004 1:10pm

All right, just to stir up more contrrversey, here is an account of what Roy Harris said training at the Gracie Academy was like. Some excerpts from a thread he posted on a long time ago on mma.tv

http://stickgrappler.tripod.com/ug/roymyj.html

"After my 13th private lesson, Royler Gracie said I could wear the blue belt! I thought to myself, "No way! I get to wear the blue belt? Whoa........" Well, I felt proud the first time I put it on. I also felt a bit scared because now I would have to perform like the other blue belts in class.

Well, I headed off to a group class with Royce, and as soon as I walked into the main training room, Royce said to me, "Who gave you the blue belt?" I said, "Royler." Royce had a funny look on his face when I said it. He turned and walked away from me, and my stomach turned. I thought to myself, "the least he could do was congratulate me!" Oh well, I thought. Maybe Royce was in a bad mood again."

"Well, one day I was watching a video in the reception area and Craig Kukuk walked in. He asked, "Who said you could watch that video?" I told him, "Rorion said I could." He asked, "Where did you get the video?" I said, "From Rorion's office? Rorion told me I could go into his office and get a video to watch while I was waiting." Craig snatched the video out of the VCR and told me to never go into Rorion's office again. He said, "Rorion would not want you to watch this video." I asked "Why?" He said, "Because of what is on the tape. You can watch 'Gracie Jiu Jitsu in Action Part One', but that's it. All the other tapes are off limits to you!"

I thought that was kind of funny, but who was I to argue with Mr. Kukuk? He was a brown belt and I was a lowly blue belt. So, I chalked it up to experience and kept training. I never went into Rorion's office again and never watched a video on my own. "

More cases of the teachers holding back from their students:

"Next, I was told to continue my private training with Royce. However, I ended up taking just group classes instead, and I learned a ton of stuff from Royce. He was a good teacher. However, I noticed certain things about the way he taught. For example, every now and then he would close the door to the training room, look out the window down the hall towards Rorion's office and say: "Don't tell Rorion I showed this to you, and don't do this when Rorion is around. Royce would then proceed to show us some really interesting stuff." I thought his actions were a bit peculiar, but none the less, I kept on enjoying Jiu Jitsu! "

**Ronin** · Posted On: 6/17/2004 1:29pm

The more I hear about the GJJ training the MORE TRADITIONAL it sounds...

**bunyip** · Posted On: 6/17/2004 1:30pm

Riceavenger - that was an awesome, awesome thread.

**Dochter** · Posted On: 6/17/2004 1:37pm

Originally posted by Yrkoon9
2) At BHJJC we had many students from GJJ Torrence who would come to train with us. Multi-stripe blues were STILL trying to pass the guard with one arm in and one arm out. Like fucking newbies they would get triangled over and over and over with no clue.

This is kind of funny to me in a sad way. I have a hard time breaking guard sometimes and at the throwdown found that bunyip in particular has a really strong closed guard. Twice I snaked an arm in to try and help break it. Luckily I never got triangled. Never, ever was taught to do that though.

**Ronin** · Posted On: 6/17/2004 1:41pm

I know a few wrestlers that do that on PURPOSE to get you into trying a triangle and then they turn your legs into pretzles.

**Pandinha** · Posted On: 6/17/2004 2:01pm

As someone who has trained within the past 6 months at the Gracie Academy, I can say that Mr. Harris's accounts are no longer valid. Yes, they go over the basics at the GA over and over again, that's the main focal point. The intermediate and advance class is a total different story.

Now, my personal opinion is that I could have learned more myself in the time on the mats there, as compared to those I have trained with at different schools. I still don't discount my training. ****, after not rolling for almost 3 months and doing so this past week, I was surprised at how much the basics just came back and able to hang.

There's something to be said for being good at the basics. Look at all of Royce's first UFC's. All basic.

**Dochter** · Posted On: 6/17/2004 2:06pm

At the recent NorCal throwdown one guy commented on the lack of seeing subs like omoplata being used. My not entirely qualified response was that at least in my case a) everyone was too damn slippery to get the more complicated subs b) the more complicated subs require more setup, and perhaps because of that a greater skill differential and c) its a hell of a lot easier to do a standard armbar, triangle kimura whatever. You do however need to see things in order to effectively know how to respond to them.

Err.. maybe omoplata isn't the best example but you get the point.

**Ronin** · Posted On: 6/17/2004 2:31pm

If you see the matches in the UFC, Pride, etc.
You can probably make a case for only half a dozen subs ever being used.
All of them basics.

**katana** · Posted On: 6/17/2004 2:53pm

...same with strikes. It always comes down to the attributes and experience of the fighter. The triangle is a basic technique. What makes someone really good with it is being able to spot its application no matter what position you're in and being able to react fast enough before the opportunity disappears.