Its a Sad Day Part 2 - 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu Online Training

**10thPlanetVegan** · Posted On: 3/18/2010 2:43pm

I have been debating whether or not to post about this, but eventually came to the conclusion that it's something anyone considering training at a 10th planet affiliate should know.

First, a recap of what everyone already knows.
Eddie can be seen in a youtube video stating that he gives different belts for different reasons. He said that he sometimes gives blue and purple belts not because of skill or competition wins, but because of loyalty, good attitude, knowledge of the system, etc. He is letting purple belts run affiliate schools. The combination of these two things is troubling on it's own, but it is even worse now that he is allowing online grading up to purple.
Eddie stated on his website that he is using 10th planet's notoriety to promote his music, and that playing in a band for a living is what he wants to do with his life. The more 10th planet grows, the more his music will grow.

Now a couple of things that, up until now, were not public knowledge. I really have no way of proving these things, especially since I will not name the coach that I'm going to mention, but I swear that this is the truth. The reader can choose to believe me or not.

1. I am a white belt in jiu jitsu. The only rank I have in any martial art is a yellow belt in judo. After getting my yellow belt, I went to 10th planet hollywood. I was there for about 6 months at first, then schedule problems forced me to take a break for a couple of months. I then went to 10th planet riverside for about 5 months, then back to hollywood for a couple more. I am telling you this because my level of ability (well, lack thereof) is important in this next story.
The purple belt instructor from 10th planet Melbourne, Frank Barca, came in to 10th planet Hollywood a few months ago for a couple of weeks. We were doing different competition scenarios that week, and on the day that I paired up with him this was the scenario: start in closed guard. The guy on the bottom is down on points and has a minute to sweep or tap the guy on top. We go for a minute then switch, then rotate around the room. When I went up against Frank, who is a purple belt and who's website says he has been a student of Eddie Bravo since 2006, I destroyed him. When I pulled guard, I got the easiest hip bump I've ever gotten on a resisting opponent, and then layed on him in the mount for the remaining 45 seconds with him unable to do anything. When he pulled guard, he tried a couple of sub attempts, both of which were 10th planet specific subs and he did them both WRONG, and then I opened up his guard and sliced my knee through with very little effort and held him in side control for the remaining time.
I suck. I freely admit that. I have only been training in jiu jitsu for the last year or so, and was not training at all for a couple of months out of that year. For me to dominate a purple belt who has been supposedly been training for at least three years is just plain bullshit, especially since we were starting in closed guard and he's been training in a system that puts so much emphasis on the position. (he pulled rubber guard immediately and couldn't catch me with anything.) I have rolled with several other purple belts that train at Hollywood, and they thoroughly dominated me as I expected them to. The fact that this clown runs a school is just stupid. Before anyone brings up the fact that Frank is a small guy, I am not a very big man either, so size really did not make much of a difference. I probably weighed 30 pounds more than him, but I have been tooled around by blue belts that are smaller than me, so there's really no excuse for him sucking this badly.
2. I had gotten to know a couple of the higher-ranked guys training at 10th planet, one of whom (who I will not name, so lets refer to him as Coach X) is a coach at an affiliate school and a friend of Eddie's. When I spoke with him once about the Brandon Quick shenanigans that at the time had just recently begun, he said that it was definitely Eddie's fault and that he had gotten ahead of himself. Eddie had a meeting at the beginning of 2009 with his higher-ranked guys and coaches from affiliate schools to discuss what they wanted to accomplish with 10th planet in the next few years. He told all of them (these are Coach X's words, but he said it was exactly what Eddie said) "I want to have 100 10th planet affiliate schools within the next couple of years." When the guys asked why he wanted to spread 10th planet that quickly, since surely quality control would suffer as a result, Eddie said (again, Coach X's words but it is apparently exactly what Eddie said) "I want $200,000 of untaxable money." Eddie makes 2 grand a year from each affiliate for using the name and having him come in to do seminars, promotions, etc. Coach X went on to say that Ari Bolden is "a little punk who's just trying to make money off the system" and that only a few of the 10th planet affiliates out there are legit.
3. I took a free class at another school in my area and was crushed, to the point of total embarrassment, by a few of their white belts.
These three things made me leave 10th planet and join a different bjj school. Hopefully anyone who reads this will be able to take something from it.

tl;dr Speaking from firsthand experience, 10th planet sucks ass, and Eddie bravo is a greedy douche.

**Brian R. VanCise** · Posted On: 3/18/2010 6:09pm

Kind've what you would expect from any group that goes the online training way!

**Monsterbrach** · Posted On: 3/19/2010 7:50am

I run a 10th Planet Affiliate ... and I can tell you I went to HQ and rolled there in order to get my belt... any of the Browns also have done so... there are only 4 Black belts in the entire system so there would only be 4 10th Planet schools in existence if black was a requirement. Eddie much like the IJF wants to see guys pulling it off live ... + you still have to demonstrate that you know the system very well. Just cuz a guy can teach it doesnt mean he is good enough to pull it off live and that is what Eddie wants to see, that you are truly proficient at it. Again there is alot of hating on Ari but he trained with Eddie and has rolled at HQ..... I read an article on here saying how great Legends is and what great guys they have there..... If guys like myself and Ari have trained, rolled and hung with the guys at HQ and know the system ... then why keep hating. Chris Herzog has hung with the browns at hq, has a 4th dan a t Judo, won national sambo championships etc ... so is he a farce ... gimme a break ... i hold black belts in Judo, Jiu Jitsu, TKD and have trained since I was 6, I just love the system and what it has to offer, the fact that it is open minded etc for techniques...in any system there are flaws, I think Eddie put a cap on the ranking to stop it from being a complete farce but to encourage guys to compete and prove the system. If I have a purple ... I must compete at purple ... If I bullshited to get it ... I ll get killed in competition, the true prving ground ... and if Im not at hq or an affiliate and Im legit and kicking ass ... then maybey its time to visit the real deal and step up fully whcih is what I believe he is trying to encourage.

**cyrijl** · Posted On: 3/19/2010 7:59am

Originally Posted by HAP

Kind've what you would expect from any group that goes the online training way!

So Marcelo and Draculino as well?...

Of course not.

I love 10th planet. The fan boyism, not so much. Eddie has a great approach to jiujitsu which fits my style and personality. It is obvious he wants money, but he is also one of the best instructors I have ever worked with.

I think the affiliation situation kind of sucks, but I only go to train at Hollywood when I do. I would probably never train at an affiliate other than Denny's or Alders or Brent.

The first time I met Eddie I thought he was a douchebag, but then I realized it is all just a joke to him. I don't think he takes himself as seriously as everyone else does.

Finally, if you are just starting off jiujitsu, I would not recommend starting at 10th planet. You are right that alot of the guys lack the fundamentals. Eddie doesn't want to teach straight armbars and he tells incoming students that.

**Rene "Zendokan" Gysenbergs** · Posted On: 3/19/2010 8:33am

This post will probarely be adding nothing to the debat...

I've read the thread and the 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu website and while I'm no psychologist or mind reader, I understand (or I hope at least) what Eddie Bravo wants to do and where it goes wrong.

10th Planet Jiu Jitsu is technically no-gi GJJ/MJJ/BJJ. Some names have been changed and there were some new techniques (ex. Twister and rubberguard), but they have been assimilated now also in BJJ.

While I don't condamn the online course upto purple belt, there should be minimum requierements before following the course.
Namely,
1) already holding the belt for minimum 1 year in a legal BJJ school (ex. being a blue belt in BJJ for minimum 1 year before you can follow the course for a blue belt in 10th PJJ)
2) Competing in no-gi grappling events (with maybe a tournement quote of minimum 3a year).

It would mean that 10th PJJ can only be followed by legal GJJ/MJJ/BJJ students at this time, but it would be a good quality control tool.
Since most GJJ/MJJ/BJJ schools also compete in no-gi, it would just mean that there no-gi style would be "10th PJJ" instead of the generic "submission grappling".

For brown belt and black belt, you would have to go to the HQ.

Later when there are enough of 10th PJJ brown belts and black belts (who would also be GJJ/MJJ/BJJ brown belts and black belts), new students can study 10th PJJ from the (skilled) instructors.

Just my 0.02€

**Brian R. VanCise** · Posted On: 3/19/2010 10:14am

Anyone that ranks people on line is just stealing their money! I do not really care who it is. If they do not train in person at an academy but instead train online and obtain rank that way then they are just taking peoples money! In order to have quality you need to train with a real teacher in person. Just my 02. on the subject!

**Monsterbrach** · Posted On: 3/19/2010 10:59am

Affiliates have membership at hq ... I can train there as much as I can get down with no money out....
As for having to have a GJJ/MJJ/BJJ blet before hand is like saying I have to train gi ... Eddie says that its like saying you have to play tennis before becoming a good raquet ball player....

**Rene "Zendokan" Gysenbergs** · Posted On: 3/19/2010 6:40pm

Originally Posted by Monsterbrach

....
As for having to have a GJJ/MJJ/BJJ blet before hand is like saying I have to train gi ... Eddie says that its like saying you have to play tennis before becoming a good raquet ball player....

Problem is that there aren't enough good raquet ball teachers out there at this moment to support Eddie's vision of world domination in raquet ball.
So for the first generation he will need tennis players that crosstrain in raquet ball to spread the raquet ball.
The second generation can train only raquet ball, but the first generation hasn't got that option. (if he wants good raquet ball players as a standard).