I'd feel I was leaving my arm vulnerable if I followed Rorion's method, so would be interesting to experiment with that variation. The way I've been taught is to protect your neck, keeping your hands in and elbows tight. I was a little uncertain about the rear naked choke defence, where you put your arm over your head. Rorion explains how you need to drill them thoroughly before you can then put together the big picture, instead of just doing each technique in isolation. He also elaborates on a jigsaw metaphor, treating each technique as part of that broader puzzle. ![]() Rorion actively brings Royce into what becomes a conversation, rather than just instruction, with a somewhat contrived "what do you do now, Royce?" Rorion still does the majority of teaching, but that gradually changes as the series progresses. For example, turning to the side and bringing your elbow to the mat, followed by bridging, to prevent the Americana. Defences against the submissions from previous tapes are carefully explained. Rorion, who by this point had shaved off his trademark moustache, is again clear and detailed in his description. The first tape is probably the best of the three. Interestingly, the advert refers to both Royce and Rorion as 'champions', which is a little disingenuous: Rorion was never a top competitor, though in his defence, during his prime there weren't many opportunities to compete. Where Rorion is charismatic, providing clear and detailed explanation, Royce speaks in a dull monotone, lacking his brother's descriptive skills.Īs ever, the tapes were split into three, 'Defenses Against Attacks From the Mount: Front and Back', 'Foot Locks: Offences and Defences', 'Finishing Moves From Standing Up and Combat Strategies'. Unfortunately, at least at the time, Royce was a great deal less adept both at teaching and the English language than his brother. As a result, he now took on some of the instructional duties on Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Advanced. Nevertheless, a lingering consequence of the earlier UFC success was that the man who did the actual fighting for GJJ, Royce, had become a much bigger name than Rorion. Why? Because people have become familiar with the moves." Gracie Jiu Jitsu was no longer the mysterious, seemingly invincible style it had been in the past, further compounded by the rise of wrestling in the UFC. Then there are the thoughts of a poster on rec.martial-arts, GEEP30, who comments that "The Brazilians and the Gracies are not having it easy anymore, like they used to. The best they could come up with was a faint watered down imitation of other tape sets out there." Planet NHB is more concise, stating simply that "this series should be called 'Don't buy this.'"Īgain, it should be noted that there have been arguments on the internet that 'Bill Lewis' was merely a pseudonym for Paul Viele, who just so happened to own a tape company himself, World Martial Arts (e.g., several threads on NHBGear, which should pop up here.) If true, that would put a quite different light on his reviews. As Lewis concludes, "it is clear that Rorion and Royce, who were once BJJ trailblazers, have become followers straggling behind the times. Both Bill Lewis and Planet NHB emphasise that Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Advanced was too little, too late. Unlike the stripped down basics of Rorion, these instructors were willing to show more complex and 'advanced' techniques, which quite possibly prompted Rorion to produce an 'advanced' series of his own (though this is something of a misnomer, as there is nothing especially advanced about the material covered in Gracie Jiu Jitsu Advanced).Īs this series is later than Basics and Intermediate, there were more contemporary responses available on the internet (though still very little). Pedro Carvalho and Mario Sperry both had popular releases, as did members of the Gracie family who were no longer directly affiliated to the Gracie Academy, such as Renzo and Carlson Gracie Jr. Not only was there competition for students, but there were also other instructional BJJ tapes on the market. Even within the Gracie Academy itself, there were splits, such as the tension Roy Harris relates, resulting as ever from Rorion's desire to keep the Gracie Academy as the primary source for Gracie Jiu Jitsu. In addition to family members, various other high-level black belts, like Mario Yamasaki, had begun to establish themselves in the US. ![]() Renzo and Rickson had developed their own schools, while their cousins the Machados were also doing good business. By 1998, the Gracie Academy was merely one of several options for legitimate instruction. The UFC brought notoriety to the Gracie Academy, but demand for teaching meant that others saw an opportunity to provide their own instruction.
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