TRAINING HANDBOOK
This site is a resource to assist you on your journey to complete the Master Cycle® Program.
GRACIE JIU JITSU – RESPECT & CONSIDERATIONS
OFF THE MAT1) Arrive 10-15 minutes early to class.
2) Wear clean Gracie Jiu Jitsu branded uniform (Gi and No-Gi)
3) Whisper in the hallways. Sound travels easily & may interrupt the class.
4) Care for the facility like it’s your home, because it is.
5) Wash your hands before and after class.
6) Keep nails trimmed, hair tied back and remove all jewelry.
7) Always use footwear when using restroom facilities.
8) Children not participating in class must be supervised.
9) Never walk around shirtless outside the changing rooms.
10) Visit GracieUniversity.com to review yesterday’s lesson and prepare for tomorrow’s lesson.
ON THE MAT1) If you’re late, check-in with the instructor before entering the class.
2) Always respect, encourage and educate your training partners.
3) Watch with good posture, and communicate with respectful language.
4) Select training partners that make you feel safe and comfortable.
5) Never feel obligated to spare with anyone, listen to your body.
6) Tap early, Tap often and make youre partner’s safety a priority.
7) any inappropriate, unclean, or unsafe students to the instructor.
8) Report all injuries, abrasions, or skin infections to the instructor.
9) When nursing injuries, train less, watch more, but come to class.
10) Chase the knowledge, not the belt.
UNIFORM & GLOVES REQUIREMENTS
Purchase your Master Cycle Kit.
Whether you're a recent Gracie Combatives Belt graduate or a new joiner from another Academy. You'll need to purchase the below Uniform and Training Gear. Speak with our staff to purchase your gear or purchase it from Gracie University Store. Gracie University Branded Gis Only.If you need a review on how to adjust your Gi Pants or tie your Jiu Jitsu Belt please refer to the Gracie Combatives handbook.
Mouth Piece
Any brand Mouth Piece will prevent you from unintended impact and biting your tongue during sparring training.
GI
All attendees must wear Clean, Gracie Univeristy branded White Gis and their Belt. There must be aT-shirt or Rashguard under the Gi Jacket (no bare chest or underwear).
NO-GI*
No-Gi training attire can be any of the following:
- Top attire: Gracie University Brand Rashguard (Long or short sleeve)
- Bottom attire: Gracie University Brand White Gi Pants, Fight Shorts, or Spats* + Fight Shorts combination.*Spats can only be worn with Fight Shorts above
SPARRING GLOVES*Fight Simulation class is (Gi or No-Gi) Jiu Jitsu practice with strikes incorporated. Everyone is required to wear Gracie University or Ronin Athletics Brand, 5.5 oz FightSim Gloves.
*Other forms of MMA Gloves or practicing with No Gloves (ie. using open hands) is strictly prohibited.
TRAINING FORMAT
Stress Testing Your Skills
Your months of dedication to drilling your Gracie Combatives skills have reprogrammed your instinctual responses to a more intelligent, energy efficient one. Mastercycle is your opportunity to refine these newly developed skills. You now have the opportunity to safely stress test your skills through 3-modalities:Gi Training - will allow you to spar with a non-cooperative, resisting opponent at a slower pace. The Gi offers grips to both practitioners to remove athleticism from the equation fully focusing on slow, deliberate and technical practice.No-Gi Training - will allow you to spar with a non-cooperative, resisting opponent at a faster pace. The lack of grips in No-Gi will push your athleticism, and challenge your ability to attack and defend using minimal grips.Fight Simulation Training - is (Gi or No-Gi) Jiu Jitsu + Striking. This distinctive format is exclusive to Mastercycle. It incorporates a different dimension to your training as your opponent will have opportunities to strike you while rolling. Temperance and fortitude is developed here.
PROGRAM FRAMEWORK
The Master Cycle organizes all of the complex Jiu Jitsu concepts into 7 positional chapters, each having 4 sub-sections (see below table). We typically commit 2-3 months to each chapter. Each chapter trained in the 3-modalities above (Gi, No-Gi and Fight-Sim.)
TRAINING PLAN FOR SUCCESS
STEP 1 - LOG-ON TO GRACIE UNIVERSITY ONLINE
Be sure that your Gracie University Online curriculum has been unlocked for you (ie. for new Combatives Belts you should have Master Cycle Blue Belt Stripe 1 unlocked.)GRACIE UNIVERSITY ONLINE
You may Log-on by visiting GracieUniversity.com. Your USER ID is [your e-mail] and request a password reset to create a new password. Your Master Cycle content will appear under the Dashboard section.
STEP 2 - REVIEW YOUR LESSON FORECASTThe Master Cycle is organized into 7 Positional Chapters and posted every 2 months.
STEP 3 - TRACK YOUR PROGRESSCompared to the Combatives Card. Master Cycle Belt Qualification cards track attendance for General Master Cycle Classes, Combatives' Reflex Development Class and Fight Simulation Classes. The Qualification Card Does Not Guarantee Belt or Stripe Promotion, rather, its purpose is to offer comprehensive guidance to both students and coaches regarding the minimum attendance threshold for critical facets of training required for new rank consideration.
STEP 4 - EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR PROMOTIONUnlike the point-based testing requirements of Gracie Combatives, the instructors will observe your level of proficiency based on level of effectiveness and understanding in all positions considering your current level, following the 3-criterias as their guideline to evaluate your development.Important Note: Rank is not given based on how many people you can submit.3-Criterias For Evaluation:1st Criteria - Defense: Do you have a foundational understanding of how to defend against the most common submissions from each major position (mount, side mount, guard, half guard, back mount)?2nd Criteria - Comfort: Do you have effective control strategies and a basic plan of attack from each major position (mount, side mount, guard, half guard, back mount)?3rd Criteria - Strategy: Do you understand the difference between a street fight (Gracie Combatives) and rolling (jiu-jitsu vs jiu-jitsu) when it comes to the positions, techniques, and strategies that are effective in one versus the other?
MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR MASTER CYCLE JOURNEY
- Detach yourself from belt promotions.- Attend class because you love the art.- Forget submissions, focus on survival first.- Aim to acquire comfort in the seven core positions.- Study your curriculums on GracieUniversity.com.- Respect all students and make their safety your priority.- Learn at least one thing from every training partner.- Remember, everyone gets tapped, including your teachers.-When you tap, ask your partner to teach you how they did it.- Don't expect to retain every technique in the first cycle.- Practice everything but keep the 10% that works for you.- Always show up to class, there is no losing, only learning.
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Check out the Educational Resource tab on your Member Portal. The Blogs are especially curated to calibrate your frame of mind and provide helpful context to your training.
MEMBER PORTAL
In addition to this program, you may have questions on Membership Billing, Services and Supplemental Education. Follow the steps below to access your Member Portal:
Step 1 go to https://roninathletics.com/loginStep 2 Register. Use your e-mail as your User ID.*Be sure to use the e-mail you provided us when you joined.Step 3 Create and save your password