The BJJ Hour & Jiu-jitsu Times Present: Verbal Grappling

On Sunday, October 11, Rener participated in a “jiu-jitsu debate” with members of The BJJ Hour and Jiu-Jitsu Times during a live YouTube broadcast. Although nearly two hours in length, the debate explains the most contentious and misunderstood aspects of the the Gracie Academy curriculum, the CTC model, and the Instructor Certification Program.

A must watch for anyone who wishes to start their journey in Gracie Jiu Jitsu or for just Jiu Jitsu enthusiasts interested in the different ways schools operate.

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THE BACK STORY

There were a series of events that lead up to this debate. For those who weren’t following along on social media, here are the events in chronological order:

• August 6 – BJJEE publishes an article on 17-year-old Houston Cottrell, an instructor at our CTC in Madison, MS. http://www.bjjee.com/featured/16-year-old-blue-belt-is-a-head-instructor-of-gracie-academy-in-mississippi/

• August 6 – Rener replies on Facebook the same day clarifying some of the misconceptions and showing support to Houston.  http://www.jiujitsutimes.com/rener-gracie-official-statement-about-the-16-year-old-jiu-jitsu-head-instructor/.

• August 8 – Rener writes an article explaining the differences between “affiliation” and “certification” and how it is entirely possible for a 17-year-old to teach Gracie Jiu-Jitsu at a Level 1 CTC. In the article, he explains the ICP process and the quality control measures we have in place at all CTCs. http://www.jiujitsutimes.com/affiliation-vs-certification-how-a-16-year-old-blue-belt-can-teach-jiu-jitsu/

• August 11 – Jiu-Jitsu Times publishes an article entitled: “Meet Houston,” which allowed Houston the opportunity to talk about himself and his CTC. http://www.jiujitsutimes.com/meet-houston-cottrell-the-teenage-gym-owner

• October 4 – Houston is invited to participate in a live debate which consists of 6 panelists plus a moderator. The objective of the debate is to give Houston the opportunity to address all the questions/objections from the panel regarding his qualifications to teach Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnJI3qo-Wnk

• October 11 – After seeing the video of Houston’s debate, Rener was disappointed that he wasn’t invited to the party. Consequently, the host eagerly invited Rener to be the guest on the following Sunday. Not only did Rener address all the points made against Houston, but he used the podcast to address all the most common misunderstandings pertaining to the Gracie Academy and the CTCs. Although he is met with substantial resistance, he meticulously “slices” every argument and addresses every concern with near perfect precision.