(37 votes, average: 2.73 out of 5)
Loading...The Renzo Gracie Academy (located in Midtown Manhattan) is a central hub for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training. Renzo Gracie, the main instructor, is known worldwide as a legend in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts competition. On the mats of the academy, students of all levels learn the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the tutelage of Renzo, himself. This style has been proven among the most effective in fighting competitions (such as Ultimate Fighting Championships) as well as in the street, and Renzo is widely recognized as one of the best within the style. Renzo personally teaches many of the classes at the academy, including all of the Advanced classes. He is well known for providing personal feedback and instruction to all students.
Other classes are taught by his top students, many of whom are themselves top competitors in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed-Martial Arts competitions such as Mundials, UFC, Pride, and King of the Cage. Techniques are taught both with the gi (the traditional uniform used in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) and without the gi (wearing shorts/sweats and t-shirt or submission wrestling-style clothing). Beginner classes are for those with little or no experience, and focus on basic takedowns and sweeps, positions, and submissions (joint-locks and chokeholds). Advanced classes present more complex techniques and combinations. Drilling technique as well as live training with a partner is a part of all classes. Men and women are welcome — some of the women who train at Renzo’s are also top competitors!
One of the most amazing things about training at the Renzo Gracie Academy is that once you are there you are part of a huge family. The closeness of the students and the camaraderie cannot be rivaled. Team Renzo has consistently placed at the top of all competitions that they enter and are the current NAGA East Coast Champions as well as the Top Team at the Grappler’s Quest. It is here that you will learn to be a champion too.
Deep integrity/ethics problems, deal with school at your own risk.
I was a student for one year, training was fine, you pay a premium for the brand name, which I think is unnecessary for beginner levels
Here are the issues:
* You’re forced to sign a one year contract. This contract is NOT with the Gracie school, it’s with a non-BBB accredited company that acts as a collections agency and that outsources all their customer service out of the country
* This means that if anything happens during the one year, the Gracie school will conveniently tell you their hands are tied with the contract and to deal directly with this shady company on their behalf. God help you if you get injured or move.
* Your contract AUTOMATICALLY RENEWS FOREVER. Months before my one year was up, I decided I no longer wanted to train at the Academy. This is what I did:
(1) I went to the business office. I told them that my contract was finishing soon and that I wanted to make sure it didn’t auto renew. They made a note and then told me to contact their shady collections agency.
(2) After 5-6 calls I *finally* got a hold of a woman at the billing company, who I suspect is based in India (everyone I talked to on the phone had a thick accent). She told me that my account was set to not auto-renew. I asked if there was anything else I should do and she said no.
(3) I called the Gracie Academy and informed them of what happened. They told me that everything was set on their end and I would no longer be billed.
(4) I emailed the Gracie Academy just to have a receipt in my inbox of all that happened.
As you can guess, my account DID in fact auto-renew. The Gracie School did *nothing* to help me afterward, constantly telling me it was their collection agencies’ fault and not theirs, to talk to them if I had any problems and that they wouldn’t reimburse me. I tried to dispute the payments with AMEX to no success (I was fought every step of the way) and am out a lot of money and time.
* During this process the billing company told me that I should have expected to pay 15 months on a 12 month contract anyway because it takes a lot of time for them to process an auto-renewal stop request. My jaw dropped when I heard this.
* Since this incident I’ve vowed never to join a company that either: (1) Forces you into a contract with an unknown third party, and (2) Does not offer month to month payments.
* It doesn’t matter if a company provides a good service, if their business process are unethical, then they are by definition an unethical business.