How do u tell "legit" BJJ from the fake?

[Fat Donkey]

I'm looking to join a BJJ school and I finally found one with Gracie afiiliations, but during my search I saw a lot of people claiming to be BJJ practitioners! How can this be? BJJ is relatively new on the scene so how come everybody and his dog is a BJJ master? How do u tell the genuine article from the crap?

[Gumbi]

Usually a certificate from the Brazilian Federation is the best way to verify whether or not someone is legit. Another way is to check BJJ.org and trace the teachers lineage (though its a bit out of date).

 

You could also visit different websites (preferably BJJ ones) and simply ask around for someone's credentials.

[Kirves]

Yes, ask the instructor who certified him and then check it from there.

[Reklats]

Pretty much NO ONE should claim to be a "master." If you take real BJJ for a few months you'll be able to tell the difference between real bjj and fake. It would be like trying to fake a physics doctorate and teach class .

 

What schools are you looking at? Maybe we can help.

[mikS]

If they have a gracie affiliation, then they're probably good to go.

 

Same with machado affiliations.

[Guy_Mendiola]

True, Hey has anyone heard that Genki Sudo beat Royler?

[Cyph]

Yes, Royler got knocked out... he pulled half-guard/guard too much

[Thuggish]

im not sure, but i think someone claiming a gracie affiliation/approval without having one would get their * sued off pretty quick.

[three60roundhouse]

What is the instructor's name?

 

Also, a good way to tell is by the seminars that take place at the school. Any reputable school is likely to have visiting black belts come once every six months or year or so to teach a seminar and to handle promotions! For example, Royler Gracie came to our school a few weeks ago...my teacher is a purple under Royler.