Beyond blue belt, Gracie Jiu-Jitsu consists of hundreds of advanced techniques organized into a clearly defined, systematic curriculum called the Master Cycle®. The Master Cycle’s unique structure simplifies the journey to black belt by organizing all of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu into seven positional chapters (Mount, Side Mount, Guard, Half Guard, Back Mount, Leg Locks, Standing), each of which is studied for several months before moving on to the next chapter.

If you’ve achieved the rank of blue belt or higher, and you would like to continue on the path to black belt in a safe, structured, and friendly learning environment, the Master Cycle is for you!

Review / Warm-up

Every Master Cycle lesson begins with a 15-20 minute review/warm-up period during which you will review previous lessons or explore techniques you may have learned online through Gracie University®. During the review period, we encourage you to collaborate with your training partners and ask questions of the instructors.

Focus Sparring

At the end of class, you will have a chance to test your skills against a variety of training partners in a variety of controlled training exercises, such as: Rapid Mastery Drills, Focus Sparring Exercises, and Fight Simulation Drills. Safety is the primary concern during these sparring exercises, and any students who do not train in a safe and productive manner will not be allowed to participate. Sparring is 100% voluntary for Master Cycle students.

Technical Instruction

After the review, the instructor will present 2-3 new techniques from the current chapter of study. Then, you will practice the techniques with a cooperative partner until the movements become natural.