What is the difference between a Gracie Concepts® black belt without an ICP certificate and a black belt with ICP training and certification?
A black belt without ICP certification is someone who has been active as a “BJJ athlete” for several years and is therefore authorized by Gracie Concepts®—provided they have their own training group and have officially registered it—to promote students up to the blue belt (Faixa AZUL). Certificates are issued exclusively by GC-HQ.
A black belt instructor with ICP certification who continues to participate in GC-specific continuing education courses even after completing their training may award belts up to the brown belt (Faixa MARROM), as they are guaranteed to have mastered and be able to teach the entire Gracie Concepts® 54-class program. Certificates are also issued exclusively by GC-HQ.
Trainers and coaches: So it’s worth starting the ICP training as soon as possible!
- A purple belt holder with ICP certification can already award the blue belt (Faixa Azul, Level 4) on their own.
Gracie Concepts® instructors are divided into two categories:
- Associate = Instructors with a black belt or a higher rank.
- Affiliated = Coaches with a blue belt, as well as trainers with a purple or brown belt.
To teach children and/or women/girls, we recommend at least a purple belt (Faixa ROXA).
Partner schools are defined as follows:
- Dojo/gym with at least 20 members or more,
- Team/small dojo with at least 11 (up to 19) members,
- Garage/practice groups with up to 10 members.
The central theme of the Gracie Concepts® curriculum:
To ensure consistent grading, we ask all Gracie Concepts® instructors to use the training cards provided by Gracie Concepts® and to teach according to the 54-class program.
Starting at the brown belt (Faixa MARROM) level, instructors can also incorporate the “alternatives” into the lesson plan, add their own “Ideas of the Week,” and experiment with them.
This ensures that all Gracie Concepts® members have a solid foundation in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu and can be promoted by us (the Vacirca Brothers), just as our Grandmaster Pedro Hemetério had envisioned.
The instructional materials (training cards, instructor manual, etc.) can be found in the Google Drive folder (Instructor Workbook) for official Gracie Concepts® instructors and trainers.
The 54-class program (in PDF format), on the other hand, can be found on the new Gracie Concepts® Online University, under the "Lessons" section.
If you have any further questions, please contact us at info@graciejiujitsu.eu.
– The HQ Team in Zurich
