Combatives Dvd | Gracie

The DVD series covers a wide range of techniques and scenarios, including:

Buying the DVD is the first step. Here is how to get the most out of your purchase:

What separates the Gracie Combatives DVD from other instructionals is the teaching method: Reflex Development.

Most BJJ instructionals show you a move, then a drill, and then live sparring. Gracie Combatives uses a "Problem, Solution, and Drill" format.

The DVD includes "Drill Instructions" for each technique. By following along with a partner (or even using a grappling dummy), you train your nervous system to react automatically. When the stress of a real fight hits your system, you don't rise to the level of your expectations; you fall to the level of your training. Reflex development ensures your training holds up under adrenaline.

Forget the fancy flying armbars you see on Instagram. The Combatives curriculum is the "30 Lessons to Survival." It is the distillation of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu down to the 36 highest-percentage techniques specifically for a street fight.

The thesis here is simple: You don’t need to be a black belt to defend yourself. You need to master the blue belt fundamentals.

The DVD set (or digital download) covers everything from the trap and roll mount escape to surviving the standing clinch against a headlock.

Best for: Pure self-defense, beginners without a local Gracie CTC, or sport BJJ players wanting a self-defense refresher.
Not ideal for: Competition BJJ (no berimbolos, lapel guards, or sport meta).

If you train these 36 moves to reflex level (with a partner), you’ll handle 90% of real street fights.

Gracie Combatives is the foundational beginner curriculum for the Gracie Academy, originally developed for the Budovideos focuses exclusively on the 36 techniques

identified as the most frequent and successful in real-world street fights Gracie University gracie combatives dvd

. While the original 13-DVD physical box set was officially discontinued in August 2022 , the curriculum lives on through Gracie University Online and the updated Gracie Combatives 2.0 Gracie University Core Program Overview The 36 Essential Techniques

: Distilled from over 600 jiu-jitsu techniques, these are designed for maximum self-defense effectiveness against a larger, more athletic opponent Street-Ready Focus

: Unlike "Sport BJJ," this program prioritizes street survival over point-based tournament competition Gracie University

. It emphasizes punch protection, clinching, and escaping "worst-case" positions like the mount Gracie University Dynamic Reflex Development

: A teaching methodology that breaks techniques into "Technical Slices," then combines them into "Reflex Development Drills," and finally "Fight Simulation Drills" Safety First : The program is taught in a cooperative environment with no competitive sparring

, allowing beginners to learn without fear of injury before advancing to the "Master Cycle" Gracie University The Original 13-DVD Box Set Content If you are purchasing a used set from a marketplace like , a complete package typically includes:

: 12 discs containing the 36 lessons (approx. 90 minutes each) and a 13th disc dedicated to the Blue Belt Qualification Test 65-Page Handbook

: Includes a 108-day training schedule, a blue belt checklist, and note space for each lesson Gracie University Gracie Combatives Fight Chart

: A 24"x36" poster illustrating how the 36 techniques connect across the four phases of a real fight (Mount, Guard, Side Mount, and Standing) Gracie University Gracie Combatives 2.0 (The Modern Update) The updated 2.0 version, available via Gracie University , features several enhancements: High-Definition : Re-recorded in with 3D graphic overlays for clearer detail Bonus "Slices"

: Every lesson now includes a bonus technique for effectiveness against opponents who may have some grappling knowledge Gracie University Expanded Curriculum : Includes solo drills

for those training without a partner and "Street Tips" covering legal considerations, multiple attackers, and environmental hazards Certification & Testing The DVD series covers a wide range of

Here’s a short, useful story that illustrates the value of the Gracie Combatives DVD set—not just as a product, but as a tool for real-world confidence.

Title: The Late-Night Elevator

Mark was a 34-year-old software engineer. He wasn’t weak, but he wasn’t a fighter. After a close call in a parking garage—a guy screaming nonsense and shoving him for “looking at him wrong”—Mark realized his cardio and “hoping for the best” weren’t a self-defense plan.

He didn’t have time or money for a traditional gym. Between work, a toddler, and a second kid on the way, a 6 PM BJJ class was a fantasy. Plus, he was intimidated. The idea of getting crushed by a 22-year-old wrestler named “The Kraken” didn’t appeal to him.

Then he found a used Gracie Combatives DVD set online.

The box looked old-school. It promised “36 lessons” and a “street-effective” system—no sport moves, no fancy inversions. Just survival: punch blocks, takedown defense, escapes from mount and headlock, and control positions.

Mark was skeptical. “A DVD can’t teach you to fight.”

But the first video changed his mind. Rener Gracie didn’t just show a move—he showed why it works, where it fails, and how to drill it with a partner. He used common English, not Portuguese jargon. He even addressed the “untrained aggressor’s” most common moves: the wild hook punch, the bear hug, the shirt grab.

Mark bribed his brother-in-law, Dave (a similarly out-of-shape dad), with pizza. Every Tuesday and Thursday, they rolled out a yoga mat in Mark’s garage, watched one lesson (20 minutes), then drilled the technique for 20 minutes. No sparring yet. Just repetition: “Upa escape from mount.” “Trap and roll.” “Punch block series 1–4.”

After four months, they’d completed all 36 lessons. They tested themselves with the “Reflex Development” drills—Rener would call out a random attack, and they’d react without thinking. It was clumsy at first, then smooth. Mark felt something he hadn’t in years: prepared.

Six months later, the test came.

Mark was walking to his car after a late night at work. The parking lot was empty. From behind a van, a man stepped out—jittery, eyes unfocused, holding a broken bottle by the neck. “Give me your wallet. Now.”

Mark’s heart slammed. His old self would have frozen or thrown a wild haymaker.

But his body remembered. The man lunged with the bottle—a clumsy overhead swing. Mark’s hands shot up in a high guard (lesson 4), deflecting the arm. He clinched, dropped his base, and used a simple outside leg trip (lesson 18). The man hit the concrete hard, the bottle skittering away.

Mark didn’t strike. He pinned the man’s shoulders with his knees (lesson 12: “Mount control”) and yelled, “Stay down! I’m calling the police!” The man went limp, defeated.

Police arrived five minutes later. No one was seriously hurt.

That night, Mark looked at the dusty Gracie Combatives DVD case on his shelf. He smiled. He’d never compete in a tournament. He’d never wear a fancy gi. But he’d passed the only test that mattered—the unscripted, chaotic, real one.

The moral: The Gracie Combatives DVD isn’t about becoming a UFC champion. It’s about building a reliable, repeatable survival system for ordinary people with no time, no athletic background, and no desire to get punched in the face during practice. It works if you work it—one lesson, one garage session, one pizza at a time.

Title: Is the Gracie Combatives DVD Still Worth It in 2024? A No-BS Review

If you’ve spent any time in the "YouTube rabbit hole" of self-defense, you’ve seen the clip: a smaller, older man in a white gi effortlessly controlling a larger, aggressive opponent. That man is usually Grand Master Rorion Gracie or Ryron Gracie, and the system they are teaching is Gracie Combatives.

But with the rise of MMA and YouTube tutorials, is spending money on a DVD set (yes, DVDs still exist) actually worth it for the average person?

Here is the honest breakdown of the Gracie Combatives program for the busy adult who just wants to be safe. The DVD includes "Drill Instructions" for each technique

Many newer apps offer "BJJ fundamentals." However, these are often filmed by purple or brown belts with varying teaching abilities. The Gracie Combatives DVD features the direct lineage of Helio Gracie. The system has been battle-tested for nearly 100 years. Furthermore, the Combatives curriculum is a closed system. It doesn't randomly add "Cool new techniques" that confuse the beginner. It focuses on the 36 essentials and repeats them relentlessly until they become instinct.