politely disagree. Rener doesn't have World Champion students because they're not part of his business model. He doesn't rely on his wall of medals and his "Death Squad" tearing up the competitive circuit to bring students in and sell DVDs...he just doesn't need (or want) those students.
But I've traveled and been to enough seminars to state confidently that no one is better than Rener, especially when you're talking about classes/seminars with hundreds of people.
I think what sets Rener and Ryron apart is that they've actually bothered to invest time in the idea of pedagogy and public speaking whereas most BJJ instructors are just people who enjoyed the sport and got a teaching gig or had capital to open an academy. As the inheritors of the trademarked Gracie academy, Rener and Ryron were offering what was perceived to outsiders as a "premium" product so they had to put a bit more shine on it. This followed the same model Rorion used in building the Torrance Academy in the first place and spinning it off into several associated ventures.
So they're good at their niche, but these days BJJ is largely a competitive sport as much as it's a self defense system and kids recreational activity, if not more so. To be the best instructor, you have to have success in all dimensions. Seminars are not the norm of instruction. For the main Gracie academy, seminars have been their default business model, so they've had to call back to their great grandfather's carny roots to promote their type of instruction. It's not a bad thing, but it can't be said to be the best, particularly when there are plenty of unheralded instructors out there whose names few people know who have quality self defense curricula, quality kids programs and strong competition success. Rener inherited an empire and smartly professionalized it because he had a wealthy clientele. My hope is his innovations in presenting techniques will be replicated, but it takes more than a good presentation style to be the best instructor.
