Belt Systems need to go away

Perhaps sir, you could defeat me in a dual. However, with my training in other arts of the martial variety I'd advise you against it. You sir are a competent BJJ practitioner, but in the words of the great Mike Perry "I am a black belt with these hands."

Look, I don't think I'm that dangerous. I do have years of training in kickboxing/boxing with one full contact bout which leads me to believe that is this 45 year old man who only has grappling tried to "do anything to me"... he might get KTFO ....

Unless you wrestled, i would have to agree with him. Both from personal experience and the evidence of the early ufcs.

Didn't I just watch one of the allegedly best strikers in the world get mauled and RNC'd by a grappler?

I saw that, didn't I?
 
Yes, let's set aside and entire system because you met a few assholes.

Good idea.
 
just put on gloves and settle it if it bothers u that much

otherwise just ignore or laugh it off,

let him be the insecure one, don't join him
 
It sucks a bit that competition divisions are mixed up with some lame martial arts belt system.

Ok then?

Is the belt system perfect? No. How do we reolve matching people in competitions with those closest in skill to them? Nogi tries with years of experience, but that is difficult to ascertain.

Despite all the issues with belts, it still seems a necessary evil to me.
 
It takes a Dojo/club to make a BB is what a chief instructor told me once. There's BB's who lord over others and BB's who're psyched to shepard the new breed up to the level that you can help train with. I always look out for the prospects that can challenge me and I can kick the shit out of safely.

Sad thing is BJJ can't take it to the ground against mediocre TD defense, so don't sweat it, if you wanted to clean his clock you could in a heart beat.

Of course don't tell him you've trained anything else, because why give away a tactical advantage, just nod in agreement he's tougher than you and one good surprise opening from eating through a straw for three months.

Lmfao... what a dork.
 
I'm not sure the belts make people into assholes... people are just the worst in general. lol. It all comes out on the mats though. You can feel how good someone is when you roll with them.

Street fights are a different thing of course. No soft ground is the biggest thing. It can limit the BJJ guy's effectiveness. If you are talking MMA, you vs the old douchebag black belt, like others said, have a real spar with him. UFC 1 would agree with this asshole though. Royce beat strikers and the strikers were allowed to strike.

I'd be fine with the old school gracie system. Navy blue belt for instructors and white for everyone else. Or even the old Judo model. You get a black after a year of training and it just signifies you are a practitioner. The old white belt until it is so beat and filthy that it becomes a black belt is a myth.
 
I'm not sure the belts make people into assholes... people are just the worst in general. lol. It all comes out on the mats though. You can feel how good someone is when you roll with them.

Street fights are a different thing of course. No soft ground is the biggest thing. It can limit the BJJ guy's effectiveness. If you are talking MMA, you vs the old douchebag black belt, like others said, have a real spar with him. UFC 1 would agree with this asshole though. Royce beat strikers and the strikers were allowed to strike.

I'd be fine with the old school gracie system. Navy blue belt for instructors and white for everyone else. Or even the old Judo model. You get a black after a year of training and it just signifies you are a practitioner. The old white belt until it is so beat and filthy that it becomes a black belt is a myth.

It makes sense, but there’s no money in that model, and if there’s no money for the organizers of tournaments there’s no money for competitors
 
Ok then?

Is the belt system perfect? No. How do we reolve matching people in competitions with those closest in skill to them? Nogi tries with years of experience, but that is difficult to ascertain.

Despite all the issues with belts, it still seems a necessary evil to me.

Being allowed and forced to compete up a belt once you get enough wins would be an improvement.
 
I definitely think there are downsides but I just don't ever see them going away. They're such an institution at this point. 10th Planet is no gi only and even they have belts. Melanson only teaches no gi (not 10th Planet) and I think he even gives out white/blue/purple/brown/black tabs that people can wear on their shorts.

It sound so cliche to say this but from a business standpoint most people need some sort of validation and reward to stick with something that takes a decade or so to become very good at. I think it would be hard to run a school without some sort of hierarchy for the students. People hate when you throw that term business standpoint out there. I used to also. But people that are willing to risk opening businesses are basically the main people helping spread jiu-jitsu.

Also for competition as much as people complain about sandbagging belts can help. No gi divisions that go by novice, beginner, intermediate, and advanced (in my opinion) have way more lopsided matches and large numbers of people in the same divisions with large skill gaps between them.

Human beings on some level have a need to fit each other into boxes. I'd be curious to see what it would look like. I think it could be cool. I'd love to visit a school after a 5-10 year experiment of having no belts.
 
It makes sense, but there’s no money in that model, and if there’s no money for the organizers of tournaments there’s no money for competitors
Absolutely agree. The coloured belt system rewards North Americans that aren't used to putting in hard work without "reward". I saw this as a lazy North American myself. lol.
 
It sound so cliche to say this but from a business standpoint most people need some sort of validation and reward to stick with something that takes a decade or so to become very good at. I think it would be hard to run a school without some sort of hierarchy for the students.

It's a very good think for a business standpoint. People who just suck hard and have no chance of winning stuff can get the validation of getting belts.
 
Belts make it easy to figure out what group needs to move when rolling too close together on the mats.
 
To be honest, I would take away purple and brown, just stock to white blue and black... this are the real levels, there is no noticeble difference between a good blue and good purple, an elite purple is probably at low black belt level anyways.
 
To be honest, I would take away purple and brown, just stock to white blue and black... this are the real levels, there is no noticeble difference between a good blue and good purple, an elite purple is probably at low black belt level anyways.

How long would you have a person stay at each grade.....white, and blue? Would there be a ranking after black?
 
Absolutely agree. The coloured belt system rewards North Americans that aren't used to putting in hard work without "reward". I saw this as a lazy North American myself. lol.

I heard in Japan that belts aren't as revered as they are here. Black belt is considered to be basic understanding versus being elite or a master?
 
It's a very good think for a business standpoint. People who just suck hard and have no chance of winning stuff can get the validation of getting belts.

At my school it's understood that "hobbyists" get promoted faster. Basically backpat belts. The competitors are promoted when they are basically at the stage of beating most other competitors at their belt. I do not love this as I can see the unathletic hobbyists on some level realize they do not deserve their rank.
 
How long would you have a person stay at each grade.....white, and blue? Would there be a ranking after black?

In my eyes, is not about time, it’s about mat time, if the guy is training 2 times a day 6 days a week, he could be very well.at black belt level after 4 years of training
 
I heard in Japan that belts aren't as revered as they are here. Black belt is considered to be basic understanding versus being elite or a master?
That's the case in Judo (or it was back in the day). You get a black belt once you understand the art.
 
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