@Hotora86
I personally liked one system they had in bjj... If you win easily against the other guys with the same belt at the tournaments, then is time for you to get the next one. I know that system has flaws too.
Personally I'm against grades, belts etc... But if i had too, i think I would have only three colors (probably white, red, black)...
-White is any type of beginner.
-Red is someone taking part in tournaments, can use the techniques in them, and is able to win against other reds. (no under 16/18 at least)
-And black would be someone experienced and good enough to teach...
But I haven't really put much thoughts in it, so it probably has huge flaws too.
@shincheckin
Early teens, I lived in a ghetto in France. There, MT was a huge deal... So I learned to respect it from early on, even if I started it a lot latter. I don't even remember anyone training in KB actually... It was all about Boxing, MT, and savate. Savate was strange, because it was not very respected as an art, but the guys training it where, since a lot of theme came from the ghetto too...
Then, in the other side, you had Judo (huge), TKD, and Karate. No wrestling, no bjj. I'm talking about 90's.
MMA was not really a thing, we would hear about some cage fighting, but it was for some crazy Russians, completely underground stuff, alongside with dog fighting. (at least that's what we thought).