Should we get rid of belts in bjj?

[Gandulf]

you guys don't roll naked?

I do think there has to be a certain level at every belt... but it's already a big difference from gym to gym.
We have a brown belt in our gym from another state, he get's tapped by nearly everyone, if I wouldn't know him and I'd have to guess what belt he is I would say like a new blue belt or so.

 

[ChickenBrother]

I wonder if he was going 100% or what .

I don't think it changes the point either way. It sounds like he just got caught and is owning up to it which is cool to see. Not that whatever happens in practice matters in the big picture anyway...

 

[THEfightsAREfixed]

Coming from wrestling I always thought the belts were stupid and tappped browns and blacks at lower belt ranks but over time I came to appreciate the belt system because it reflects a certain time and competency put in and even though it seem stupid it serves a purpose, I think it’s a good thing to have for many reasons

 

[Einheri]

I don't think belts ought to be done away with. Maybe you're thinking about them in the wrong way? A belt to me, primarily symbolises technical ability and understanding. A black belt should be able to teach and explain any fundamental technique in Jiu-Jitsu, and can likely understand an unfamiliar technique due to their understanding of mechanics, leverage, and experience. If a belt was purely about competitive ability, a roided up super athelete with a couple of decent moves should get black belt and nobody over the age of 50 should be getting promoted to a higher grade. I'd say your perception of a black belt is wrong, not the system.

In Judo, anything past shodan is really about competitive ability. I've met yondans with a couple of good throws and great conditioning who couldn't teach you much more than their tokui-waza. I basically got my nidan and sandan for having a good Uchimata and Ouchi Gari. I don't think this is the ideal, especially not for the transmission of the art.

 

[RightToBareKnuckles]

going off what others have already said, at the very least a belt system helps organize classes so you can visually recognize beginners and put them together for a drill, or say ok we need to pair up beginners with the advanced people for something...though if everyone is familiar with each other it's not needed as much

 

[Matsukaze]

No gi already has no belts basically

Coming from wrestling I always thought the belts were stupid and tappped browns and blacks at lower belt ranks but over time I came to appreciate the belt system because it reflects a certain time and competency put in and even though it seem stupid it serves a purpose, I think it’s a good thing to have for many reasons

I can relate to this as the guy ( higher belt ) who has struggles with competent wrestlers.

 

[EGDM]

I like belts as a symbol of seniority and dedication, much less so as a measure of who would win in sparring/competition. We should use an objective measurement of skill for separating tournament divisions.

 

[SummerStriker]

BJJ is just a set of drills for MMA, kinda like TKD. Who cares if you get your black belt other than BJJ noobs that crave gym clout. If you flex a black belt at a no gi gym, it is cringe.

 

[method115]

No, However I train in BJJ to get in better shape and have fun. Not for a Belt.

Same I was getting tired of lifting weights and decided to get into BJJ. I still lift weights but not as much or for as long so it's much better now. I could care less if they get rid of the belts or not. I don't even go to promotions at my school.

 

[Dream Evil]

I haven't trained in years, but I remember my teacher saying something like "your belt color isn't about where you're at. It's about who you need to be competing against to get better."

There may be some context that isn't carrying over well here, but I thought that was a good perspective, at least in terms of actual competition.

 

[CinemaKingdom]

I don't think so but I think everyone should recognize there's a difference between someone of the same belt that competes and someone that does not.

Even more importantly, there is a difference between competing in MMA and sport BJJ. I only care about what works in MMA, and therefore, real fights.

 

[RemyR]

Even more importantly, there is a difference between competing in MMA and sport BJJ. I only care about what works in MMA, and therefore, real fights.

 

[GoatArtemLobov]

We should get rid of gis and belts all at once :
- makes BJJ unrealistic (tell me what you want, it does...) ;
- doesn't say that much about someone's level when belts are given by time and attendance ;
- strangles and chokes with a gi put you more at risk of larynx injuries as well as strokes (super rare but still happens, I remember it happening to one Sherbro, fortunately he made a good recovery) because of the fact the pressure you can apply with a gi (which acts like a rope) is way more than what the human body is supposed to handle ;
- ego things : low level black belt go full spazz when you are a blue belt their size they can't tap or even dominate. Btw, all the "white belt spazz" thing is complete BS : either you are someone who is chill and relaxed, who doesn't give a f about winning in the gym, who cares about his partner's safety as much as he cares about his own one, who wants to win via superior technique and tactics rather than strength and sheer aggressiveness, or you are a douche who is the exact opposite on all the abovementionned points. This has everything to do with personality and almost nothing to do with belt level.
I could give you countless examples of black belts who behave like shit and injure you everytime you roll with them (especially when they fell threatened of getting tapped by the blue belt) as well as countless examples of white belts who have a blameless way of rolling.

Bonus : gis take too much space in the laundry

 

[GoatArtemLobov]

Even more importantly, there is a difference between competing in MMA and sport BJJ. I only care about what works in MMA, and therefore, real fights.

Imagine thinking you can fight when you almost only know upper body attacks, never do stand up grappling, and all your game is based around lasso, worm guard, and all the stupid shit people do when they tie you up with your freaking belt (I don't know how these moves are called and couldn't care less tbh) lol

 

[GoatArtemLobov]

I don't think belts ought to be done away with. Maybe you're thinking about them in the wrong way? A belt to me, primarily symbolises technical ability and understanding. A black belt should be able to teach and explain any fundamental technique in Jiu-Jitsu, and can likely understand an unfamiliar technique due to their understanding of mechanics, leverage, and experience. If a belt was purely about competitive ability, a roided up super athelete with a couple of decent moves should get black belt and nobody over the age of 50 should be getting promoted to a higher grade. I'd say your perception of a black belt is wrong, not the system.

In Judo, anything past shodan is really about competitive ability. I've met yondans with a couple of good throws and great conditioning who couldn't teach you much more than their tokui-waza. I basically got my nidan and sandan for having a good Uchimata and Ouchi Gari. I don't think this is the ideal, especially not for the transmission of the art.

There are countless black belts who don't have half the amount of understanding some purple belts with 5 years of training have.
There are just so many who just come, drill the techniques without really trying to think about what they are doing, and just wait for the real shit, the sparring, to start.

 

[Matsukaze]

There are countless black belts who don't have half the amount of understanding some purple belts with 5 years of training has.
There are just so many who just come, drill the techniques without really trying to think about what they are doing, and just wait for the sparring to start.

I feel attacked lol

 

[winterbike]

We should get rid of gis and belts all at once :
- makes BJJ unrealistic (tell me what you want, it does...) ;
- doesn't say that much about someone's level when belts are given by time and attendance ;
- strangles and chokes with a gi put you more at risk of larynx injuries as well as strokes (super rare but still happens, I remember it happening to one Sherbro, fortunately he made a good recovery) because of the fact the pressure you can apply with a gi (which acts like a rope) is way more than what the human body is supposed to handle ;
- ego things : low level black belt go full spazz when you are a blue belt their size they can't tap or even dominate. Btw, all the "white belt spazz" thing is complete BS : either you are someone who is chill and relaxed, who doesn't give a f about winning in the gym, who cares about his partner's safety as much as he cares about his own one, who wants to win via superior technique and tactics rather than strength and sheer aggressiveness, or you are a douche who is the exact opposite on all the abovementionned points. This has everything to do with personality and almost nothing to do with belt level.
I could give you countless examples of black belts who behave like shit and injure you everytime you roll with them (especially when they fell threatened of getting tapped by the blue belt) as well as countless examples of white belts who have a blameless way of rolling.

Bonus : gis take too much space in the laundry

''We''? Just do no gi and leave the rest of us superior gi enthusiasts alone.

 

[CinemaKingdom]

Weird, but okay.

 

[CinemaKingdom]

Imagine thinking you can fight when you almost only know upper body attacks, never do stand up grappling, and all your game is based around lasso, worm guard, and all the stupid shit people do when they tie you up with your freaking belt (I don't know how these moves are called and couldn't care less tbh) lol

Yeah, it's really gotten off track from it's original purpose. People can do sport BJJ all they want, but there is a reason not many sport guys come over to MMA and find any success these days. And if they do they have to change their game a lot (unless they already focused on good basics).

 

[Lead]

Belts are good if they do reflect skill level pretty well. Also helps if people don’t act like assholes based on the belt they or someone else has.