Would You Keep the Belts

Given the choice would you keep a grading system in BJJ or get rid of it and why ?

 

I wouldn't need it in class, but I think its cute to allow lower ranks to compete with each other.

 

what belt are you ?

 

Keeps my gi together, and has, so far kept standards high and comps easier to organise through the learning belts.

If it was based on nogi/time served only,, if your at a bad gym, you have to give up competing If your a slow learner.

 

i think maybe a more structured approach to belts and grading would be good to stop the competition sandbags but it is always pushing the level of each belt up (by have purples competing as blues) so its not such a bad thing.

 

its pretty obvious I meant gi BJJ.

 

Blue

 

your patronising lower rank competition at blue belt lol ?

 

Blue is one of the widest ranks though, I think you will agree. I've been around long enough to have my opinion on it.

If there was no ranking in place a lot of people at White-- baby Purple wouldn't get a chance to come close to the podium, so whilst their skill isn't very good in comparison to the people competing at Black it is nice to let them have their fun too.

 

BJJ cover GI, nogi, SD and mma, if a blackbelt don't know that material, they shouldn't really be a black belt.

 

but you only have a universal grading system in one of those ! its not hard to figure out.

 

a system of experience level to make competition fair is not reliant on a belt grading system plenty of sports do it.

 

I last competed at blue, it was no cakewalk, but a average (even noncompetator) at black is sooooo much better then an average competitor at blue.

And thats what belts are, just an average minimum indicator of depth and scope of skill.

World class blue belts can still wreckshop on out of shape brown belts, but on average there not too bad an indicator.

Matty however sees the unusual everyday as his gym is essentially bjj mecca for many.

 

A nogi bjj class run by a black belt will generally be better then a nogi class run by a whitebelt.

 

Yeah sure, but you didn't offer that as an alternative. I am down with that.

Though it would make me an Expert... something like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Grappling_Association

 

I'm not saying there aren't pro's, just over all the concept is kind of immature and can't help but wonder what BJJ would be like if it ditched it, I kind of think it would be better without really knowing how to articulate why.

 

How does sambo organize it, I know USA sambo trialed belts and then rejected them.

 

To be fair to mattt I may not always agree with his philosophy, but when it comes to BJJ, he's at a ridiculously good gym and has a hell of a lot more experience than most people at his level would otherwise have. His opinion is incredibly valid.

I'm all for ditching belts altogether regardless of style, but I do get why they are there.

 

Yep, we agree on the fact that Blues can wreck Browns (heck I would put Blacks in there too) which is why I highlighted competing blackbelts with the implication that these are more in the Elite sphere.