- Joined
- May 24, 2004
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- 32,725
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Well that's the point. "Blue belt knowledge" = meaningless. First because blue belt is almost nothing when it comes to skill, second because abstract 'knowledge' is nothing when it comes to combat sports. It's not a matter of learning lots of moves out of a book. It's a matter of have you fought for that ankle pick 1,000 times against a determined opponent.
Any normal blue belt will admit they know very little about BJJ, just the barest rudiments. I was no exception as a blue belt. And so I do agree with you that this level of knowledge -- almost nothing -- can likely be acquired through online training. But why would somebody bother paying for that? Only if they can be sold on a fantasy that BJJ is so overwhelmingly magical that even a sad online mimicry of 'knowledge' is still very valuable ... because a weak reflection of the form is still so magical and so real. Well, if you get awarded a belt that is. If you didn't get your special award, the GJJ product wouldn't really sell, because without getting a belt it would feel, you know, like a dumb scam.
And that's the irony, people say "well belts aren't a big deal," but at the same time this whole sham is about selling belts AS A BIG DEAL, because otherwise the product would sit and rot on the shelves. It's about pretending that getting your certification matters, and represents something truly valuable that you have achieved. If Rener was like 'yep, drilling moves is good, so do it, the end,' that'd be one thing. But where would the money be in that? How do you get somebody to give you a lot of money for that? So he's deliberately taking one of the saddest parts of BJJ, its TMA belt-chasing angle, and trying to bilk money out of that angle.
Any normal blue belt will admit they know very little about BJJ, just the barest rudiments. I was no exception as a blue belt. And so I do agree with you that this level of knowledge -- almost nothing -- can likely be acquired through online training. But why would somebody bother paying for that? Only if they can be sold on a fantasy that BJJ is so overwhelmingly magical that even a sad online mimicry of 'knowledge' is still very valuable ... because a weak reflection of the form is still so magical and so real. Well, if you get awarded a belt that is. If you didn't get your special award, the GJJ product wouldn't really sell, because without getting a belt it would feel, you know, like a dumb scam.
And that's the irony, people say "well belts aren't a big deal," but at the same time this whole sham is about selling belts AS A BIG DEAL, because otherwise the product would sit and rot on the shelves. It's about pretending that getting your certification matters, and represents something truly valuable that you have achieved. If Rener was like 'yep, drilling moves is good, so do it, the end,' that'd be one thing. But where would the money be in that? How do you get somebody to give you a lot of money for that? So he's deliberately taking one of the saddest parts of BJJ, its TMA belt-chasing angle, and trying to bilk money out of that angle.