Stripes on BJJ belts?

blindgod said:
what?
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Do you really think the belting system makes a difference? Belts are a symbolic representation of one's skill level. All you'd be changing is the measuring stick.

It's a bit like wondering what the 100m dash would be like if the metric system didn't exist.
 
People care a lot about belt color. I've studied five martial arts that use belts (some for years, some for months). In each and every one, the vast majority of people at those schools put a large emphasis on what belt they were, what belt they're instructor was, and who gave them those belts.

I've seen people argue about whether or not adult belts in BJJ should include green.
I've seen people argue about the "correct" belt system in Taekwondo.
I've seen people ascribe great mystical significance to the progression of belt colors in Judo.
I've seen people argue about whether the progression in BJJ should be brown belt -> first degree black belt or brown belt -> black belt -> first degree black belt.
I've seen people say that a system that doesn't use belts isn't a real martial art.
 
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blindgod said:
I've always wondered how BJJ would be different (if at all) had the Gracies stayed with the 3 belt system instead of switching to the 7 belt system.
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The art would have never progressed out of the original format.

that is: rich business men taking privates classes from a qualified instructor wearing a dark blue belt.

Once they complete the 40 privates classes, they get the light blue belt.

End of the story.

The rest of the Gracies (and close family friends) would be all wearing a darker blue belt to teach and still would be studying, researching, cross training, fighting challenge matches etc..
 
lechien said:
Then Carlson Gracie Snr who was teaching for the Gracie Academy decided to move out and open his own JJ Academy.

From what I read, he was the first Gracie to teach group classes, never held back on his knowledge of techniques, charged half prices for his competitors.

He created a healthy competition between his team and the Gracies. It was common for him to challenge relatives into a JJ match against his own up and coming students.
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Oh yeah, of course.

I was just saying that if someone didn't go out and popularize a grappling art, that grappling would have really faded by now.

When I started doing KF in 96', most people didn't care about grappling. Didn't help that most MA movies pre 2005 were devoid of all grappling too.
 
blindgod said:
I've always wondered how BJJ would be different (if at all) had the Gracies stayed with the 3 belt system instead of switching to the 7 belt system.
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Yeah be weird. Be basically what our WBs, blues, and BBs. Make for some killer divisions in any tourine.
 
lechien said:
The art would have never progressed out of the original format.

that is: rich business men taking privates classes from a qualified instructor wearing a dark blue belt.

Once they complete the 40 privates classes, they get the light blue belt.

End of the story.

The rest of the Gracies (and close family friends) would be all wearing a darker blue belt to teach and still would be studying, researching, cross training, fighting challenge matches etc..
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Yeah, the amount of cross pollination would be almost zero. Unless Grcie students started rolling together outside of the gym. But, without BJJ being popular, it's be hard to get grappling mats...so yeah, it'd be tiny.
 
I got my second stripe taken Away for being injured.. Kind of a blow to the ego.. Made training suck
 
IboxSouthpaw said:
I got my second stripe taken Away for being injured.. Kind of a blow to the ego.. Made training suck
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Only time I've even heard of stripes getting taken away is in the kids class when kids are running around like maniacs not listening and the kids coach threatens that he's going to start taking away stripes.
 
These are the minimum timelines for each rank at GB schools:

gb_belt_system_zps5c1f21d7.gif
 
^^ That seems awfully short to me. I think stripes are a great motivator for some people, though some people may not really care and just look at solid belt rank changes.
 
2x a week attendance and a BlackBerry in 5.5 yrs. I was a purple back then. Insane how GB would even post that as its not true. No way they would water down those standards.
 
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