whats up with white/blue belts

[dazed863]

water down, like add extra belts because people dont have the patience?

that's the assumption some people have. i can't say that's my professor's.. i'll ask him or one of the others next time i train and let you know what they say.

but even if it is to keep someone hanging on a little longer for a few more bucks eventually someone who doesnt love the sport for grappling and is only hanging in for a new belt will quit anyway.

something i said in a previous post i'll bring up again... i've been to three belt tests so far and every time it's the same thing:

-40 or so white belts test for green--- all of them make it
-8 or so green belts test for blue--- not all of them make it

so yeah you can say green is an artificial belt midway between blue intended to keep students interested but i think it actually does the opposite. they get that new shiny belt but still somewhere in the second half of training to bleu come to the realization BJJ isn't for them and over 75% of the people who stuck it out to green end up quitting before blue anyway.

thinking of those numbers the number of people going for purple and brown usually is around 4 so it really says a lot about BJJ attrition rate. i don't think the lack of belts is the problem... although i really hope they get with the program and add a belts with stripes... all these solid colors wreck my figure while im grappling.

 

[Alphamale1906]

My gym has white/blue belts as well. It's usually after the student receives their 4th stripe on their white that they get promoted to a white/blue belt. I don't see anything wrong with it as your still a white belt and have to compete in the white belt division at tourney's. It's more of a motivational factor I would assume letting the student know he/she is close to a blue belt.

 

[lechien]

If it helps with retention of beginners, why not?

I do not think it water down anything.

In Brasil, you get your Blue belt in 6 months anyway and you do not see white belts adults anyway as they most likely started BJJ when they were under 18.

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

in your school so who do you train under? I'm pretty sure the ibjjf the cbjjf and the other national bjj federations would rather everyone comply to the same belt rank system, the same points system, etc. so maybe we can get a chance to be an olympic sport, a more accepted martial art. You know consistency not just all these pop up groups, with extra little steps.

It's stupid because it breeds inconsistency, mcdojos, and fake belts....

I still hope it never becomes an Olympic sport. I don't want the IOC getting their hands on BJJ and ruining it like they've done with judo, and are doing with wrestling.

 

[bjjaz]

Here is another problem w/ the half colored belts. Some schools use them and some dont, so.... Recently at the Southwest Intl Open this weekend, there were kids w/ white/yellow belts vs white belts, or gray or whatever (white/orange vs yellow) etc..

Parents were getting pissed if their kid lost to a white/yellow etc not understanding the difference (unless their kid won) and were upset w/ Gustavo over this. Basically at the next tournament it was decided if they have the color stripe ie white/yellow, they have to fight at yellow.

 

[Amiro]

as a white belt i like that there is a big range of skill.
for me right now i look at the blue belt as amazingly good, but id imagine a black belt wouldnt see a white as much worse than a blue.

and i dont care about getting promoted, even if i was white, then yellow, then green, then sparkly green with blue stripes, id still be a white belt.

id rather wear a white belt than a kids belt.

 

[Vector_X]

Just a way to keep retention. Now with tourney rules I can see where it would be a problem and that's on the organizer for not making it clear and allowing people to wear different color belts.

 

[Broski]

My gym does this. Except you get a new belt for every stripe. So your first stripe is a white belt with a yellow stripe running along the center, a two-stripe has two blue stripes running along it, etc.

 

[Amanda L]

I think Ricardo Almeida does such system for aduts in his academy.

My school is a Ricardo Almeida affiliate and we use the regular white to blue system. Not sure if Ricardo's personal school is the same though.

 

[SuperSuperRambo]

My gym does this. Except you get a new belt for every stripe. So your first stripe is a white belt with a yellow stripe running along the center, a two-stripe has two blue stripes running along it, etc.

So you have 9 belts?

 

[Freaknik**]

So when you go into tournaments your looked at as a white belt?

 

[Doctor Gonzo]

my instructor does this because its easier to see while they are rolling

Say you get your white belt 3rd stripe, you are awarded a green belt or whatever to represent this. When you go to a comp you wear your white belt and can put your own stripes on or not, once you hit blue and up we no longer use the coloured belt system and use stripes.

 

[Calibur]

water down, like add extra belts because people dont have the patience?

It doesn't water the art down. It makes it stronger than it is, because right now we got a lot of people who don't know how to put on a kimura getting a blue belt because their instructor feels like they have to promote them in order to keep their doors open.

An extra belt delays your path to a black belt. How can that possibly be watering it down.

 

[Jdonw]

If it helps with retention of beginners, why not?

I do not think it water down anything.

In Brasil, you get your Blue belt in 6 months anyway and you do not see white belts adults anyway as they most likely started BJJ when they were under 18.

Where do you come up with this information?

 

[GSP10]

Why do people care about grading and belts so much. I never understood it. What difference does it make if you can still do the same thing regardless of your colour belt. Grading is used as a marketing gimmick to make money $$$$$.

 

[gannas]

WTF, do we really need new belts to keep people motivated to train? Stripes arent enough? Soon they'll give you certificates per stripe or belt to keep you motivated??!?!?!

THis is a key difference between training here and in Brasil... They train for the love of the art nothing else.

 

[GSP10]

WTF, do we really need new belts to keep people motivated to train? Stripes arent enough? Soon they'll give you certificates per stripe or belt to keep you motivated??!?!?!

THis is a key difference between training here and in Brasil... They train for the love of the art nothing else.

Agree with you 110% people go crazy about what belt they are and grading etc. Different schools give belts for different skills. Best thing is to train it absorb what works for you regardless of what belt you are

BTW new money making idea they should make belts at the gym. Eg. Lift 60Kg bench press white belt. 75kg yellow belt. Then make stripes for how many push ups lmao

 

[Calibur]

Where do you come up with this information?

My Brazilian coaches and teammates have told me the exact same thing. My coach imparticular couldn't believe I had been a white belt for 2 years.

Instructor 2 years?

Me: Yeah

Instructor: 2 YEARS!

Me: Yeah

Instructor: Like 24 months?

Me: Like 28 or something.

Instructor: Did you compete?

Me: Yeah.

Instructor: Did you win?


Me: A couple of times.

Instructor: Did you steal something?

Me: From who?

Instructor: From your old coach.

Me: No, he just never got around to giving it to me.

Instructor

 

[kimble09]

WTF, do we really need new belts to keep people motivated to train? Stripes arent enough? Soon they'll give you certificates per stripe or belt to keep you motivated??!?!?!

THis is a key difference between training here and in Brasil... They train for the love of the art nothing else.

agreed...

i don't know if it has to do with training in the US vs Brasil, but this just seems like they're trying to "trick it up"...i don't buy into the "keeping lower level belts interested" theory either. the belt shouldn't play a role in interest, interest should be gained by the instructor, if you're losing students, look in the mirror, not your ranking system.

 

[ShindoNinja]

When I was on business in San Jose, I dropped in at AKA for a class. They had guys there with white/blue belts. I think they used it instead of stripes.