Wearing your no gi belt rank in the gi?

[Brent Smith]

I'm all for a good debate but who cares what belt you're wearing as long as you're completely honest to the instructor you're visiting..If I put the white belt on, I'm not going to all of a sudden lose my knowledge. I just don't understand why this thread was even started...? Is it to solve some problem with a mass amount of no gi guys wearing their no gi rank? I have a feeling this topic will be forgotten as soon as it hits page 2 (of the main forum page) thus being a complete waste of thought. Maybe I'm just ignorant. Maybe this really is a big problem.

[Josh Bodmon]

I'd just like to say that this is an awesome discussion. Brent, as someone with as much experience as you, its refreshing to hear your discussion points regarding gi vs nogi. I think that sometimes, no disrespect intended, people in the 10th planet system lose sight of how different gi vs nogi can be if you only exclusively train nogi, especially the more advanced you get. I will say, however, that plenty of nogi world champions are not exclusively training nogi all the time. In fact they train primarily gi, and then when its 'nogi season', they spend less time training as much gi and focus on being sharp without it on. Marcelo is an exception to the rule from what I see, but I correct me if I'm wrong. I've had the chance of training with and learning from a few guys who have medaled at the world or pan am level in gi and nogi who are either blues or purples. Although clearly they had one style they were better at (gi or nogi), for the most part, they came up doing mainly gi, then transitioned into embracing some nogi, and essentially applying very similar principles that they used in gi (ie, cross collar framing in gi is changed to grip on the trap to frame and set up attacks) into their nogi game to be successful. Darson Hemmings is a guy I've watched and learnt from who actually started with nogi, but as he got better he would apply gi techniques (ie. playing nogi spider guard, etc) to nogi grappling with incredible success. He has now transitioned into the gi realm, has only been training in the gi for a short period of time and has been medaling everywhere including winning the brown belt pan ams at his weight.

So personally, and my white belt opinion doesn't hold the greatest weight (but I figure I should say something definitive), I think if you do gi or nogi, at blue and max purple, overall your rank should automatically be recognized in both areas, but as Kurzy had mentioned, if you are say a brown belt, but have focused exclusively on being ranked in nogi only, you should be playing catchup because you earned a jiu jitsu black belt rank. Now I fully understand the situation people like you and Sean and Cade are in and I respect that you are trying to be students of the game. Maybe at the higher levels, if you have earned an exclusively nogi bjj rank, training in gi at a lower rank might make sense because of how different things are and the fact that you have treated them like two different arts, which in your development, they have been.

I hope nothing I've said has been disrespectful, I just really enjoyed reading what most of you had to say and wanted to chime in. Just for some background on myself so you know I'm not just trying to keyboard warrior it up, I began training exclusively nogi and have tried to play catchup in the gi to ensure that when I'm promoted I can represent my team and instructor well in both. I compete regularly in both to stay sharp, so I have some idea of what Brent is talking about, just obviously a white belts understanding :P

ps- Brandon, your theory on bringing a white and your current rank when visiting schools to be respectful is actually awesome.

[Mike Dewitt Jr]

Eddie doesn't need to wear the gi if he doesn't want to. Degrees on the black belt are awarded with time.

Mike your a black belt in no gi. Tell me, do you know three ways to escape this position and pass in the gi. Note, maybe you have gi experience so it could be a flawed test.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:...Riva_guard.jpg

Yes, I do.
I understand there is a difference between gi and nogi jiu jitsu, but I will be a black belt whether Im wearing cotton pajamas or my sweet octopus spats whether my skill level in one or the other is up to a "black belt level" thats a whole other story.

[Liquidrob]

I wear my blue belt in the gi, that is my current gi rank, I am back training the Gi for a couple months now after doing No Gi for a long time, its a big change

Its such a different sport, if some of you guys are hanging and beating much higher belts in the Gi without much Gi training you are rolling with the wrong guys or have a big physical advantage IMO

Trying to pass Spider guard and the Leg lasso without any knowledge of the gi is crazy hard, trying to escape side control and defend your neck with a guy going for baseball chokes, bread cutters, brabos, etc...the mount, stopping collar chokes, trying to defend your guard against guys who get a hold of your pants, etc...

Go against someone who really plays De La Riva, Spider, Lasso, Inverted De La Riva in the Gi, its so different

[Amber Kamischke]

I started training in the gi and got about three months in before I switched to a 10th planet school. When I started 10P I thought no gi was so much harder and it took me a while to learn how to move without depending on the gi for control. Now I am training full time no gi but I will throw on the gi to compete since as a female I do not get as many matches. I figured it is just more competition time for me. Since I will put a gi on for maybe a week before competition, I am not as good at it but I still usually only lose by points. I cannot stand being controlled so much since my opponents can just hold on to my pant legs to prevent me from moving.

I do it for the experience. This past spring while I was still a white belt, I was competing in intermediate no gi so the tournament officials made me do blue belt in the gi. They do not care what belt you are, if you do expert no gi then expect to compete in purple belt for the gi. Some may not see it as fair but I only learn from my losses in the gi. No gi is what matters to me more anyway :-)

[Tori Applegate]

So you think Denny was wrong for wearing a black belt to Jean Jacques then, or because it was just kind of a special situation it was acceptable? Do you think Eddie should wear a three stripe black belt if he went to JJM's to train?

Yes, Jean Jaques gave Eddie his third stripe. Of course he can wear his 3rd degree black belt to Jean Jaques' to train. That's Eddies instructor.

I'm not regularly training under anyone in the Gi. So when I drop in I bring a white belt and my current belt. I fully disclose my training experience and let the coach decide what rank I should wear under his roof. And that's 100% ok with me.

I've been told to wear a white belt before. No problem. More often than not I am told to wear my current rank.

This is the way to do it. It's cautious. I feel this is the best way for sure to be humble and show respect when on another instructor's stomping ground. +1 McCaghren, +1.

[Slick Rick]

When I train at the mendes camp(wearing gi), both Rafa and Gui say I should wear the belt I've earned. They're as gi legit as you can get.

Yes I may not know all the chokes, grips, etc. with the gi, but my level of knowledge is such that I should be able to catch on quickly to the concepts thrown at me- I'm a brown belt.

Just my 2 cents. Everyone has some good arguments here, but ultimately, wear the belt you feel you can most humbly defend.

[Tori Applegate]

Spot on sir.

[Will Thaxton]

Just respect the school your in and follow their rules. I do think this will be less and less of an issue in the future as more schools are training both. (Robson, Marcelo etc..)

[Brian Debes]

To me, the answer is: it’s not your call. You have to let your instructor decide and do what they say. Different instructors do things differently. If I was given the option though, I would personally choose to wear a white belt if it was class or my 10th planet rank if it was competition. I feel like those choices are the ones that show the most respect. This issue to me has nothing to do with skill and everything to do with respect.

And in answer to someone’s post, I think it could be interpreted as very disrespectful by many instructors if you walked in in different ranks on different days because that is contrary to how they rank and do things.

I hear they have this one all no-gi gracie barra somewhere? If that’s true I would differ to the instructor as to my rank same as above. Same if I visited a Luta-livra (spelling wrong?) school. Its no-gi grappling but I’m not ranked in that art. If my skill is worthy of rank, that will work itself out in time. I just have to be honest about my training background and be respectful of the school owner’s way of doing things.