Does not training in the gi not make you a "real" bjj black belt? - video

[James Whiston]

Watch the video, personally I feel you are a legit bjj black belt if you just train nogi your hole life. I see more people just training nogi as time goes on.

[James Whiston]

skip to 2:45

[Paul Hughes]

Belt rankings in general are to demonstrate a degree of competence. Having a black belt in the gi by no means make you a black belt in no-gi and vice versa.

I train mostly gi and I'm 100% sure if a no-gi black belt threw on a gi and rolled with me, I'd be getting tapped, over and over again.

I think that you are a legit black belt if you earn a black belt in no-gi.

[Greg W]

I'm impressed, this guy is very well spoken. I've heard his name before, but never heard him speak. Rener Gracie will give out a blue belt to somebody that has never put on a gi. You could get a black belt wearing a gi and never learn a gi-only technique.

[Josh Passini]

A real black belt from a legit instructor is still a black belt, Gi or nogi. Different set of specific skills between the two yes, but more crossover than differences. People also fails to see the difference between the depth of black belt pool. Marcelo(black belt) or a dude that got his black belt from A black belt that got his black belt from a dude that got his black belt from a a high level dude. The no gi vs gi argument has lost cloat. Ask Marcelo that trains 50/50 gi/nogi. Sorry got off on a rant!

[Gary Meek]

Agree, he's very well spoken and as such, had a very bipartisan view on the whole deal. Being a traditional martial artist, getting your black belt these days merely means you've spent the time learning the techniques to get you to that rank. For most traditional styles, it's taken on a sense of character development and disciplined attitude more than having the ability to be a badass. Now, for the differences between BJJ and 10P, that can take a few different points of view. You can argue that 10P isn't BJJ because we don't claim to be BJJ, but if you look at the lineage, you can't deny that our origins stem from BJJ. Look at all the styles that are closely related, but have those differences that make them unique. 10p is unique in that it ONLY does nogi; whereas BJJ can do both, but only recognizes rank in the gi. BJJ is 10P and 10P is BJJ, just depends on how you look at it...different mindset for how one trains means there will be different ways to perform techniques (grips for example and how techniques have to be executed differently due to the loss of a gi).

I train both because I enjoy both. I love nogi because it has less restrictions and it plays well to my game. I love the gi because I'm lazy and don't like to workout. =)

[Daniel Valdez]

interviewer is an idiot.

[David Rosado]

I'm starting to feel like "black belt" isn't exactly universal. Sort of how not all college degrees are created equal. In general the same knowledge might be there, but the application of that knowledge may not be.

For example, Scott Yockel has tapped numerous black belts with heel hooks. Those guys ARE black belts. I suppose they're black belts of upper body jiu jitsu, but that's the quality of instruction that they got from their instructor.

A black belt is a black belt. But not all black belts are created equal. And a no gi black belt is for sure a no gi black belt. But a no gi guy might not be at that level in the gi. No gi and gi are very similar arts, but different at the same time. I think it's ok to accept these differences. I mean, if greco roman had submissions and belts, not every greco roman olympian would be a black belt in judo. That's how I see it.

[Slick Rick]

I'm starting to feel like "black belt" isn't exactly universal. Sort of how not all college degrees are created equal. In general the same knowledge might be there, but the application of that knowledge may not be.

For example, Scott Yockel has tapped numerous black belts with heel hooks. Those guys ARE black belts. I suppose they're black belts of upper body jiu jitsu, but that's the quality of instruction that they got from their instructor.

A black belt is a black belt. But not all black belts are created equal. And a no gi black belt is for sure a no gi black belt. But a no gi guy might not be at that level in the gi. No gi and gi are very similar arts, but different at the same time. I think it's ok to accept these differences. I mean, if greco roman had submissions and belts, not every greco roman olympian would be a black belt in judo. That's how I see it.

This.

[sean applegate]

to me it really doesn't matter if the bjj world wants to acknowledge the color of my belt or not. if it really mattered that much I wouldn't be teaching with a blue belt. the bottom line is, the mats don't lie. that's why, in my humble and completely subjective opinion, all the discussions about where someone's skills are based on the color of their belt are a little silly. there are plenty of purples and even blues out there that can hang and even catch some black belts. black belt isn't meant to be the end, its just the beginning of the real journey. danaher answered that question very well.

and for the ones trying purely just to discredit us and Eddie, if they try to belittle us and say that our grappling is inferior and that we aren't practising legitimate techniques, what is left to say about their own jj after we beat them in competition?