A question for the black belts

[Toppy]

On the UKBJJ underground a lot of controversy has been stirred up due to a white belt that turned up late and missed his category. He wanted to still compete and was allowed to step up to blue belt division to which he medaled up to silver. My question is if this was your student, would you find it disrespectful that he did this? I'm curious to see where the 10th Planet guys stand on this. Cheers guys thanks for reading. Much love to the 10WO xx

[Mike Dewitt Jr]

I would be proud that my student did well after being bumped up.

[Toppy]

That's the way I'd look at it. But the poor lad, whoever he is is being trashed right now for lack of respect, by self promoting. So I was kind of intrigued to see what an instructors point of view is. Just seemed abit high school clickiness to be shooting him down. Are they right by saying its self promoting?

[Drew Ash]

*NOT A BLACK BELT
...but heres my 2 cents anyway as we have guys go up divisions all the time and encourage it.
Tournaments put people up and down divisions all the time due to lack of competitors. If he went to higher division and got podium, then thats on the other instructors for letting a white belt beat their guys
It doesnt mean hes a blue belt yet and unless hes going around claiming to be a blue belt there is nothing wrong with going after higher belts so you can improve your game

[Isaac Atley]

yeah I agree with drew. Tbh in places where jiu jitsu isnt very big (ie. where i come from, new zealand) there aren't any belt categories, they just weigh the competitors and go. Belt categories seem to be to even out the field more so you dont get cyborg fighting a guy with a weeks experience. (exxagerated slightly) if a white belt can tear through a higher category then good on them. it doesnt mean they think they are a blue belt, it doesnt mean that they are good enough to be blue belt, (though they cant be too bad) and honestly I dont see why anyone else has any right to attack him for it. he would have, by the sounds of it, gone in the white belt category if he was there on time.

who cares? sounds like people are being sore losers.

[Tim Elliott]

Who is the guy? I am impressed. The people who are complaining, are basically saying they expect their belts to be respected even if they are useless. They don't want them put to the test.

I have no history with belts. I will need one when Yodsanklai and Saenchai feel they need one. I have seen no end of traditional stand up black belts with a decade of training lose to kickboxers with three months training. If you don't keep belts rooted in real combat, they just become a farce.

Eddies is the only approach to belts that really makes sense to me. The idea that belts dictate who gets to speak, or fight, seems ridiculous to me. The 10th Planet system makes sense to me. It is founded in real combat. Everyone is allowed to speak, and the colour of their patch just tells you how much energy to put into listening. No wankers strutting around waving a belt about, who refuse to spar with you.

If the BJJ crowd wants to see their Jiu Jitsu getting demolished by some random grappler who trains to fight, not to belt, they are going the right way about it. Its the exact sort of talk that resulted in traditional standup fighters with a decade of traditional training getting beat up by athletes with months of training.

I could be wrong, but I am not sure the belt its self actually has any mystical, yoda in a cave type powers.

[Tim Bruhn]

No issue, but doesn't mean he is a blue belt. That would be the only issue to me if he was claiming a rank he hadn't been officially promoted to.

Beating a higher level in a comp and especially catching someone in training doesn't give you that rank automatically.

I do sometimes think how funny it would be though if you got to hold whatever rank of the person you submitted in training. Would be absolutely ridiculous but amuses me to think about how much different/worse the training rolls would be.

[Cora Sek]

Omg is this even a necessary topic, why are these people so anal?? How is this remotely being disrespectful? A white belt whoop those blue belts, who's fault is that? I know of a green belt kid who just turned 14 yrs old here that is going around destroying blue belts grown men. And he has become a star all around TX. No one ever bring this issue up.

[Andrew Alexander]

I hate bjj drama queen bitch assness, there should be no problem competing up in skill, just beavause a white belt goes up in skill does not mean he is self promoting himself to blue. Underground is just full of dickheads who just want to spew hate and drama.

[Toppy]

Wow. I'm so disappointed in the underground right now. Thanks for the input guys. Just looking for validation that I'm not being a self righteous tool bag lol.
Another example why I love the 10P peeps. All about the positivity:-)