"No-gi belts are frauds."

[Slick Rick]

So who came up with stripes?

[Jeremy Gates]

This guy is clueless. In no gi there is still lineage,terms , and time spent the exact same way as someone wearing a gi would partake in. It's pretty simple , one is grappling with a uniform and one without. The term belt is just a unified understanding of ones skill level. No way I would train under this clown

[Tom Carbone]

"Everyone has their own criteria for giving out belts, who am I to criticize someone who is giving out belts?" -Royler Gracie commenting on Rolles Gracie giving Rashad Evans a black belt from only training JiuJitsu for 4 years, WITHOUT a gi

[Matt Wallace]

If he's ranting about guys self awarding belts then I definitely agree. However, a belt is just a symbol. It could just as easily be a rashguard, bracelet, hoodie,etc. Doesn't matter. What DOES matter is common ground and where Gi and No Gi are forced to meet is in competition. For that purpose, there must be a matching system so it only makes sense to defer to the belt system. Silly to be pissed about that, honestly.

As far as his master's degree analogy, the way our sport is set up, if you beat that MBA holder in an argument everytime and several of his colleagues subsequently, YES, we do award you an MBA. You don't get it yourself, but that DOES mean you've legitimately proved you are at that level for a consistent period of time and should be recognized as such. Instead of a college we have instructors.

[Aaron Gustaveson]

yeah but are people really self promoting? Got to be just as common in the gi? Universities do give honorary doctorates when someone show a mastery in their field (of course not in the sciences)

[Kyle Spalla]

"Everyone has their own criteria for giving out belts, who am I to criticize someone who is giving out belts?" -Royler Gracie commenting on Rolles Gracie giving Rashad Evans a black belt from only training JiuJitsu for 4 years, WITHOUT a gi

This is all I need. Guys a fucking jackass.

[Kurzy]

I seriously lasted 44 seconds into this douchebags video before I had to pause his pompous ass.
The belt is a symbol of rank, nothing more.

I don't refer to people in belts at our club, just color, at least when I am talking. We have a new guy in our club that rolls primarily in the Gi, he is a blue belt at his club.
I heard that from someone else, and when I met him and rolled him I said "so I hear you're a blue?"
"Yup".
That's it.

Nice guy too. Crushing top game.

[Matt Wallace]

That's how it should be, Kurzy. Well done, bro.

[Valhalla Academy]

Hey guys, I am Brian Jones the person in the video about no-gi black belts.

There is quite a bit of hate directed here at me for making the video at the beginning of this post.

First, I think the title of this thread was a bit misleading. Second, most of the comments seem to be just personal insults rather than arguments against my points. Did anyone bother to watch the follow-up video?

I mean, Kurzy above, who I'm sure is a great grappler and thoughtful person admitted that he didn't even watch the whole video. I think this is a topic for discussion rather than name calling. After all, I'm just stating my opinion. If you don't agree with it then put forth an argument rather than just calling me a douchebag.

Here is the video response in case you haven't seen it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky7AgEJfrvg

Brian

[Brian Tupper]

Here’s some perspective, for what it’s worth.

At the end of last year I earned my Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. For those of you in the manufacturing industry, you probably know this is about the equivalent of earning a bachelor’s, or even a master’s degree in manufacturing. It took me nearly 8 years. This “belt” ranking is recognized globally, and (since it was attained through a highly respected source) it has afforded me some nice opportunities. It is not an actually belt, it is technically a certificate, but in the global manufacturing community, when you say someone is a Lean Sigma (or six sigma) black belt, they know what it means and they know what it takes to get there.


In jiu jitsu, I am but a lowly white belt. I own a gi, but I don’t get a chance to train in it regularly because I train at a 10th planet gym. I take the gi with me when I travel for work so I can roll at new gyms and such. I get the opportunity to cross-train at other local gyms as well, so I keep my gi handy. I’ll admit that I should make more use of these opportunities to get some gi time.
Regardless, from what I have experience both in and out of jiu jitsu, the status of the belt is symbolic.

When I advance in jiu jitsu, I will gladly state that I am (enter color here) belt under the 10th planet system, and people will know what that means whether they agree with the logistics or not. Just my 2 cents 