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[callum weaver]

hey guys i was just wondering how many people think its bs that the vast majority of nogi bjj practitioners are not allowed to be graded. have seen that there have been a few people saying that we should pay no attention to belts but i think we should have a right to be graded just like any other martial art.

the laws on grading for nogi seem to be weird aswell as members of the gracie family have graded in nogi (cesar gracie-jake shields). is there any quote on the internet from helio or maeda or carlos stating that nogi practitioners are not allowed to be graded or did they never expect the gi to be taken off?, does it stemm from the luta livre-bjj rivalry in brazil?

people like eddie, chris brennan and marc laimon grade in nogi but do u ever think that the brazilians will start this eventually? i like the gi game but i would really like to specialise and concentrate on the nogi game as i feel it fits my style more than gi. however at the same time i think we should have the right to be graded and for that grading to be respected

[The kza]

probably not because they base skill on the acheivments with the gi

[AJ Camacho]

Each black belt has their own curriculum and their belt grading reflects your knowledge of their curriculum. If a black belt values gi related techniques then it is their prerogative to require a mastery of those techniques for grading.

[callum weaver]

so basically we will have to wait for catch wrestling and luta livre to spread and accept that bjj is not going to change its stance, seems strange that cesar has no problem with it though?

[bobby rivers]

Like Aj said, depends on the instructor. Helio Soneca, a JJ Machado bb recognizes nogi and mma related grappling achievements. Thats how I got my blue. Then afterwards, out of respect, I started training gi.

[Bryan Brown]

There are no belts in MMA, Muay Thai, Boxing or Wrestling. Sambo has levels but no "Belt" system. IMO belt are like gold stars for doing well at school. I see blue belts from one school dominate browns from another, so, what does a belt mean?. I think some people (Ego) just want to be able to say "Oh I'm this color belt, so fear me." Not saying this is you but I think some people are indoctrinated with this idea or want to show of their skill level by what color belt they are. I wish more people would focus on being as good as they can be, then if you want to, test yourself in tournys or MMA. But then again, would I love to come to class next week and have Eddie give me my purple? Of course, so I understand wanting to be recognized for your hard work too but even if I have to wait another year for it, that's fine too. But to answer your question, I do think you will see more instructors giving out belts to No-gi players, it's math. Eddie and other no gi masters have given out black belts, those black belts that teach will give out more belts and so on and so forth.

[Brent Smith]

Thats exactly what I see my belt as. A gold star. A recogniction of accomplishment. It seems like the farther you progress in the system the less you care about getting that belt. When I was a white belt, that blue belt meant so much to me. Now I know ill get to brown then black so Im not really worried about it. Itll happen eventually.
To answer the orginal question I think eventually the no gi people will get their rank. Ive seen some MMA stars get their blackbelts and dont ever train in the gi. Like Rashad Evans, the Miller brothers..etc etc. I dont think itll be mainstream for a long time though. Alot of brazilians think the gi is the only way.

[bobby rivers]

Its not just a gold star from an assigned teacher at public school in many cases. Its a star from a practitioner who has paid his dues and earned my utmost respect in the art. Does it make one any better? nope. Does it give one who hopes to pass on the art one day credibility and legitamacy? yep. The only other way would be to win so much that you achieve it through fame.

Say you love to study shit on the internet all the time. And you have become somewhat knowledgeable on the subject through careful evaluation of studies of men much smarter and educated than you. Does anyone give a shit or become willing to pay you without a degree? Rarely. Right now, unfortunately, gi training is kinda like accredited colleges. Eddie and mma are gamechangers though. It dont think it will be long either.

[AJ Camacho]

The thing that I don't get, is why are you training at a school that you are at philosophical odds with?

For example, I love no gi more than gi but my coach swears by it and includes it as a part of his curriculum. Where we meet is that I totally agree with him in that the Gi is a perfect analog for the self defense advantages that clothing can give you. So, I do want to learn the Gi, even though I prefer no gi. As a student there is a philosophical "eye to eye" where I actually value his perspective of my game. Consequently, his perspective of my game is expressed through my belt grade.

So yes, a belt just holds up your pants but if I didn't care about my coach's opinion of my game, then I don't know why I would be training there.

[callum weaver]

i do to totally respect his ideas on the gi and what its used for but if im being a 100 percent honest if 10th planet hq was a block away i wouldnt be training there, currently i live in an area where there is no jiu jitsu except gi schools. things r very different in england atm, england is heavily dominated by gi schools, apart from three schools i am aware of (next generation liverpool- chris brennan), (Kaobon- Luta livre marcelo brigadeiro), and the team i train at when im at university (Leicester shootfighters- Nathan leverton) no other school is pure nogi and only 2 out of the three have a grading system. i think having a grading system can be used for alot more things than to fuel ego, i think it would make the nogi tournament system more clear as matching experience with belts can sometimes lead to mismatches, i think it would also be useful in training to see if u r progressing as its important to know ur training partners and their skill level. i can imagine it helps professionally aswell when people service themselves for seminars, people always wanna know what colour belt you are.