I think belts are really a personal journey. If you want the accolades from others, go win the world comps and prove you are the best among your peers. Belts represent all the struggles and lessons you have learned as an individual and show that you have stayed the course despite set backs. I heard it said that when you reach black belt in BJJ, it's the black belt version of yourself not to be compared to others. I am hopefully getting close to blue belt after almost three years and when that day comes it doesn't by any stretch mean I am the baddest dude on the mats, it means I am a blue belt compared to who I was three years ago!
Compared to the rest of the population, yes. Compared to the skill set of the belts from then to now, no. Before if you did an armbar you were a magician.
I really don't think it matters because today it's all about who's more ATHLETIC. It's like in any sport - basketball, tennis, football, volleyball...the best practitioners will be the best ATHLETES. It does not really matter when you started training or how long you've been training. Your strength, power, speed, flexibility/mobility, etc., will determine, ultimately, how far you will go. For example, if you're only 6-ft tall, and your vertical jump is only 25-inches, it will be VERY DIFFICULT for you to make the NBA because you're simply not athletic enough. I mean, you can develop a very accurate jump shot, you can have perfect technique. You can have a high-level understanding of the game and the strategies involved, but a 25-in vertical leap itself indicates that you simply lack basic explosiveness. And if you lack explosiveness, then you will usually lack quickness and speed, and your chances of making the NBA is slim to none, regardless of how technical you are. That goes for any sport. In the early days of jiu-jitsu and MMA, a person like Royce Gracie could beat a guy like Ken Shamrock because Royce knew techniques that Ken did not know. But today, everyone knows all the techniques. There are no "secrets" anymore. Today it comes down to who is the better athlete.
I have mixed feelings on the concept of belts. Belts matter but there are other things that also matter: size/strength, age/speed, recent illnesses/injuries A 25-year old 6'2" 230 lb blue belt who wrestled through high school and college would likely steam-roll a 55 year old 5'9" 160 lb black belt who had been sedentary and suddenly in his mid 30's decided to get in shape.
Size, strength and athleticism are definitely factors in a fight. Wrestling is a legitimate martial art which is why wrestlers do so well transitioning to BJJ and advance quickly. The standard in my opinion is whether a person knows and can execute the techniques of BJJ. Otherwise we would have to start demoting black belts in their 60s, 70s and 80s, because "Father Time" no longer will allow them to fight as well.
Never before have there been more black belts with such meager skills, nor so many black belts with such high level skills. Today, there are just more people on BOTH ends of the spectrum. The standard has gotten higher and lower. ALL kinds of people are black belts in BJJ these days.
With how decentralised jiu jitsu is every school/academy/gym will have a particular standard so in order to know what a black belt means you have to know the school they came from. A consequence is that comparing black belts between schools becomes an apples to oranges scenario. Still, it's safe to assume any black belt should know a thing or two...
That's the problem with "belts". There are no "belts" in wrestling, and, when one high school competes against another high school during a wrestling tournament, NO ONE cares about the training background of the wrestlers. As long as they're matched up evenly, by weight, then that's all that matters. So, in a high school wrestling match, you could have a kid who's been wrestling since he was 5-years-old, going up against a kid who has just one-year of middle-school wrestling experience.
It’s all relative and as the sport grows there will be students getting promoted who are more hobbyists then pros. The same has happened in karate. Is an 11 year old in karate a “true” blackbelt? Honestly I agree with you that it’s best not to compare yourself to others. Jiu jitsu is a very tough martial art and a “true martial art much like boxing, wrestling, muay Thai etc. we each have to prove it on the mats in live training and we all know who’s who on the mat after a few rounds regardless of belt color, and if someone is a pro competitor does that take away from anybody else’s belt level? Oss
Just like Keenan suggested... Skill level has increased in belts. It is normal evolution like in any sport. Today kids start young and already killers when they get their blue belt. Even if some schools give belts easily, it is not so everywhere.
Has skill REALLY increased though? I mean, if you brought a Roman Gladiator, from 200 CE, and you allowed him to watch a modern BJJ tournament or a UFC fight, he'd probably say, "WHAT THE HELL is this watered down $h!t??? How come they're not fighting to the death? He'd then go back in time to the Colosseum and say to his fellow gladiators, "I just came back from the future, year 2024, and their martial arts is crap! They fight on padded mats, they stop the fight when someone gets poked in the eye, they will penalize you if you kick someone in the balls, they used mouthpieces, and they quit by tapping each other on the shoulder!" Everything is relative.
@@user-sg8kq7ii3y If you put Gordon Ryan in any Colosseum, in any time, and let him roll with the best gladiators. He will beat every single one of them in BJJ. He will also probably lose if they fight with weapons. We are talking about BJJ.
I admire your dedication and commitment. With the spread of Jiu Jitsu throughout the U.S. this has become more rare, but there are still geographical locations that don't have black belts. If you are ever in San Antonio please stop in and train with me. No mat fee.
Megaton is amazing! I have faced Megaton Dias three times in Jiu Jiitsu competition and he successfully defeated me all three times. I truly hold him in the highest esteem!
@@semperfortisjiujitsu Not really, fedor isn't a Dagestani and he's one of the best fighters during his time. John Danaher said BJJ is now developed to defeat BJJ rather than to become an affective tool in combat, the reliance of BJJ has lowered drastically over the years for MMA. We're witnessing a surge of wrestling for MMA instead.
Wrestling is a highly effective martial art as well as catch wrestling. Part of the reason grappling arts are having more difficulty in MMA is the referees are standing the fighters up where it used to be no time limits and no rounds so if a grappler took you down there was nothing to save you if you didn't have grappling skills.
@@semperfortisjiujitsu Agreed good point, I think there's a discussion to resume the fight on the fighter's last position (i.e. if you were mounted). By resuming the fight on standing position, it brings more benefit to strikers/wrestlers. But don't you think that's how a fight should be? I think in most BJJ dojos, we are taught one person plays guard and the other attacks the guard, a real fight won't be so lenient. We should be fighting tooth and nail for the top position.
A few things here. 1. Keenan and Glover both are piss poor representations of Jiu-Jitsu. To be blunt I think they are both shit. 2. That said I tend to agree more with Glover here. We now have 17 year olds getting their brown belts when they have never even practiced actual jiu-jitsu. Only sport BJJ. 3. This is one of the main reasons I don't think there should be belts in competition BJJ. Teach Brock Lesnar an americana and he will easily tap 90% of the black belts out there. Does that make him a black belt? 4. I don't have a lot of respect for someone who walks around at 17-18 with a "black belt" that would get destroyed by someone 30 pounds heavier throwing strikes. This is an insult to those of us who have been training for 20 plus years.
For more information on Semper Fortis Jiu Jitsu www.texasbjj.com
I think belts are really a personal journey. If you want the accolades from others, go win the world comps and prove you are the best among your peers. Belts represent all the struggles and lessons you have learned as an individual and show that you have stayed the course despite set backs. I heard it said that when you reach black belt in BJJ, it's the black belt version of yourself not to be compared to others. I am hopefully getting close to blue belt after almost three years and when that day comes it doesn't by any stretch mean I am the baddest dude on the mats, it means I am a blue belt compared to who I was three years ago!
Very well said! I agree 100%!
Please say this louder for the people in the back, bravo sir
I’m a proud Semper Fortis Black Belt. This is my team and my heart.
Compared to the rest of the population, yes. Compared to the skill set of the belts from then to now, no. Before if you did an armbar you were a magician.
Thanks for watching and sharing your insights.
I really don't think it matters because today it's all about who's more ATHLETIC. It's like in any sport - basketball, tennis, football, volleyball...the best practitioners will be the best ATHLETES. It does not really matter when you started training or how long you've been training. Your strength, power, speed, flexibility/mobility, etc., will determine, ultimately, how far you will go. For example, if you're only 6-ft tall, and your vertical jump is only 25-inches, it will be VERY DIFFICULT for you to make the NBA because you're simply not athletic enough. I mean, you can develop a very accurate jump shot, you can have perfect technique. You can have a high-level understanding of the game and the strategies involved, but a 25-in vertical leap itself indicates that you simply lack basic explosiveness. And if you lack explosiveness, then you will usually lack quickness and speed, and your chances of making the NBA is slim to none, regardless of how technical you are. That goes for any sport.
In the early days of jiu-jitsu and MMA, a person like Royce Gracie could beat a guy like Ken Shamrock because Royce knew techniques that Ken did not know. But today, everyone knows all the techniques. There are no "secrets" anymore. Today it comes down to who is the better athlete.
You make some very valid points. Size and Athleticism are huge factors especially if the skills levels are close.
I have mixed feelings on the concept of belts.
Belts matter but there are other things that also matter: size/strength, age/speed, recent illnesses/injuries
A 25-year old 6'2" 230 lb blue belt who wrestled through high school and college would likely steam-roll a 55 year old 5'9" 160 lb black belt who had been sedentary and suddenly in his mid 30's decided to get in shape.
Size, strength and athleticism are definitely factors in a fight. Wrestling is a legitimate martial art which is why wrestlers do so well transitioning to BJJ and advance quickly. The standard in my opinion is whether a person knows and can execute the techniques of BJJ. Otherwise we would have to start demoting black belts in their 60s, 70s and 80s, because "Father Time" no longer will allow them to fight as well.
Very true!
Thanks for watching!
Never before have there been more black belts with such meager skills, nor so many black belts with such high level skills. Today, there are just more people on BOTH ends of the spectrum. The standard has gotten higher and lower. ALL kinds of people are black belts in BJJ these days.
Jiu Jitsu has really grown and spread throughout the world. You make excellent points. Thanks for watching and hope you have a Happy New Year!
With how decentralised jiu jitsu is every school/academy/gym will have a particular standard so in order to know what a black belt means you have to know the school they came from. A consequence is that comparing black belts between schools becomes an apples to oranges scenario. Still, it's safe to assume any black belt should know a thing or two...
I agree! Thank you for sharing your insights and watching the video.
That's the problem with "belts". There are no "belts" in wrestling, and, when one high school competes against another high school during a wrestling tournament, NO ONE cares about the training background of the wrestlers. As long as they're matched up evenly, by weight, then that's all that matters. So, in a high school wrestling match, you could have a kid who's been wrestling since he was 5-years-old, going up against a kid who has just one-year of middle-school wrestling experience.
Hey! Black belt from chile here…i just want to tell you Inlike they way you comunicate things. Cheers 🔥🥋
Thank you so much for the kind words, I appreciate it!
Entrename
It’s all relative and as the sport grows there will be students getting promoted who are more hobbyists then pros. The same has happened in karate. Is an 11 year old in karate a “true” blackbelt? Honestly I agree with you that it’s best not to compare yourself to others. Jiu jitsu is a very tough martial art and a “true martial art much like boxing, wrestling, muay Thai etc. we each have to prove it on the mats in live training and we all know who’s who on the mat after a few rounds regardless of belt color, and if someone is a pro competitor does that take away from anybody else’s belt level? Oss
You make excellent points! Thanks for watching and Happy New Year!
Just like Keenan suggested... Skill level has increased in belts. It is normal evolution like in any sport. Today kids start young and already killers when they get their blue belt. Even if some schools give belts easily, it is not so everywhere.
You make an excellent point. Thanks for watching and I hope you have a Happy New Year!
Has skill REALLY increased though? I mean, if you brought a Roman Gladiator, from 200 CE, and you allowed him to watch a modern BJJ tournament or a UFC fight, he'd probably say, "WHAT THE HELL is this watered down $h!t??? How come they're not fighting to the death? He'd then go back in time to the Colosseum and say to his fellow gladiators, "I just came back from the future, year 2024, and their martial arts is crap! They fight on padded mats, they stop the fight when someone gets poked in the eye, they will penalize you if you kick someone in the balls, they used mouthpieces, and they quit by tapping each other on the shoulder!"
Everything is relative.
@@user-sg8kq7ii3y If you put Gordon Ryan in any Colosseum, in any time, and let him roll with the best gladiators. He will beat every single one of them in BJJ. He will also probably lose if they fight with weapons. We are talking about BJJ.
@@KenlieroGames Gordon Ryan with or without PEDs? Imagine if the gladiators had access to the PEDs people use today...
I still travel 3 hours to get Training from a black belt a few times a month😅
I admire your dedication and commitment. With the spread of Jiu Jitsu throughout the U.S. this has become more rare, but there are still geographical locations that don't have black belts. If you are ever in San Antonio please stop in and train with me. No mat fee.
@@semperfortisjiujitsu Thank You Professor🙏🏽, I really appreciate the hospitality 🙌🏽
Not megaton schools. NWMA black belts are hard and gentle wise
Megaton is amazing! I have faced Megaton Dias three times in Jiu Jiitsu competition and he successfully defeated me all three times. I truly hold him in the highest esteem!
Agreed the black belts are watered down, the dagestanis exposed it.
I disagree. The Dagestan fighters are elite compared to any era.
@@semperfortisjiujitsu Not really, fedor isn't a Dagestani and he's one of the best fighters during his time. John Danaher said BJJ is now developed to defeat BJJ rather than to become an affective tool in combat, the reliance of BJJ has lowered drastically over the years for MMA. We're witnessing a surge of wrestling for MMA instead.
Wrestling is a highly effective martial art as well as catch wrestling. Part of the reason grappling arts are having more difficulty in MMA is the referees are standing the fighters up where it used to be no time limits and no rounds so if a grappler took you down there was nothing to save you if you didn't have grappling skills.
@@semperfortisjiujitsu Agreed good point, I think there's a discussion to resume the fight on the fighter's last position (i.e. if you were mounted).
By resuming the fight on standing position, it brings more benefit to strikers/wrestlers.
But don't you think that's how a fight should be? I think in most BJJ dojos, we are taught one person plays guard and the other attacks the guard, a real fight won't be so lenient. We should be fighting tooth and nail for the top position.
In a street fight i am going to fight hard to be on top and I would not want to rely on my guard unless there's no other choice. Good point my friend.
A few things here.
1. Keenan and Glover both are piss poor representations of Jiu-Jitsu. To be blunt I think they are both shit.
2. That said I tend to agree more with Glover here. We now have 17 year olds getting their brown belts when they have never even practiced actual jiu-jitsu. Only sport BJJ.
3. This is one of the main reasons I don't think there should be belts in competition BJJ. Teach Brock Lesnar an americana and he will easily tap 90% of the black belts out there. Does that make him a black belt?
4. I don't have a lot of respect for someone who walks around at 17-18 with a "black belt" that would get destroyed by someone 30 pounds heavier throwing strikes. This is an insult to those of us who have been training for 20 plus years.
You make some excellent points. Thanks for watching.
No belts or amount of jiu jitsu can save you from a skinny guy with a knive or g*n. Following your logic.
Would you kindly expound upon point number 1, my fellow gentleman?
Modern blue belts are better than old school black belts
Rubbish
I disagree. Thanks for watching!
At what? lol