BJJ Black Belts

[ps1]

Thanks for all of the replies.

I have an additional question: What color stripes would be put on a black belt with a white bar? Granted, it seems clear that nobody really follows these standards (and it is a fairly trivial matter in the first place), but I am curious nonetheless.

I'm not a BJJ practitioner, and what I've noticed is that the "standards" are pretty much up to the governing bodies rules/regulations surrounding the said "standards". What's standard with one, isn't for the other.

"Standards" for promotion do vary somewhat from one association to another. But that's true of most associations for most martial arts these days.

The belt system, however, is very well standardized. With only a few exceptions (some have a green belt between white and blue), they are the same in all schools.

The curriculum in each school, whether it's officially written down or not, tends to be the same. For example, it would be nye on impossible to find a BJJ school that promotes someone from white to blue without them knowing moves like the elbow escape, upa, guillotine choke, triangle, armbar ect... as well as understanding how to apply them against a resisting opponent.

[tallgeese]

I'd agree. Standardization of what you see on the mat tends to be the same from gym to gym. By and large, the ranks will line up well with one another with the greatest variation usually around the blue belt level. What constitutes the end of the white and beginning of blue and then again blue to purple is a bit more of a sliding standard than any other rank.

However, the skills are largely similar.

Now, the traditions outside of those are the ones that are more suspect to be normalized.

[ps1]

I'd agree. Standardization of what you see on the mat tends to be the same from gym to gym. By and large, the ranks will line up well with one another with the greatest variation usually around the blue belt level. What constitutes the end of the white and beginning of blue and then again blue to purple is a bit more of a sliding standard than any other rank.

However, the skills are largely similar.

Now, the traditions outside of those are the ones that are more suspect to be normalized.

I agree with your assessment of blue belt.

For example, we promote a little faster to blue belt, but you will probably be one for 3 to 4 years. While others may make a person wait an extra year or so and promote in 2 years. Just depends on what the instructor/association feels is required for that rank. Some, like my own, just look to ensure you're solving problems using jiu-jitsu answers, have solid self defense mind set, and are able to demonstrate the entire curriculum.

The only think I would add....black belt has a ton of discrepancy too. For some reason, there are people that expect everyone to be as skilled as Cyborg or Andre Galvao. That's simply not the case any more than all JKD practitioners being as skilled as Bruce Lee or all Judo black belts having the skill of Rousey or Jimmy Pedro.

[tallgeese]

I agree and that's a great point, ps1. I think that probably extends all the way down the belt ranks to a degree as well. You're elite athletes that are winning gold at the Pans and Worlds every year are likly better for their rank than your average participant. To judge every purple belt by the standard of the guy who won the worlds the last two years running is probably just as unfair as expecting every black belt to be Galvao.

[ShoriKid]

Just to speak from the outside looking in (dirty karate hippie that I am) as a blazingly awesome no stripe white belt (I'm PittbullJudoka's grappling dummy). So, large grain of salt, but a non-BJJ perspective none the less. The divide you two, PS1 and Tallgeese, are talking about seems very much like the standards, or at least expectations, of some depend on their training status. I mean that there are recreational, though serious, students. Then there are the "professional" competitors who are doing two a days five or six days a week. Those are the guys winning Pans at Blue/Purple/Brown etc. I think a lot of people look at the level of the game those guys posses and expect everyone has to be there too.

Funny thing about this topic coming up a few days after I started to wonder about the red vs white bar on black belts. I think that may be a tradition slowly disappearing from BJJ academies.

[ps1]

Just to speak from the outside looking in (dirty karate hippie that I am) as a blazingly awesome no stripe white belt (I'm PittbullJudoka's grappling dummy). So, large grain of salt, but a non-BJJ perspective none the less. The divide you two, PS1 and Tallgeese, are talking about seems very much like the standards, or at least expectations, of some depend on their training status. I mean that there are recreational, though serious, students. Then there are the "professional" competitors who are doing two a days five or six days a week. Those are the guys winning Pans at Blue/Purple/Brown etc. I think a lot of people look at the level of the game those guys posses and expect everyone has to be there too.

Funny thing about this topic coming up a few days after I started to wonder about the red vs white bar on black belts. I think that may be a tradition slowly disappearing from BJJ academies.

I agree with your assessment.

Regarding the bars...I disagree. I think it's a tradition that will emerge soon. It wasn't really used much in the past. There just aren't that many black belts that aren't instructors in most places. Once there are schools with many black belts, I believe you'll see it come into larger useage.

[sensei8]

Forgive my complete ignorance, but I remember seeing the white/red bars on the elder and oldest son of the Gracies. I took it as a way that the BB's in their style's rank identifiers were done.

I, too, was wondering about it, but never gave it much thought beyond what I was seeing.