If I was making the rules, I would say for tournaments purple and up should be able to do all of them. The skill range in blue belt varies WAY to much.
Kai, I agree with that, except that since not everyone uses the stripe system, purple/advanced would be a good starting point for allowing heel-hooks (a step back, since heel hooks are pretty universily banned from gi competition). I'm a purple and to say that I should wait until brown to attack the legs is just silly IMHO...I'm also concerned about the direction we're heading with ever-tightening restrictions on techniques
oops, double post
There is another consideration too:
Regardless of whatever techniques are or aren't allowed in competition, the TRUE NEGLIGENCE is for an instructor to ONLY be teaching his students those techniques that they need for purely competition win purposes.
In other words, Just because leg locks aren't allowed in comps until, say, purple belt level, does NOT mean that a teacher should wait until his students are high blue or purple belt to teach them!! ALL techniques should be taught even to white belts, but the added excitement, adrenaline, and the use of speed and explosive strength in competition is the reason to "delay" the use of certain techniques allowed in tournaments.
BJJ is about a whole lot more than just winning a sport tournament............ and what techniques are legal at what level should only be a small piece of how we all learn, train, and/or teach BJJ and submission grappling.
Besides, in my experiences competition is just as much about athleticism, speed, and strength in the white and blue belt divisions as it is about technique. Too many guys are focusing on their conditioning, and we all know that if you are gassed and your opponent is still fairly fresh, that you are much more likely to make a mistake and wind up hurt than he is.
More food for thought..........
Adam
Good food.....
It seems to me that if a heel hook is on, knees are tight etc, you are not getting out. Why not have the referee call it if it is secure, without cranking it. That way we can continue to incorporate the move, as it is highly effective, but drastically reduce the chance of injury.
When we train at our school, and someone throws a solid heel hook on me, and it is tight and I determine I cannot escape, THAT is when I tap, as I am sure it is with alot of you. If I know I cannot escape, there is no point in waiting for the guy to start cranking it and taking a chance on injury. Why not allow the move, but standardize the practice of not cranking it, and let the ref call it if he determines you are in position to finish?
I have seen refs stop matches and declare a winner when the guy being heel hooked would not tap, and the ref could hear popping and snapping. (2004 Battle at the Beach) What I am suggesting is that for the lower levels, just have the ref call it before the popping and snapping. Have the competitors undertsand that they do not need to crank it, but just hold the position until the ref calls it.
Just a crazy idea. Don't be too hard on me. I am new around here.
What is "trolling" exactly?
what your doing mujotu. nah jus playin trolling is like an artform according to forum father OMA.
Here's an idea:
How about awarding, say, 6-8 points for anyone that "gets" the "heel hook position" on his opponent?
In addition, maybe after getting the 6-8 points, you're allowed to start in the mount position immedially afterwards.
Anyone care to comment?
What a great idea... too bad it would not work in reality. It would make judge's work so much harder, it would encourage ppl to fake heelhooks it would encourage ppl to fake damage done with heelhook to get penalties to the other guy etc etc... result = watering down and turning into p*ssy sport like light-contact sports.