I've seen numerous and countless threads of guys who think they understand what a BB in BJJ is all about. These are the same guys who want to the "shortcut" or the "fast track" to getting "good enough" to be a BB...
Hate to inform you, but there is no fast track.
The reason black belts are respected so much is because the vast majority of them have been training for a very long time and understand intricacies in the sport on a whole different level.
I find it rather insulting to my instructors when someone undermines their years of experience and hardwork trying to marginalize the BJJ BB.
Sure BJ Penn got his BB in about 3.5 years. That's unheard of, though. Not to mention that he also trained 2X a day 5 - 6 days a week with top notch black belt instructors because he didn't have a financial worry in the world.
Does anyone else feel this way?
FYI, I train with several BB's and I feel that I am very lucky with the cast of instructors that I have including one of my best friends who is a brown belt but should have his black within a year.
I wished i cared. Think of BJJ as a sport rather then a Martial Art and then you'll realise you shouldn't care who is a black belt, but rather could you kick their ass
Thinking of it like a sport is true. I see it as Blue belts are on the varsity team. Purple belts are state champs. Brown belts are national champs/level and Black belts are world class.
Umm...I agree with you in principle...but wtf are you doing referencing your "little over a year" of training and shiny new blue belt as credentials that make you worthy to "inform" the BJJ forum about what it takes to be a black belt.
Pointing out that a BJJ blackbelt can sub a new blue belt quickly is just unnecessary. How does this advance your point exactly?
Actually, I take back that I agree with you in principle. I'm actually confused to what your actual point is...is it that getting a BB is hard? That is all I'm agreeing too.
What thread in particular are you responding to? Who are all these ppl who think that getting a BB is easy anyways.
Sultan- if you are speaking of my thread on which gym to choose- I am not trying to downgrade the importance of a black belt at all.
I am just saying that, if you are not formally trained by a true BJJ BB, but you can consistantly win tournaments at the BB level, I don't think that it is right to compete at any lower level.
Of course I am speaking at a much lower level, in my scenario I am talking about blue to purple, but my idea should theoritically carry over all of the way through to the BB.
If you are competing as a brown belt, and winning consistantly, competition after competition, I think that it is the correct action to move up a class to BB to test yourself at that skill level.
I still would not claim to be a true BB with all of the knowledge and experience of one, but I would compete at the BB level if that was where my skill level was at.
Someone like an old Mark Kerr (ok, maybe not so much now) could probably go into most BJJ comps and pull some wins over some BB's just with pure wrestling and sub-defense. I would say that this would make him a BB level competetor, but obviously not at the BB level for teaching jiu jitsu. To put him against some new white belts would not be fair.
So please don't think that I was taking value away from earning a true BB. I was speaking strictly about competition. The current rules allow someone like him to pull off wins against "better" jiu jitsu players.
"but wtf are you doing referencing your "little over a year" of training and shiny new blue belt as credentials that make you worthy to "inform" the BJJ forum about what it takes to be a black belt."
Who the hell said anything about me trying to give my credentials about what it takes to be a black belt.
I was giving them respect because a lot of no-gi/wrestlers act as if a black belt is so "easily attainable" or defeatable and completely undermine the level of knowledge that a black belt can offer.
"I wished i cared. Think of BJJ as a sport rather then a Martial Art and then you'll realise you shouldn't care who is a black belt, but rather could you kick their ass"
............ Most obvious troll, or stupidest person on earth, your call.
"I see it as Blue belts are on the varsity team. Purple belts are state champs. Brown belts are national champs/level and Black belts are world class."
Don't agree. There are plenty of non-world-class black belts (relative to other black belts, of course). The same goes for every level.
For example, I'm pretty sure that even though I am a blue belt, I wouldn't make the varsity team.
"realize that I am not the only person who thinks that you were trying to explain why you think you know what it takes to be a BB
I was giving props and respect to BB's. Some how the translation got lost.
Look, I'm not trying to argue the point, it's just that there are so many assholes in this place that it's unbelievable how quickly things get distorted.
Just because more than one person doesn't understand something doesn't mean you or they are correct.
"There are plenty of non-world-class black belts (relative to other black belts, of course). "
Well there are guys who get smoked the first round of world class wrestling tournaments. They most likely are much better than your average college wrestler, but they still will lose to the elite.