There’s no turning back. Teams are going to hold people back to get gold.
My thinking is that no one should be allowed to take the podium three years at one belt level. After two years at the podium, they need to move up a belt
No belt categories. Only weight and age.
Stop having world champions at different belts. You’re either the best in the world or you’re not. Or at the very least, do a junior worlds combining white/blue/purple and a seniors worlds combining brown and black.
James
Howard Kinnard -No belt categories. Only weight and age.
This, like Judo & Sambo
If you took the podium then you are pretty much the biggest sandbagger in the division by definition. The podium at colored belt pretty much is the list of the most under ranked people in the division.
Bouncing podium winners to the next belt acknowledges that “the best three or four blue/purple/brown belts in the world should pretty much be next in line for promotion before all other candidates.”
Drives those hungry to move up to compete which keeps the level high. Minimum division size to keep the walk-on medal chasers from moving up.
Winning beginner and intermediate levels is mainly an indicator that you need to move up to advanced/expert/pro divisions. Best beginner in the world has pretty much proven they need to me moved up to be challenged. Repeat the notion for subsequent belt ranks/level of expertise.
What’s the notion otherwise? Sure, you were the second best in the country last year as a blue/purple, and you’ve been training pretty much full time since then, but we went ahead and promoted like a thousand other guys before you so you might be the best blue belt in the whole world but you’re still not a purple belt in our eyes. Not like these other guys who you just beat in a jiujitsu tournament with a ref.
checkuroil -There’s no turning back. Teams are going to hold people back to get gold.
My thinking is that no one should be allowed to take the podium three years at one belt level. After two years at the podium, they need to move up a belt
I agree depending on the tourney. If you take the podium at world’s you should probably move up a belt immediately. Maybe some small tourney I could see two or possibly three times.
I’ve told this story here before…
I met a guy from Brazil who BARELY won the Mundials at Blue Belt. He came into town and trained for a week before the tournament. I was there at his matches. He was very good, but the final could have gone either way.
The guy was a Blue Belt who had been training over 10 years --mostly in Luta Livre in which he held a black Belt.
MY question: who the hell was the OTHER guy who he just barely beat…?!? What a nonsense system that these two guys are vying to be the “world’s best Blue Belt”.
As has been said before: the only fair division in BJJ is the Black Belt division.
BTW, in the past hasn’t the IBJJF “promoted” people after they have won a colored belt division a few times?
I thought I had heard about that happening.
Belts are a waste of time.
Another way is to have to register each belt grading when belt received, then have a time limit at each belt level for competition.This won’t eliminate it but would reduce those 7 year competitive blue belts.
I would like to see the IBJJF force promotions after a tournament season if you've either ...
- A: First place at any of the 4 major (Europeans, Pans, Brazilian Nationals, Worlds)
- B: 2 or more podium finishes at any of the 4 major
Tournament season would end after the Worlds in June.
But, I also think that the people complaining about sand bagging are making excuses for themselves. When I see a blue belt get mad about an AOJ blue belt winning his division at Worlds, I interpret that as them thinking they would have won if it had not been for that AOJ blue belt (just an example).
I suppose the issue here is that you do not have to qualify for Worlds if you are not an adult black belt. All belts should be required to qualify for the Worlds just as the black belts do.
Someone complained about one of my white belt students at a tournament last year --that she was sandbagging. I was thrilled, she had been training about 16 months, total. But we went to a couple tournaments in a row where she beat everyone and like 2 or 3 students at each tournament from the same school --their coach is the one that complained. She just happens to be one of those people who got good quick. She got her Blue a few months later (in a year and a half total), which is in no way, shape or form, “sandbagging”.
So SOMETIMES what appears to be sandbagging, isn’t. Some people just get good fast.
dustyaguas -I would like to see the IBJJF force promotions after a tournament season if you've either ...
- A: First place at any of the 4 major (Europeans, Pans, Brazilian Nationals, Worlds)
- B: 2 or more podium finishes at any of the 4 major
Tournament season would end after the Worlds in June.
But, I also think that the people complaining about sand bagging are making excuses for themselves. When I see a blue belt get mad about an AOJ blue belt winning his division at Worlds, I interpret that as them thinking they would have won if it had not been for that AOJ blue belt (just an example).
I suppose the issue here is that you do not have to qualify for Worlds if you are not an adult black belt. All belts should be required to qualify for the Worlds just as the black belts do.
I’m not talking about phenoms. I’m talking about the guys making the podium at worlds years in a row and not advancing
The only exception to some of these good ideas is the teenage phenoms. We have several former juvenile blue belt world champions on our team that have gone on to become adult world champions at purple belt. These kids smashed their opponents several years in a row at blue belt, but weren’t old enough to compete as adults or get promoted to purple belt. It appeared as if they were sandbagging but they had no choice but to compete as blue belts against other “kids”. I’ve been watching our one 18 year old purple belt world champ kick the shit out of club level black belts since he was a 15 year old green belt. Not his fault he’s a prodigy and he’s now competing against adults now that he’s old enough.
Even the AOJ blue belt killers are just not old enough to compete as adults. I don’t think it can be held against them that they started training as young as they did.
dustyaguas -I would like to see the IBJJF force promotions after a tournament season if you've either ...
- A: First place at any of the 4 major (Europeans, Pans, Brazilian Nationals, Worlds)
- B: 2 or more podium finishes at any of the 4 major
Tournament season would end after the Worlds in June.
But, I also think that the people complaining about sand bagging are making excuses for themselves. When I see a blue belt get mad about an AOJ blue belt winning his division at Worlds, I interpret that as them thinking they would have won if it had not been for that AOJ blue belt (just an example).
I suppose the issue here is that you do not have to qualify for Worlds if you are not an adult black belt. All belts should be required to qualify for the Worlds just as the black belts do.
Couldn’t agree more about qualifying. There were like 125 people in my division (if I decided to compete). It’s ridiculous
Garry Tonon said something really funny. He goes "Anyone can get straight A's if they take the second grade for four years in a row"
juanderlei -The only exception to some of these good ideas is the teenage phenoms. We have several former juvenile blue belt world champions on our team that have gone on to become adult world champions at purple belt. These kids smashed their opponents several years in a row at blue belt, but weren’t old enough to compete as adults or get promoted to purple belt. It appeared as if they were sandbagging but they had no choice but to compete as blue belts against other “kids”. I’ve been watching our one 18 year old purple belt world champ kick the shit out of club level black belts since he was a 15 year old green belt. Not his fault he’s a prodigy and he’s now competing against adults now that he’s old enough.
Even the AOJ blue belt killers are just not old enough to compete as adults. I don’t think it can be held against them that they started training as young as they did.
How is that possible since the IBJJF minimum age for both Blue belt and Purple belt is 16?
How about you get two years of competing at each belt from when you first register with Ibjjf. Two years at white, two at blue etc. after that period expires you can't compete at that belt anymore. Also if you win gold at that belt you are ineligible to compete at that belt in future.
Also, I think a good idea would be qualifying for world championships by winning your regional/ national championship. Doesn't make sense to me to have a sport where the world championships are contested by teams which members pay to be part of
Denis Kelly -How about you get two years of competing at each belt from when you first register with Ibjjf. Two years at white, two at blue etc. after that period expires you can't compete at that belt anymore. Also if you win gold at that belt you are ineligible to compete at that belt in future.
Also, I think a good idea would be qualifying for world championships by winning your regional/ national championship. Doesn't make sense to me to have a sport where the world championships are contested by teams which members pay to be part of
I think that is a great idea!
You can be a Purple Belt for 8 years if need be, BUT you can only compete for two of them.
Denis Kelly -How about you get two years of competing at each belt from when you first register with Ibjjf. Two years at white, two at blue etc. after that period expires you can't compete at that belt anymore. Also if you win gold at that belt you are ineligible to compete at that belt in future.
Also, I think a good idea would be qualifying for world championships by winning your regional/ national championship. Doesn't make sense to me to have a sport where the world championships are contested by teams which members pay to be part of
Only thing stopping that from happening is that currently white & blue belts don’t need IBJJF membership to compete. Though if the IBJJF used the date of the first comp they entered as the start date, they could measure the competitive time at each belt that way. This system would be very easy to implement IMO.
And totally agree about having regional qualifying events. At BB it’s about building up a certain level of points from results at the lower comps, but I much prefer the idea of regional qualifiers, like ADCC.
James