Black Belt Definiton

[CB Jones]

Fumio Demura also had some influence in the karate kid movies.

He was Pat Morita's stunt double and who Morita modeled the Mr. Miyagi character after.

 

[Headhunter]

So there's this fellow who got a black belt in BJJ. He says if you get a black belt in BJJ it really is quite an accomplishment. He says that if you get a Karate black belt its really no big deal since there's so many of them but with BJJ black belts they are much more rare and to get a black belt in BJJ you've really got to work hard and you've got to put in your time. So according to him getting a black belt in a style such as BJJ is quite different than getting it in Karate or some other style.

Well he sounds like an idiot. Sure there are bad katate black belts but there's also bad bjj black belts. It doesn't mean all of them are.

 

[Headhunter]

I don't use colored belts or higher ranks in my system. There is no master to point the way or set the next goal. Brothers and sisters in my style are encouraged to set their own personal goals and work toward reaching those goals in their spare time. Some progress faster than others. Some are more advanced than others. Some are younger, some are older. Some are faster, some are stronger. Some train harder and more often than others. No matter what though, my system always goes by age, oldest to youngest. Hence I have older brothers and younger brothers, juniors and seniors. Skill level isn't that important to us, but the training quality is always higher than expected without bias, meaning there is no leniency for women or children, for the elderly or handicapped. Everyone is treated equally and pushed to their very limits, at their own pace of course. This works well for our style, or at least I think it does. I haven't trained with many disabled persons in my lifetime, just one guy in a wheelchair who developed some amazing arm strength/speed. Right now, the oldest person to practice my system is 39-years-old, hardly the oldest MAist on the block. So we'll just have to wait to see how well this system works in 20 years from now if it survives.

I thought you didn't teach anyone...

 

[Mou Meng Gung Fu]

I thought you didn't teach anyone...

I don't teach Mou Meng Gung Fu to anyone outside the family. The family includes only those who are related by DNA, through marraige or personal relationships or through living arrangements and long-term family friendships. It's a closed-door system, in orther words. I do not teach the public.

 

[TSDTexan]

Fumio Demura also had some influence in the karate kid movies.

He was Pat Morita's stunt double and who Morita modeled the Mr. Miyagi character after.

I had heard that. Looked into it, and it's true, but Pat Morita character as written by Robert Mark Kamen was modeled and named after Chojun Migagi... so yes I agree with you.

 

[PhotonGuy]

Well he sounds like an idiot. Sure there are bad katate black belts but there's also bad bjj black belts. It doesn't mean all of them are.

At least for now you aren't going to find any bad BJJ black belts. Anybody who has earned a black belt in BJJ didn't earn it by being bad. Sadly that might soon change, the way more and more schools claim to teach BJJ and how the style is becoming more and more commercialized.

 

[Mou Meng Gung Fu]

At least for now you aren't going to find any bad BJJ black belts. Anybody who has earned a black belt in BJJ didn't earn it by being bad. Sadly that might soon change, the way more and more schools claim to teach BJJ and how the style is becoming more and more commercialized.

I don't keep up with the BJJ/MMA politics, but I witnessed a wrestling match between a Japanese Hawaiin judoka and a Japanese Brazilian judoka. Both were really talented in stand-up grappling and ground wrestling, but the smaller Hawaiin judoka showed more expertise. On the other hand, I trained with a few BJJ practioners from the Machado lineage who were not only very talented, but also very fluid and adaptable. They were submitting MMA stylists during sparring matches within seconds. So I guess it just depends on what your exposure is. Some are better than others. That's all I know.

 

[kuniggety]

I don't keep up with the BJJ/MMA politics, but I witnessed a wrestling match between a Japanese Hawaiin judoka and a Japanese Brazilian judoka. Both were really talented in stand-up grappling and ground wrestling, but the smaller Hawaiin judoka showed more expertise. On the other hand, I trained with a few BJJ practioners from the Machado lineage who were not only very talented, but also very fluid and adaptable. They were submitting MMA stylists during sparring matches within seconds. So I guess it just depends on what your exposure is. Some are better than others. That's all I know.

Of course some are better than others. That goes with any skill. Any person who has a black belt in BJJ would firmly be considered an advanced player/expert of the art. But then that also spans up to those who are elite which many are not. Judo is another grappling art which is the same. You can find judo, sambo, catch wrestling, etc practitioners that can beat a BJJ black belt if they've put in the mat time themselves.

 

[Headhunter]

At least for now you aren't going to find any bad BJJ black belts. Anybody who has earned a black belt in BJJ didn't earn it by being bad. Sadly that might soon change, the way more and more schools claim to teach BJJ and how the style is becoming more and more commercialized.

Yes you are:

 

[Paul_D]

Any school that is run by the Gracies or teaches under the Gracie name will not be a belt factory.

Does Gracie University steel send out belts in the mail if you record yourself doing techniques, or has that stopped now?

 

[JR 137]

At least for now you aren't going to find any bad BJJ black belts. Anybody who has earned a black belt in BJJ didn't earn it by being bad. Sadly that might soon change, the way more and more schools claim to teach BJJ and how the style is becoming more and more commercialized.

What about Rigan Machado's "flow- jujitsu" where celebrities train and earn BJJ rank without actually rolling? How long will it be before it's offered to the general public and by other BJJ schools?

Rigan Machado Designs Jiu-Jitsu System without Sparring for Celebrities

 

[TSDTexan]

What about Rigan Machado's "flow- jujitsu" where celebrities train and earn BJJ rank without actually rolling? How long will it be before it's offered to the general public and by other BJJ schools?

Rigan Machado Designs Jiu-Jitsu System without Sparring for Celebrities

Where's the pressure testing?
How much does he charge said celebrities?

Ed O'Neill (Al Bundy) earned his BB after working on it 22 years under Rorion Gracie.
He never showed up on camera looking so wrecked that "makeup" could not make him camera ready.

Sounds like a cop out.... and I have lost respect for Vin Diesel for going to this "no roll" bjj program.

 

[JR 137]

Where's the pressure testing?
How much does he charge said celebrities?

Ed O'Neill (Al Bundy) earned his BB after working on it 22 years under Rorion Gracie.
He never showed up on camera looking so wrecked that "makeup" could not make him camera ready.

Sounds like a cop out.... and I have lost respect for Vin Diesel for going to this "no roll" bjj program.

If they're smart, they'd charge celebrities nothing or minimally. The whole "Vin Diesel trains here, so it must be great" mentality.

I've seen Ed O'Neil rolling in videos. He's legit. While I don't think he'd tear up the BB divisions at tournaments, I'm quite sure he'd hold his own against anyone his age, physical condition, training methods, etc.

As far as loosing respect for the actors, I don't. They've got to protect their livelihoods. A dislocated elbow could mean missing out on a movie roll. I can't definitely say I'd be any different, although I'd like to. The blame is on Machado on this one. Then again, he's increasing his and BJJ's popularity as a whole. Sacrifice a few for the good of the whole?

 

[kuniggety]

Does Gracie University steel send out belts in the mail if you record yourself doing techniques, or has that stopped now?

A belt is just a belt but the big uproar initially was that they were handing out blue belts which should signify a significant milestone in one's BJJ journey. They initially changed it to a "technical" blue belt and then it changed it again to a "combatives belt" which is a white belt with a blue-gray stripe I think.

 

[KenpoMaster805]

a black belt is a white belt who never gives up

 

[TSDTexan]

.

 

[TSDTexan]

If they're smart, they'd charge celebrities nothing or minimally. The whole "Vin Diesel trains here, so it must be great" mentality.

I've seen Ed O'Neil rolling in videos. He's legit. While I don't think he'd tear up the BB divisions at tournaments, I'm quite sure he'd hold his own against anyone his age, physical condition, training methods, etc.

As far as loosing respect for the actors, I don't. They've got to protect their livelihoods. A dislocated elbow could mean missing out on a movie roll. I can't definitely say I'd be any different, although I'd like to. The blame is on Machado on this one. Then again, he's increasing his and BJJ's popularity as a whole. Sacrifice a few for the good of the whole?

This is the dilemma of grappling / striking arts. Dr. Jigaro Kano simplified, and removed the more dangerous techniques for his Judo.

The karate of Gitchin Funakoshi was also abbreviated.

But without aliveness, or pressure testing there remains considerible doubts in the mind of many practitioners whether the will be able to actually perform under a real world fight.

Kano's judo while argued to be safer than the jujitsu arts it was derived from, still lead to injurits.

For example:
Techniques like Kani Basami have perma-crippled athletes in competition ( see Yasuhiro Yamashita v. Sumio Endo ) and were sanctioned out of use.

Bjj does have dangerous techniques, but if you don't roll, how will you learn control?

Let's argue that Vin Diesel learns how to apply the techniques, but has not learned how to control power in application..
In an event where bodyguards were absent...

He could open himself to a wrongful death, or bodily harm lawsuit, from the perp (or surviving family members) who lost, but knows someone who is good at chasing ambulances, and arguing cases.

Yes, he would probably win the lawsuit, but at a financial cost, and a loss of time, and emotional distress.

In the end, if BJJ such as this, allows itself to discard rolling, it risks facing the same criticism that other TMAs face.

 

[Headhunter]

What about Rigan Machado's "flow- jujitsu" where celebrities train and earn BJJ rank without actually rolling? How long will it be before it's offered to the general public and by other BJJ schools?

Rigan Machado Designs Jiu-Jitsu System without Sparring for Celebrities

Yeah that's total garbage...it's not like it's even a striking art where you could get away with that by showing your combos

 

[Headhunter]

I don't teach Mou Meng Gung Fu to anyone outside the family. The family includes only those who are related by DNA, through marraige or personal relationships or through living arrangements and long-term family friendships. It's a closed-door system, in orther words. I do not teach the public.

Ah okay I get it that way you get only positive reviews because your family wants to be nice

 

[Mou Meng Gung Fu]

Ah okay I get it that way you get only positive reviews because your family wants to be nice

Exactly! Lol it's kind of like how you only get good reviews in bed because your wife wants to be nice.