How Hard Is It To Get A Black Belt? 🥋

[@humbertopedraza147]

Before any talks shit about black belts, Please go to your nearest gym and roll with a black belt..

[@FaseHardBody1]

🤦🏽‍♂️

[@Dylbo_Baggins_]

I’ve been training for a few years now and one of our black belts makes me feel like it’s my first day every time we roll.

[@ChipCage]

black belts are for real, man. Im a purple belt and continue being outclassed by legit black belts roughly every train

[@bennybooboo6789]

@@Dylbo_Baggins_ It's like that me rolling with my coach. I've been at it 14 years, happy to say I got my black belt last year. He's been black for as long as I've been training, there's ALWAYS things he does that still blow my mind and make me feel like I know nothing.

[@throaway-xu3be]

I guess the point is that "completely terrible" to someone like Craig jones means something entirely different than to the average guy.

[@andrewf6111]

This is the chad version of lex fridman podcast

[@maxkiim]

😂

[@ihatetheantichrist2752]

non omocexual juice goyslop*

[@LHSlash]

Ahahahah😂

[@colindavidson6483]

Nice

[@TheGoldenLad7]

Lex fridman is a Chad

[@alexs1972]

Craig isnt wrong anywhere, but i will say something to touch on is a black belt in jiujitsu or judo is typically far better at mastery of their respective art than a black belt in say karate or tkd. The fact is, competition is such a prevelant part of the culture, that it acts as a yard stick thats brought back to most gyms. That with the ability to go 100% every time you train, gym or competition, really doesnt allow much bullsh** to sneak by from belt to belt.

[@VGEmblem]

There's an extra explanation there. In (many) Eastern arts, like karate, blackbelt is actually the "knows all the fundamentals" level. It doesn't mean master. If anything it's more like a (very thorough) blue belt in jiu jitsu.

[@mihneaiordan1813]

​@@VGEmblem I'm pretty sure the Japanese term for black belt is something that also means "beginning". Because now the real training starts.

[@TheBlackestRune]

@@VGEmblem Very True

[@jastrckl]

@@mihneaiordan1813初段 - "first stage" or "beginning degree"

[@m.b.593]

I would add Kyokushin black belts in with the bjj and judo black belts

[@aqeelkeeling4977]

This man got me rethinking what I’m doing with my life😂😂

[@Canecorso14]

ya am going to quit jiujitsu 😂

[@jamesleon2770]

Lol same

[@francisconikotian2326]

my fat ass going to a mid level Bjj class 2 times a week

[@claymac7895]

A legit black belt level skillset is like having superhero powers in the every day world. It means a LOT.

[@nile7999]

It means nothing. If you live in a safe first world country you don't need self defense skills 😂😂

[@therainman7777]

@@nile7999And if you don’t?

[@dogestranding5047]

@@nile7999All it takes is one criminal living in your “safe” community for you to require it.

[@DaveReithmiller1983]

@@nile7999 Can you name me a country that has zero violent crime?

[@alexandereisen3486]

@@nile7999that is literally the dumbest comment on KZbin history. Congrats!!!

[@2008israelramos]

I won purple and brown belt master worlds and don’t feel like I deserve my black belt. There’s just so many levels at black belt that I can feel like a white belt against certain black belts.

[@user-uk9er5vw4c]

you won the master worlds 2 times? That's legendary

[@zolpy11]

If I won worlds in any form I'd be showing up the next day waiting for my new belt

[@roguewarrior7217]

I think that's called sand bagging....

[@NotUrDJ]

Change your school if they're just handing it out like that

[@certifiedredditgenius]

​@@NotUrDJif he won world's twice, I'm sure he's a legit black belt. But levels are real man. I've seen black belts get decimated by multiple stripe black belts that are smaller. Craig Jones would destroy the best guy I know

[@alext7202]

4:45 this is the definition of sandbagging

[@TheBalaloca]

Nice 🎉🎉

[@omarbojorquez7826]

Who cares

[@Swansational]

It seems like all comp teams do it these days to different degrees.

[@alext7202]

@@Swansational That's why BJ Penn is the goat. Black belt in 3 years no fucking around.

[@damianrangel197]

Sandbagging is when you’re a black belt competing against lower belts or when you’re black belt but say you’re a lower belt

[@Sean-xr1xj]

I knew Craig would diminish it like this lol. I get what he's saying but if the coach is legit and you're a black belt then you're usually pretty damn good - about 10 years average training. But some guys are just so good these days they're getting them a lot quicker.

[@alexcardoso4487]

Its because the when we look for competitions belts system dont work. In a tornament its all about performance

[@rl3722]

16 years for me LOL.. one thing about Jiu Jitsu is the mats don’t lie. Worked full time since I started training.

[@Spaxcore]

I think a better way of saying it is there's black belts and there's BLACK BELTS. It doesn't really signify a super specific point.

[@PlatinumNVD]

Damn! Craig was spilling all the business secrets here 😂😂😂

[@stover954rr]

And I'm all for it!!

[@BlahBlahFreeman]

Bro Islam and Khabib were talking about how garbage the belt system was forever.

[@shriekinleada794]

He’s partially correct. But I can guarantee you the average BJJ black belt has a good level of BJJ.

[@JurgenFlop]

Everyone knows that bjj is scam anyway. The whole thing is pure Marketing.

[@nba_fan7214]

@@shriekinleada794 Yea I've never heard of someone getting a black belt and being terrible at BJJ. Maybe compared to Craig they're terrible but any legit gym I've never seen someone get even a purple belt if they're not very good.

[@JamesKarren]

You could have a PhD in dance and be a terrible dancer and make the Olympics…..from Australia

[@soundtorial4567]

She cheated her way into the olympics, Her husband and Friends were on the Jurys multiple Times in Australia lmao

[@mattybee1856]

Now this is funny.

[@evanhughes3027]

Cheers, mate.

[@TheOneBadAssGamer]

It she gave me a great jiu-jitsu warm up routine. I mean did you see those shrimps.

[@megag52]

Like that would ever happen 😂

[@robcubed9557]

I want to add my 2 cents. Belts need to factored with AGE, SIZE, and any injures/recent illnesses and also other grappling knowledge. A 65 year old 150 lb black belt will struggle with a 200 lb 22 year old D1 college wrestler who has 6 weeks of BJJ training.

[@JK.Montague]

Love Craig but this is over exaggerated a bit. I’m a purple belt and I’ve been to many gyms in the US and Brazil, at least 20-30 overall, and the belt system has held up well wherever I’ve trained, excluding one gym in São Paulo where I was beating purple belts as a 4-stripe white. Everywhere else, I reliably know the approximate skill level of the person by their belt color with few exceptions.

[@yousufleads]

Cool story bro

[@SweetandFullofGrace]

So you have more knowledge on this issue by your experience than Craig? Mate you might have been chocked out too many times.

[@andreborges2106]

very true. Been training for 26 years and have been to more gyms than I can count. Usually, the belts are a good way to assess the roll you are about to have.

[@andreborges2106]

@@SweetandFullofGrace don't hang on Craig's nuts so hard bro, he doesn't need it . I think I was a black belt by the time Crag even started training, so I think my experience matters as much as the next guy who's been training for a while and moved around different gyms. We all know Jones doesn't miss an opportunity to diss the gi folks, but he comes across as a nice guy, not bashing him for his comment. It's just his opinion at the end of the day.

[@SweetandFullofGrace]

@@andreborges2106 Might you be looking at this with the kimono glasses on? Mcjiujitsu is real thing or is it not? Firas has talked about this too, not sure you put any weight to his words. Also I didnt really call you out. Was just saying it, just because you had math in school doesnt really make you a rocket scientist. A competition heavy gym will be always different. They arent really giving out belts in Dagestan (well I guess in sambo but you get my point).

[@frank3283]

Its easy for Craig Jones to belittle the meaning of a black belt when he has been an elite, and has trained with and competed with the other elites for so long. He is truly BJJ royalty looking down on and scoffing at the peasants. Of course there is a wide spectrum of skill within the black belt ranks, but the "bad" black belts are still "good" and have dedicated a decade or more to training. It isnt easy to show up for the grind three days a week for ten years.

[@coachjonjiujitsu]

I completely agree.

[@shriekinleada794]

Yep very true. Craig is unusual because he constantly talks about how dumb BJJ is but has dedicated his life to the sport

[@loyreyenas7478]

Yeah he's in the top 0.001% in the sport so his opinion is like talking to Elon musk about the economy

[@MT-vx6sy]

excellent point

[@JJDon5150]

Craig isn't dumb. If anyone trains multiple arts, they actually see how little belts really mean. Look at the belt system in Judo, or the way wrestling views belts. Most martial arts don't intend the black belt to be the end all be all. Its usually just a symbol that means you're competent in your martial art. The black belt as we see it in BJJ today was largely created through marketing hype from the Gracie's. Its evident that it worked by all the responses to the video about people getting pissed off about Craig's opinion on this.

[@blue_samurai_zero]

People outside the IBJJF will make getting each strip/belt way too easy or appropriately difficult. As a hobbyist working hard, if you're training 3+ times per week in a good structure (e.g. same drill lesson for a whole week with rolling after each class), then you may grow by a rank (single stripe or every 5th is a belt) every 6 months. 4 stripes + Belt = 5 hops. 5 hops x 6mo each = 2.5 years per belt. 4 colours up from white = 10 years. That's the 10 year average he mentioned. Find an instructor who cares about more than just "time on the mat" and helps you grow into a hunger for learning & growing rather than caring about rank. Grow into a feeling for body, balance, weight, position, and an "unconscious awareness" of one's limbs, growing out of specific recipes of sequences that make a move. If you're getting random lessons each class that don't grow the students in this direction, maybe drop in with another instructor. Blue = a white who isn't a spaz anymore. After that, stop caring about your own rank. Care about your growth.

[@MexicanOREOz]

true as hell man

[@lclement04]

Yeah but people doing the same thing there’s still gunna be outliers. That’s what Craig was saying… belts are stupid it’s a marketing scheme. Did u even watch the video?

[@WXYZ9998]

@@lclement04Do you know Craig Jones personally? If you know *him personally then you know his character and taking his word as gold would make sense for you. On the contrary, if you don’t know Craig Jones personally why would you take a strangers word as gold? This is the problem with society and social media.

[@JacobsNews]

​@@WXYZ9998I think we should definitely consider the opinion of one of the best Grapplers in the world😂😂😂😂 if he was talking about swimming maybe not so much

[@Danlovestrivium]

@@lclement04 It's not a marketing scheme. It's a proven why to give a practitioner validation and the motivation to continue. It could be abused and used as a marketing scheme, but stripes and belts in and of themselves are not a marketing scheme. Having a way to measure your progress is a very important part of anything you invest your time into whether it's weight training, running or BJJ.

[@smasha1234]

As a hobbyist it's a symbol of the hard work and dedication you have put in . Especially if you admire and value the professor who gave it to you.

[@seer775]

gay

[@ray-o1659]

The belt system is just a recognition of time spent practicing the art and the knowledge attained during that time. Legend has it that in the past, there were only white and black belts. The white belts got darker (dirtier) as the practioner spent time on the mats. Thus, it was easy to recognize who had more experience training.

[@sinisavincic]

"I guess you can have a PHD and be an idiot" hahaha Craig is the best

[@burlapenfilms6942]

Seems to me that a belt can help people to know that you were high level at one point. An old black belt may lose to a young, athletic blue or purple but the belt signifies at some point that probably wouldn’t have happened. It’s a reminder that you put in the hours even as your athleticism fades. 🤷‍♂️

[@SeaOrcRonnie]

Good take 👍

[@coachjonjiujitsu]

Indeed

[@Swanmaster123]

Up to people what they want to believe. At the end of the Craig plays his character to stay interesting. While there may be exceptions and nuances at certain gyms, the belt system in BJJ holds up extremely well (generally speaking). From Craig's perspective as a professional grappler (and this applies to other pros as well) the belt system might not mean as much. But to get a black belt in BJJ takes 10-15 years of consistent training. Most people can't stay consistent with most things for even 6 months. To maintain that for 10+ years - that alone is a huge achievement. There's a lot of non-grappliers in these comments that have never trained a day in their life. If you want to test it out, just go to your local MMA gym and sign up for a free trial week. Untrained folks will find themselves getting literally smashed sparring against 1 or 2 stripe white belts that have been training for 6 months. Black belts will do that to seasoned blue and purple belts.

[@michaelspoto8720]

That is so true about the stripes in the beginning. Every day you get your ass kicked but that piece of tape on your belt means the world lol

[@Maxmarvelus]

It's important for children to keep them motivated

[@michaelspoto8720]

@Maxmarvelus shit man I'm 36 and it keeps me motivated. My wife says I'm a child tho

[@Maxmarvelus]

@ fair enough 😀 you must be doing something right if you found somebody to put up with your bullshit😃

[@DJFlemmyFlem]

The super saiyan reference was PEAK

[@rl3722]

Took me 16 years to get my BB. It’s equivalent to a degree. Just because you graduated as an attorney or doctor doesn’t mean you’re going to be a successful doctor or attorney. The only thing that talks is the mats, the mats don’t lie.

[@PhillipBlackburn-ik5bb]

Nah, you got scammed. How much did you pay for your belt?😂

[@rl3722]

@ pay? I’ve trained BJJ since 2005

[@PhillipBlackburn-ik5bb]

@@rl3722 Great. how much did your belt test cost?

[@baudopl1]

Unpopular opinion but its mine. I train bjj for 4 years now and still "white belt" because I dont want to pay to do exams and change belts, I strong belive that you need to find information online and study by yourself not only do what your professor say, I'm able to finish a brown belt on training and win almost every blue belt thats my weight, I train 2 times per week and watch a bunch of strategies, the only dumb thing is that I cant do some techniques like leg locks and stuff like that but I'm fine with that really. Helio gracie sometimes used blue belt on gym to simbolize that belts mean nothing, in the end we are just a buch of guys in pijamas trying to finish each other

[@artygunnar]

you should probably change gyms if you have to "pay" extra to do exam and change belts...

[@aaronsutich-ursell8670]

Exams ???

[@viadharmawheel]

@@aaronsutich-ursell8670 Crazy, never paid for exams or belts in Judo or Tang Soo Do. Your monthly dues are more than enough to cover a cheap belt and the exams are on a regular basis anyway. It is a business.

[@Swaggerbagger5000]

1. **Skill Assessment**: The belt system provides a clear indication of a practitioner's skill level, allowing for appropriate matching in sparring and training. 2. **Structure and Hierarchy**: The belt system creates a structured environment, ensuring that respect and discipline are maintained within the gym. 3. **Teaching and Learning**: Higher belts are encouraged to teach and mentor lower belts, which reinforces the knowledge of the advanced students and helps the beginners learn more effectively. 4. **Community Building**: The belt system fosters a sense of belonging and camaraderie among practitioners, as everyone is working toward similar goals. 5. **Safety**: Knowing the belt level of training partners helps in adjusting the intensity of sparring, reducing the risk of injury. 6. **Goal Setting**: The belt system provides clear, achievable goals for students to work towards, helping them to focus and measure their progress. 7. **Standardization**: It helps standardize skill levels across different gyms, ensuring that a blue belt in one gym is generally at the same level as a blue belt in another. 8. **Cultural Identity**: The belt system is a fundamental part of BJJ culture, linking it to its roots in judo and Japanese martial arts, and helping to preserve its traditions. 9. **Encourages Patience and Persistence**: Since it often takes years to advance belts, it teaches students the value of patience, persistence, and long-term commitment. 10. **Developing Leadership**: Higher belts often take on leadership roles within the gym, helping to manage classes, organize events, and mentor others.

[@AGuy-s5v]

With the amount of sandbagging many competition gyms do to blue belts, standardization basically removed itself from the list.

[@Swaggerbagger5000]

@@AGuy-s5v The very concept of sandbagging implies that theres a standard to deviate from.

[@AGuy-s5v]

@@Swaggerbagger5000 And it has been deviated from.. It has gotten to the point where these formerly sandbagged blue belts have been sandbagged to the point that when they become purple belts they are dominating black belts. Are you not paying attention to the conversations around the topic concerning the redefining of the belts and what progress should look like?

[@crunkw2]

This is on point

[@witty0_062]

Man is straight up chatgpt

[@BorreliBJJ]

I don’t agree w/ Craig here. For the most part, if u have been given a black belt and can trace the instructor back to the Gracie’s you are legit. It means a lot and there is a lot of dedication and sacrifice to get there.

[@jmat7000]

There was online gracie gym

[@muscletribe]

That black belt could be a bus driver 😂

[@TheOneBadAssGamer]

I was really excited when I got my first strip. But I quickly discovered what Craig is talking about with the validation. When I got my second one I was pretty in indifferent to it. Of course I shook my coach’s hand and thanked them. They really don’t matter that much I see them more as recognition of the dedication to show up even though you suck.

[@fred4800]

Good to see an extremely high level bjj competitor talk about this. Most people like to say belts don't matter when they clearly do and this shows it.

[@CompleteCommando]

This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. “You can be a black belt and be terrible” no you can’t.

[@hudsondecker5385]

What he is saying is 99% accurate. He's also a comedian.

[@dubyusmc]

BJJ is pretty much consistent across the world when it comes to the belt system. Skill n experience def shows through in the mat. Most people actually don’t feel like they deserve the next belt up bc they think they are not at that level yet. It’s normally when you can hang with a certain belt color that’s when u get promoted. But imposter syndrome is real especially when getting the blue belt. Then you catch higher belts now and then and you feel better about it.

[@fragglerock5696]

I dont see anything wrong with the belt system.. especially in BJJ as any legit BJJ school takes the training seriously and the belts are definetly earned. The general public need something to work towards and the belt system is a good way to measure that..

[@Driving-home_alone]

I'm a brown belt in jujitsu, it takes years to get this level. Even longer for black. Don't let people trick you into thinking it's about marketing. If you're in any type of decent school, you don't get to black if you have no skill. Not sure why that fool is calling it just marketing.

[@Corrupted-file]

“That fool” 😆 You should explain how “foolish” he is to his face, Mr. Brown Belt.

[@Mr_T_a4m]

@@Corrupted-filea brown belt who doesn’t know who this guy is 😆 legit.

[@rabidraccoon1201]

Your experience is like mine. My Kempo school had no belts. We were instructors or not. The place down the street gave belts out monthly because people expected it for what they were paying. Dont let your good school fool you into not admitting there are more bad than good martial art schools.

[@rleften5788]

You are kinda agreeing with him though right? Because you said yourself "If you're in any type of decent school", there are definitely a lot of schools out there that giving belts either too easily, or making them too hard to get. So you end up with a situation where the brown belt itself doesn't mean that much outside of your particular school, unless your school is particularly famous and well known.

[@Steven-jd3ey]

"That fool" would submit every person in your schools history in a row. He was clearly joking.

[@Dreaming-11]

I disagree, there are a lot of exceptions BUT the belts are rewards to your time and effort and they are generally correlated with your resulting skills. Go to any jiu-jitsu gym and this will be clear.

[@BrianBirdy]

Craig is such a coral belt in trolling 😂😂😂

[@Terrance_V_]

Craig said it was a marketing scheme 6 times just for Derek to say “so it’s just a big marketing scheme?”

[@shriekinleada794]

Most black belts I know train more than lower belts, so the whole marketing strategy thing doesn’t make much sense, especially considering other martial arts give out black belts in a couple of years

[@GaryCooper12]

But by that point you’re completely invested. A lot of blue or whites wouldn’t have kept going if the next belt wasn’t in sight

[@itineraryofamartialartists6082]

Man that's the man we needed to calm people down, and make them realize they weren't so special . Too many BJJ people with all due respect, see themselves as superior beings . Just chill out . Today you live, tomorrow you die, just like anybody else. The more I get to know his views and Ideas, the more I appreciate him . I'm sure many people get pissed, but keep going Craig ahahah

[@afpdpatterson]

No one seriously thinks being a blackbelt is guarantees winning every fight, or being immune to injury, or being the best of the best. Of *course* there are shitty blackbelts. Of *course* there are blackbelts who are better (worse) than other blackbelts. But this is all consistent with the fact that having earned a blackbelt legitimately is a pretty reliable indicator that the person is pretty good at what they do. It's a terrible argument to the claim that "black belts are meaningless" or something just because *some* who have them may be bad even though most are not. Same with Ph.Ds. Of *course* some PhDs are dumb. But that doesn't; mean a PhD is not a legitimate, reliable indicator of expertise in an area.

[@Mappy8899]

Lots of ground covered in a short time. Lots of truth. Love it

[@socalrefrigeration548]

“It depends on who gave it” is the important part. To get a black belt you’re now a representative of the school. Very few schools will just give that out to someone who’s getting beat up all the time. The other belts are just meant to keep students on an equal level. When sparring and possible injuries are involved that’s a requirement. But what Craig is talking about is taps over belts.

[@mattybee1856]

Craig shits on hobbyists at every opportunity. He's also not wrong.

[@regiyah]

I somewhat agree because I truly do suck and I’m a brown belt buuuuuuut you level up in comparison to your previous self and not in comparison to others. That’s the true meaning of the belt.

[@UGGC777]

Craig Jones combines his distain for anything serious while he puts down the system of martial arts while admitting he respects it and he’s a part of it you can’t believe anything. He says it’s like listening to a Australian version of uncle Chael

[@tangomike5149]

I like Craig but sometimes he is really see through with the pretending to be that laid back he is almost horizontal. He knows EXACTLY how many years it takes per stripe on a Black Belt. The blokes life is literally BJJ. I get the persona but sometimes it is annoying.

[@SeaOrcRonnie]

I agree.

[@scotttoccs03]

I don't know. 3 years for the first couple of degrees is common knowledge, but I don't think he would know beyond that - considering he hasn't competed in the Gi at black belt (I think).

[@loyreyenas7478]

Yeah really disagree with him on this one, just seems like an "elitist" bjj opinion tbh

[@MegaRice28]

THANK YOU

[@KierstynSchultz]

I think when you get a purple belt you are basically a black belt you just need to find your style. Michael Pixley who is a purple belt and ncaa d2 wrestling champ and he beat Nicholas mergali who is a black belt. The belt is an illusion.

[@Cooowop]

Many fake black belts these days. Fake may not be the right word, but financially motivated black belts. A real black belt takes many many years, if ever

[@henzoko5946]

UFC has a lot of fake black belts and in MMA in general much more

[@yeezus292]

@@henzoko5946I think you vastly underestimate how good UFC guys are. If you train the average black belt at your gym will get killed by one of those “fake” black belts. They are grappling with the best fighters in the world and it’s not pure jiu jitsu.

[@Delltah1]

@@henzoko5946Alex Pereira has a black belt. He can probably submit most guys but I doubt he could teach a seminar or knows anything about like complex guards or leg locks, etc..

[@PauloBerni699]

Stripes after BB is purely administrative, but you should never rest on your knowledge.

[@shriekinleada794]

@@henzoko5946you’re just piggybacking what the dagestani wrestlers say, and they are incorrect. Just because a black belt performs poorly in MMA it doesn’t invalidate their belt.

[@yaacheese8643]

I did BJJ when I was younger for about a year. So many years later, I want to do it again, but I’d like to have a gym where there is more teaching of fundamentals. Almost all gyms here throw you to the wolves on your first day of class and you have no idea what’s going on. Getting slapped around here and there.

[@Kinosis79]

Check out the Gracie Combatives program.

[@evr0.904]

Stop being a weenie and understand that's part of the process.

[@jaydeeee668]

@@Kinosis79Gracie BJJ is the most fun I’ve had fight training

[@NTRURESH]

I think ultimately he is saying to train no matter but out of the love of it. Muy Thai fighters do get rank and boxers get ranked as well when they go pro. Everything has rank. You should love your training first and how it prepares you for the fight but after that does it matter if it takes you 6/7 years to get your purple belt or 10/14 years to get your Black belt if you enjoyed your own self process.

[@patrickgavin2012]

the original belt system was popularized in judo by Jigoro Kano and there were two belts. White (learner) and black (teacher), that was it.

[@acct5910]

Craig exposing the Gracie marketing tactics

[@russtang24]

Everyone wants a black belt until you get one, then it’s like you’re walking around with a big target on your head

[@gnqan00]

Got my black belt in a little under 6 years. Started when i was 21…now I’m 27. From white to purple i was definitely training 6-7 days a week 2-3 hours a day and competing often. Brown i slowed down cause started school full time and got a gf. Brown was my longest belt i think at almost 2 years. Looking back on things…kinda wish i was purple longer. That was a fun belt. Once I got brown….it felt like I had to be a responsible upper belt to lower belts.

[@saljablo2767]

Typical. Everyone rushes up the chain and then once they hit the top, starts to tell everyone else to slow down.

[@gnqan00]

@ Your putting words in my mouth. I said I wish I was a purple belt longer. Not one sentence implies I think ppl should slow down.

[@davidyu9747]

For every Craig Jones or Nicky Rod who disqualifies the importance of a Black Belt (even tho he still gives them out?), the are 100,000 naysayers who are totally unqualified to think such. I can guarantee 99.999% of everyone in these comments who scoff at a Black Belt will not be able to survive a Purple belt for more than 1 minute. We are talking about the everyday human, not a Lebron James, Barry Bonds, Michael Phelps. The average BJJ Black Belt is a certified killer against 99.9% of the world. But yes there are levels to this, as with anything

[@LS-sx5qo]

Long time ago a new student wore his white belt until it was so dirty it seemed black

[@AJLee0]

Black belt means you have mastered the basics. Theres is still so much after a black belt.

[@humbertopedraza147]

lol, no thats blue

[@ethangreene2288]

​@@humbertopedraza147nah man, the most common features among blues are the ability to defend/escape in multiple positions, pass guard competently with a handful of techniques, and usually have a couple a decent submission approaches.

[@ConlanMayer]

@@humbertopedraza147no one has mastered the basics at blue. If you’ve truly “mastered” the basics, you are a high level grappler.

[@humbertopedraza147]

@AJLee0 so what's beyond the basics?

[@TheJesusNacho]

You mean blue belt

[@benmaths2983]

This is Craig explaining to the headmaster why he got in a fight at school

[@grecojones]

This is why I like wrestling. No belts just tournament placement. State placer/champ, all American/National champ, world medalist/champion.

[@jd9119]

The thing with the belts though is if they motivate people to continue training and sticking with the sport, are they really all that bad? It's obviously a gimmick that works, but from the student's perspective, they stuck around a sport longer and was incentivized to work towards the next belt.

[@ericparis224]

@@jd9119they are for kids

[@jd9119]

@@ericparis224 I see plenty of adults talking about how they achieved their belts. It's a good gimmick to sell lessons. If it didn't work, nobody would be handing them out.

[@JacobsNews]

​@jd9119 it depends on the school. If you see a purple belt or blue belt at Renzo Gracie, that guy's going to be a monster.. not having any belts in a big school would be a little ridiculous🎉 like one time we had purple belts coming to the white belt class the coach acts what are you guys doing they said we practicing our submissions on these guys😂😂😂 then the black belt from Brazil said okay you guys are with me today and he just beat them up for 45 minutes😂

[@kali9779]

Wrestlers get strangled all day by white and blue belts 😂😂😂

[@yayaabd1860]

Kodak matching the drink to the beverage is diabolical :D

[@shaunmelville570]

This is so refreshing to hear

[@vids595]

VERY few people have gotten black belt n 4-5 years. When Geo Martinez did it it was big news.

[@adriansoto239]

As trained BJJ, muay thai, wrestling, samba, im here to tell you, all belts mean is knowledge in the specific craft. Since i was a white belt in BJJ having had experience in MMA prior, your physical abilities, drive and experience is what had me beating black belts regularly. Black belts tell you how much knowledge you have, but not combat experience.

[@blinkey9962]

I mean in 99% of bjj schools you roll every single class. So if you have a black belt you would have at least 2500+ rolls absolute minimum. Most likely 5-10000. SO No a BJJ black belt is not based on how much knowledge you have.

[@adriansoto239]

@blinkey9962 yea I see your point. But black belts don't mean anything in the end.

[@kevingray4980]

@@blinkey9962 Assuming you wouldn't butt scoot in a real fight, how many hours did you spar seriously on the feet? Strike defense? That varies by school, but usually pretty low.

[@kiraridegen]

i got my black belt in three months. i self trained bjj by watching almost 6000 hours of videos of craig’s and gordon’s DVD since covid, and have been practicing with a blow up doll i filled with sand every single day. even sleep with it too. for fitness i only did dips push ups pull ups neck bridges and heavy body shop work when i showed up to my first class, it was hilarious to see blue belts and white belts with stripes or football player newbies try to big bro me, and they asked how long i’ve been training while i tell them it’s my first day. after 3 months i submitted my instructor in front of everybody so he took off his black belt and put it on me then gave me the keys to the gym

[@DayneMichael]

This message is true for most systems of martial arts. There were no traditional systems that contained belt rankings until the 1900s when people realized foreigners would pay for ranks to take home and open schools.

[@johngaeta8628]

Physical size can make a big difference also. If you are bigger and stronger than your opponents of equal rank, you will have an advantage even if your skills are slightly less

[@everettenjeze6276]

That’s why it’s important to lift weights. Strength and technique make you a beast. Jim miller says it all the time.

[@k.k8291]

Hahaha great honesty. I like this guy.

[@Mikelvl3]

I got black belt in my first month

[@LordHolley]

how much?

[@TypingChimp1]

Congrats man !

[@JSocial31]

Your a beast! U should coach others so they can get it in 48hrs! 😂😂😂🤘🤘🤘

[@kaiserocha]

I got in 10 minutes

[@DontWorrySir]

Bruh you couldn’t even get a 99 in a month let alone a black belt. Even if it was cooking doing the wines method!

[@silverfox8801]

A black belt in bjj is the only black belt left in martial arts that means you are a legit tough guy. Maybe judo too in some areas. Kyokoshin is legit too in serious clubs.

[@paulattaboyatreides6414]

Out of most martial arts, BJJ is arguably the hardest and longest black belt to earn. There might be some McDojos in BJJ out there but those get quickly exposed in either cross training, word of mouth, and most of all in competition.

[@queenmaggies2677]

Thank you for saying the TRUTH. I have been saying this all along!!!!❤❤❤

[@GrimmyplaysFortnite]

He left out that being a black belt you have to be able to teach white belts. Might not be best black belt but you can help upcoming youth and new adults. Knowledge

[@GLOBAL-STRUGGLE]

I got a blach belch

[@jj-wp6wc]

Took me 10 years and an MMA fight to get mine in a small karate school. My instructor put me thru the grinder. I know good BJJ schools really deman alot from their students. That's how it ought to be. It should be a journey 🙏

[@Lobos222]

In Karate, when kids start, you mostly just learn the basics and ethics until you reach the first black belt. It is after that, that you start to learn how to fight and everything becomes allot less "karate classic" and more practical in context of fighting. Obviously allot of clubs are different, but this is the trend I saw. I got to brown 2nd (you have brown 3rd and then black 1st) before I was bored with karate, but I always noticed that my uncle, who had black 3rd or something, could allot of things and used them, that we were "not" allowed to use. Which meant actual fighting easier...

[@LiimpZ]

I think the idea of the red/coral belts was BJJ knowledge and having done something to push the sport ahead. Alas Craig Jones with his vast knowledge and a madly successfull CJI, he qualifies...

[@sidesplitters]

Craig Jones single-handedly gaslights a cult that's always taken itself too seriously... he makes me wish I was 12 years younger - and a woman.

[@jamesleon2770]

"peasants" brilliant

[@hivisboys]

If you are at a decent or legit gym, there is 0 hype around the belts. The belts do a good job of showing where your game is at, and the coaches are very careful about promotions based on your game. The only exception is if there's some older guys who are getting to higher belts based on their progress for their age, which is fine. The other exception is if there's a 230+ pound D1 college wrestler who comes in and is a white belt. That guy obviously is going to be tapping some upper belts. But I do not view this as 'marketing' at the gym I train at. Generally blue belts feel like blue belts and so on.

[@johnstamos4325]

Bingo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@CognitiveDisonance]

Colored belt are to help encourage people to stick with it. Black belt means you are proficient in the basics, and you are now capable of REALLY learning the art, and can earn second, third, fourth degree bb, etc.

[@CognitiveDisonance]

Most people give up long before they could ever reach black belt level, and many quit just as soon as they've achieved black belt

[@jaydeeee668]

@@JohnnyD5dub0it took 5 years for me to get karate black belt. Another school offered tai kwon do and it’s obnoxiously quick. Only took a year.

[@callum1465]

Not true for bjj. What you described is literally a blue belt. Bjj black belt means u are an “expert”

[@callum1465]

@@jaydeeee6685 years in bjj and you’re probably just getting to purple. Totally different time frames

[@vids595]

This is true of many other martial arts where 9th degree black belts are common. Not true in bjj.

[@chrislaverick6413]

The belt system is exactly what he said, it’s just to keep people hooked, personally I think you should have to win certain tournaments to advance in your belt

[@andrewdavinack1585]

Black Belt signifies 1st Dan (Sho-Dan) in traditional Japanese martial arts. It literally translates to "beginning degree". Obtaining a black belt, at least in most martial arts simply means that "you're no longer useless and now your real training begins". BJJ is weird in that a lot of people look at a black belt as being the pinnacle when it's not. IMO, the introduction of the colored belts caused all of this. Jigoro Kano originally had just white and black belts and that's the way it should have stayed. Doesn't matter what color belt you have around your waist, it's what you can do on the mats or in the streets.

[@MrCmon113]

A bjj purple belt signifies greater competence than a black belt in teakwondo or karate and it's roughly comparable to a black belt in judo.

[@andrewdavinack1585]

@@MrCmon113 I don't disagree.

[@WXYZ9998]

If you know the man being interviewed personally and he is of good character, hold his opinion high. On the contrary, if you do not know the man being interviewed personally then his opinion is meaningless and doesn’t have much value. Knowing one’s character takes time, trust takes time and you learn these by observing people’s actions. Someone’s actions will tell you everything you need to know about themselves and whether to value their WORD.

[@atticustibbs2415]

It literally comes down to where you train and how they evaluate whether you are worth the next belt. The rule imo is let’s say you’re a purple belt, you should be able to beat blues 75% of the time, and browns 25% of the time. Other purples will be 50/50. If you’re beating browns 50% of the time as a purple it’s prob time to move up. But yeah, getting a black belt from IKEA means nothing. But real talk, if you think as a white belt you can roll with a black belt after a few months you’re gonna be humbled real quick, most of these guys aren’t self absorbed meatheads who think they are UFC stars, they’re guys who know wtf is up and are pretty damn humble

[@miguels4959]

Craig Jones honest talk exposing Gracie Marketing trick , I think they also use belts in no gi rolling silly.

[@wvb6289]

When I saw the New Balance’s, I knew this guy was for real.

[@JAYDUBYAH29]

I’m getting this sneaking suspicion it maybe all marketing, at the end of the day. 🤓 Except you have to be super dedicated and consistent for 5 to 10 years. What an awful representative for this sport and tradition. Seems like he doesn’t care that anyone grasp just how complex and layered the skill set, fitness level, and years of experience actually are…. Which is weird, and kind of a bummer.

[@CodeThatTalks]

I dunno. When someone's been part of an organization for decades and they come to the conclusion that belts are bs, you may want to carefully consider that guy's opinion. Whether it's BJJ or anything else, I'd really listen to the vets carefully

[@bennybooboo6789]

@@CodeThatTalks Easy to say something is BS when you're top of the food chain. Not everyone develops like Craig did.

[@HashBandicoot356]

All you need to know is there are several jacked up brown belts who could cut through every red belt alive like butter. Especially so more than black belts because reds are always going to be elderly. The belt system isn't about pure proficiency it's investment into the craft. The red belts are really like the elder PHDs. Black belts are like skilled engineers.

[@xxFairestxx]

I got mine in about 3 years, but I was a 3rd degree BB in combat sambo and a 1st degree in Judo….basically started at brown belt lol.

[@johnbrown532]

😂😂

[@Channel99899]

Depends on the "discipline". Some belts have more belts than others. Originally TKD had only 5 belts. Now some federations have like 9 belts, plus another 5 'tips'. "Dan's" after black belt have different significance for different arts. In Karate you have to go to gradings for each Dan. Others it is just about time.

[@TomassoTrekks]

“That’s like the highest level of Scientology”😂

[@user-ur8vm8ii4z]

Belts are just a gage man. Like Joe Rogan said, there is levels to it

[@coachcadden]

Training 13yrs, consistently 3 or 4 times per week, and a new 🟫⬛⬛🟫🟫🟫

[@BO8324]

Anyone who has trained for a year or more should know that belts are no guarantee that someone is good. They can give you maybe a rough idea, but there are shit black belts who are old and don't train much and awesome white a blue belts who are young and talented. If you are at a quality gym though the belt may mean more.

[@DeadGlassEyes]

And this is why I didn't want to advance over to a purple belt. I went in, got the skills I was looking for, and booked. I moved onto wrestling.

[@AveMilller]

A black belt is just a white belt that never quit.

[@Jddwilliamss]

Getting a black belt in Jiu Jitsu from a legitimate coach, signifies many years of commitment and extensive knowledge. But yeah I do agree on the sense of not all black belts are actually good. Just make sure you’re not a shit black belt if you ever get one

[@clarkme8952]

It's been ten years pretty solid minus injuries or sickness etc. and im a purple

[@Darkness2Maxrocko]

Funny how most games let you rank up very quickly when you start. Makes sense its to keep new players happy.

[@the_fitness_doc]

He’s back! Just like the good old days

[@mrchaotiq]

"A black belt covers 2 inches of your ass, you have to cover the rest" - Royce Gracie -

[@Itsaaronadams817]

Took me about 8 years to get my black belt in TaeKwonDo. My instructor was hella strict and made sure we were at that level physically, mentally, and emotionally before giving us our 🥋 Took a while but it was worth it FrFr