Fake BJJ black belts???

[falcon3624]

Is it just me or have any of you been noticing a lot of fakes in the BJJ world? I know of a guy that was claiming to be a BJJ black belt in my area. Just last week another one popped up and started teaching BJJ at a TSD school about 10min. away. I know it’s not the same guy because this guy that is teaching in the TSD school was taught by the other fake black belt.

What’s the deal???

[TylerDurden]

Just more of the same bs everyone has come to expect in the martial arts world. What's to stop someone from claiming a black belt when they have only a years training? How is someone with no knowledge supposed to know the difference? There are a couple schools in my area who claim to have BJJ programs and I know the instructors are white belts! (They are primarily JKD schools, and they might be good at that I couldn't say.)

The only thing you can do is check the instructors credentials, find out who is affiliated through. Then contact that person and make sure the teacher is who they say. The nice thing about BJJ is no instructor should be more than perhaps 2 steps, at most, removed from a Gracie somewhere. So it's not impossibly hard to check.

[E2JNVL]

I've heard a lot of alarming things of that nature also. I heard that this well known MMA guy got on a plane with Carlsson Gracie a purple belt, and came off of the plane a BLACK belt. I also heard that if you have the money you can get your belt faster. Recently I have heard that a blue belt that runs his own martial art school promotes white belts to blue belts!

[falcon3624]

Originally Posted by E2JNVL

Recently I have heard that a blue belt that runs his own martial art school promotes white belts to blue belts!

Actually the first guy that I was talking about is a blue belt under Rickson Gracie and has several blue belts in his class. Most of them will give him a good run for him money and beating him is not an unusual thing so I guess they could be considered blue belts. What gets me is he is now affiliated with my instructor and that just makes me wanna

[akja]

Originally Posted by falcon3624

Actually the first guy that I was talking about is a blue belt under Rickson Gracie and has several blue belts in his class. Most of them will give him a good run for him money and beating him is not an unusual thing so I guess they could be considered blue belts. What gets me is he is now affiliated with my instructor and that just makes me wanna

The reason he's probably not associated with Rickson may be this quote from Ricksons page.

"Belt test requirements for all levels are available upon request in the Association office.
Only Association Black Belt Instructors, certified in Belt Testing, are allowed to perform belt tests.
All Belt Tests are scheduled directly through the Association Office."

And any legit BJJ-BB can be verified here.

http://www.bjj.org/a/ranks.html

Everyone needs to be affiliated in some way. Thats why that guy found someone else to be affiliated with.

Also with Rickson. He allows students to teach (but not test students). I think starting at blue belt with the title of coach or something like that.

[TylerDurden]

Don't take that BJJ.org list as gospel however. I know Luis Claudio personally and he got his BB from Rickson. I think they have him under Royler or something on there. So it's not 100%. Also his brother Thiago is a BB under Rickson and he is not listed at all.

[pstevens]

Honestly, no one really cares about belts anymore these days, especially with the state of MMA... You simply learn what you need and move on. I don't really have a problem with people teaching BJJ, as long as they're good at it. I think even the Gracies are getting very lenient, now that they've accomplished what they set out to do.

It's not like it's any different in Brasil... BJJ gyms are a dime in a dozen in Brasil... Many of which will certify a foreigner with a black belt in about 6 months. Don't believe me, ask anyone who has ever been there...

Then again, not every blue belt or white belt is at the same level across the board anyway, so what does it matter... BJJ Mcdojos are inevitable.

[TylerDurden]

I am gonna call you on that 6 months stuff stevens. I train with 5 people who have spent time training in Brazil, I will ask them tonight in class.

[falcon3624]

Well we train under Leo Xavier and we know he is the real deal so I won't fret it. Just makes me mad when I see guys from BJJ (ones that I know personally at that) trying to play themselves off at a BJJ black belt. I guess some people don't know the difference. Those guys in that TSD class think that blue belt (oops, I meant black belt) is the greatest thing ever.

[wardancer]

I think we are going lot of wannabes and rip-off living off BJJ popularity.
I think it is the choice of the students to check for credentials of any instructors.
I train with brazilians and they have been training BJJ for 6 years and are still holding blue belts or purple.
The great thing about BJJ is you can test your skills against others clubs and find out for yourselves how good you/your team are. If you do not like the results, maybe it is time to move on to a better team and better instructor.

[TylerDurden]

While I cannot say it's impossible, I asked two students who trained in Brazil and one student who lives there (he's up visiting for a few weeks) about schools offering 6 months black belts to foreign students. None of them had ever heard of such a thing. Somehow I get the feeling is a school was pulling that Carlson Jr would have be on their ass so fast it wouldn't be funny.

[wardancer]

Why bother going to Brazil for a 6 months training and receive a BB certicate in Portuguese that say you are a BB from a 'dodgy' Club, the dude should just a buy a BB belt from a MA store?

I mean the dude will have no BJJ knowledge, will not be able to submit his (physically stronger) students. His students wil lose all the time at tournaments.

No point really!

To cover his fraud, the fake BB could always say that BB do not roll with colour belts and his BJJ style is so dangerous his students can only fight in their own tournament (that is close to others).

Wait a minute, It sounds very similar to many MA clubs, doesn't it?

You know such types that do not promote open competition because they claim it is not real MA because it degrades the MA skills to only wanting to score points, the ones that teach techniques that are so deadly, you never get to use them unless your opponent is a willing training partner, the ones that just hate BJJ because of its popularity and its no non-sense approach.

[CKD]

In BJJ its harder to award these fake belts because if you suck most people will figure it out by your vale tudo record or bjj record as well as your school. I heard the most fake belts are ussaully when an instructor wants to start another school so he promotes one of his lower belts higher and sends them off.

[IPON]

Originally Posted by CKD

In BJJ its harder to award these fake belts because if you suck most people will figure it out by your vale tudo record or bjj record

True, but not everyone competes. Also I think it is a big problem when people don't understand grappling it is easy to WOW the unknowing. Even if it were 1-1.5 yrs of training newbies will look in awe. I really wish people would check lineage more but the reality is they don't (which is thier own fault)

[CKD]

Yes a lot of people simply promote there belts so they can teach other people. Although it would be better if they simply teach and admit they are of a lower belt level than just get promoted for no reason.