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Belt Colour Question

  • 02-09-2008 02:31PM
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 256 ✭✭


    Hopefully someone here can help me. My club only uses 3 belt colours: white, green and Brown for students with tips at each level.

    Somone recently told me they had a blue belt in another Mugendo system. What Kyu would Blue relate to?

    Thanks in advance


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,778 ✭✭✭tallaght01


    Can I also jump in on this thread and ask if there's a belt system in MMA? As it's a mix of different styles? I suspect there isn't. But does that mean fights are arranged purely on the basis of a person's weight?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,923 ✭✭✭Nothingcompares


    Belts and grades are decided by the governing body or the school itself. They rarely have any merit outside their own pool of knowledge. The first guys to introduce the belt system was Kano, the founder of Judo who modified the Jiujitsu of the time. He had a white belt for a beginner and a black belt for the non-beginner. Apparently, when Judo was introduced to Europe the concept of colour belts (white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown being the common ones) were introduced. Possibly for non martial/sporting reasons (grading fees, motivation, separating master from student).

    MMA without much of a governing body or really an attitude compatable with the oriental view of martial arts or the western perspective on the oriental view usually doesn't use a belt system. However, there are some individuals and groups that employ a belt system in sports like MMA, Kickboxing and even Thai boxing (so I've heard).

    To the original poster I'd speculate that the blue belt refers to the kyu between green and brown but I'm only guessing.

    Tallaght, to be consise (taking into account what I said above) there is no belt system in MMA*. Fights are usually matched based on the basis of experience and ability which is usually demonstrated by the fighter's record. MMA being a professional prize fighting sport fights are also matched based on public interest in seeing the fight and on styles which may produce a more entertaining bout.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,448 ✭✭✭Roper


    Kevin is spot on but I'd just add that on a non-fighter level in MMA where fights aren't an issue, there are no belts either.

    Lots of styles are involved in MMA that use a belt system though, BJJ being the most prominent but Judo, and Karate as well as some jiujitsu styles. So when someone is saying "this guy is a great fighter and he has a BJJ blue belt too" they're really only referring to 1/3 of his game so it's more or less meaningless except to say that he'll be competent on the ground. Equally saying a guy is a Judo black belt doesn't mean he's a black belt level fighter, just that he'd have good clinch. Hmmm, not very clear there but hope you get my meaning.

    In any case, I'd love to see a fighter get in the cage sometime and fight with a belt around his waist. That would be gas. Not a black belt either, a green or orange belt or something, over his shorts! :D Actually I vote for Mick Leonard to do it.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,778 ✭✭✭tallaght01




    Tallaght, to be consise (taking into account what I said above) there is no belt system in MMA*. Fights are usually matched based on the basis of experience and ability which is usually demonstrated by the fighter's record. MMA being a professional prize fighting sport fights are also matched based on public interest in seeing the fight and on styles which may produce a more entertaining bout.

    I'm out of thanks for today....but thanks for that. I've wondered about that for a while. :D


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 753 ✭✭✭ryoishin


    Actualy Kano did nt have a kyu belt ranking structure. It only happened when judo was introduced to france and they gave a colour to the kyu ranks that he adopted it in Japan for kids.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,923 ✭✭✭Nothingcompares


    ryoishin wrote: »
    Actualy Kano did nt have a kyu belt ranking structure. It only happened when judo was introduced to france and they gave a colour to the kyu ranks that he adopted it in Japan for kids.

    isn't that what i said?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 753 ✭✭✭ryoishin


    So it is!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 334 ✭✭TwoKingMick


    Roper wrote: »
    Actually I vote for Mick Leonard to do it.

    I've been wearing a yellow belt for the last year. In fact Mark Leonard announced me as an MMA yellow belt at an EFR show.

    In short, challenge accepted.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,759 ✭✭✭✭dlofnep


    Belts and grades are decided by the governing body or the school itself. They rarely have any merit outside their own pool of knowledge. The first guys to introduce the belt system was Kano, the founder of Judo who modified the Jiujitsu of the time. He had a white belt for a beginner and a black belt for the non-beginner. Apparently, when Judo was introduced to Europe the concept of colour belts (white, yellow, orange, green, blue, brown being the common ones) were introduced. Possibly for non martial/sporting reasons (grading fees, motivation, separating master from student).

    MMA without much of a governing body or really an attitude compatable with the oriental view of martial arts or the western perspective on the oriental view usually doesn't use a belt system. However, there are some individuals and groups that employ a belt system in sports like MMA, Kickboxing and even Thai boxing (so I've heard).

    To the original poster I'd speculate that the blue belt refers to the kyu between green and brown but I'm only guessing.

    Tallaght, to be consise (taking into account what I said above) there is no belt system in MMA*. Fights are usually matched based on the basis of experience and ability which is usually demonstrated by the fighter's record. MMA being a professional prize fighting sport fights are also matched based on public interest in seeing the fight and on styles which may produce a more entertaining bout.

    Spot on.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,448 ✭✭✭Roper


    In short, challenge accepted.
    Somehow I knew it would be.

    You can't just wear it into the ring, I want you to fight in it too! Nothing, and I mean NOTHING looks cooler than a pair of shorts and a martial arts belt.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 346 ✭✭Martin25


    Royce Gracie won the UFC wearing his Gi and black belt


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,799 ✭✭✭Clive


    Just to muddy the waters, a number of large camps do have a grading system for MMA - Miletich and Chute Boxe come to mind.

    Also gi, belts etc are illegal under modern rules as far as I know. Sorry Mick!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,448 ✭✭✭Roper


    Clive wrote: »
    Just to muddy the waters, a number of large camps do have a grading system for MMA - Miletich and Chute Boxe come to mind.

    Also gi, belts etc are illegal under modern rules as far as I know. Sorry Mick!
    I knew about Chute Boxe but I didn't know MFS did it. What's their excuse for it?

    I think, given Mick's standing in the Irish MMA World as ring diving champion, he could be allowed to wear that belt just the once. If there was anyone who didn't want to allow him to do it, I could show them the winner's photos from the Submission Championships last year which would seal his legendary status and surely change their mind.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 112 ✭✭colinlaird000


    Why DID they ban the gi? just out of curiosity?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 661 ✭✭✭Charlie3dan


    I know after a while people copped on that it could be used to choke an opponent.
    Maybe it was in case a ref couldn't see a choke applied?

    just guessing.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,799 ✭✭✭Clive


    Why DID they ban the gi? just out of curiosity?

    As far as I know it was to have one standard acceptable "uniform" as part of the unified rules.

    You can't really have one guy in a gi, another in gi top and shorts, another in gi pants and no top, another in rashguard and shorts, another in short but no top etc etc.

    Hence no wrestling shoes either.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,923 ✭✭✭Nothingcompares


    I think it's only the UFC that have such strict restrictions. You could wear a gi and wrestling boots in Japan.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,799 ✭✭✭Clive


    It's more that it's only Japan that doesn't have as strict regulations - pretty much everywhere else uses the standard rules.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,995 ✭✭✭Tim_Murphy


    Clive wrote: »
    It's more that it's only Japan that doesn't have as strict regulations - pretty much everywhere else uses the standard rules.

    True, but given the lack of governing bodies, shows can still use whatever rules they want.

    I suggest Mick wearing his yellow belt in the nex Tribal Warfare. Commissioner Leonard: make it happen!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,084 ✭✭✭mark.leonard


    We could make a capture the belt match?


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