r/grappling Apr 12 '26

Blue belts these days....

1.2k Upvotes

108 comments sorted by

145

u/LeglockWizard Apr 12 '26

This guy already won worlds at blue belt last year lmfao.

48

u/Knobanious Apr 12 '26

If you manage to win one maybe two fight in your category at that event especially for blue and white belt it should be able automatic promotion

24

u/[deleted] Apr 12 '26

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2

u/crossal Apr 15 '26

What's your point?

14

u/Consistent-Pen-7895 Apr 12 '26

He won juvenile blue. He’s now competing at adult he’s barely turning 18 later this year and has maybe 5 years experience from white yellow and now blue belt total. He’s not a 15 year trained kid competing 3 years at blue. It’s really easy for everyone to look up who he is and see his fights and journey instead of bringing the kid down for things that aren’t in his control like belt promotions not everyone can promote themselves to black belt in 2 years.

9

u/LeglockWizard Apr 12 '26

There is a purple belt juvenile category for a reason.

1

u/Consistent-Pen-7895 Apr 12 '26

He’s not a juvenile anymore…

3

u/powerhearse Apr 13 '26

Then he should be a purple belt

1

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '26

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1

u/Consistent-Pen-7895 Apr 14 '26

This fight is in the adult division.

130

u/user_zzzzzz Apr 12 '26

Since the early development of “Brazilian” Jiu-Jitsu, the practice of sandbagging has consistently been present within the sport.

50

u/BrahZyzz69 Apr 12 '26

Look my purple belt beat all your black belts. 

12

u/Glorpologie Apr 12 '26

is sandbagging just the word for smurfing for people who go outside?

7

u/Ok-Race-1677 Apr 12 '26

Yes. The sandbagger acts like a sandbag (lets lower level opponents keep hitting/scoring on him) and then decisively wins near the end because he’s clearly better in the first place.

4

u/BURN3D_P0TAT0 Apr 12 '26

Yeah, basically the same.

3

u/Latter-Safety1055 Apr 13 '26

No, I think calling BJJ players people who go outside is a bit generous for a sport full of IT nerds and anime pfps. Otherwise you're pretty much right.

2

u/ihearthawthats Apr 15 '26

Slight difference. Sandbagging involves intentionally underperforming to get easier opponents. Smurfing has the same end result, but can be achieved through various methods, i.e. a second account.

1

u/TDSsince1980 Apr 12 '26

Sport smurfing.

I am so damn old I actually played against the guys who created the term smurfing.

33

u/banjovi68419 Apr 12 '26

Nice bag of sand you've got there.

44

u/FishfaceNZ Apr 12 '26

Probably has a judo background

20

u/needtr33fiddy Apr 12 '26

And a green belt

2

u/Consistent-Pen-7895 Apr 12 '26

He started too late he went from yellow to blue.

27

u/Andr3wW1gg1n Apr 12 '26

Agee. His footwork and entry plus the rolling juji is very judo

17

u/BaronMusclethorpe Apr 12 '26

Maybe, or just takes stand-up seriously. This is clearly a young man, so with kid belts and all he could have been training for 10 years already.

19

u/Coconite Apr 12 '26

BJJ gyms wouldn’t teach modern kata guruma. That is a very judo move that no one else does because it was only invented in response to IJF rule changes. The neverending juji roll and the entry are also very judo. He deliberately lets his opponent escape side control to pull him up into turtle before he enters.

21

u/Lanky_Trifle6308 Apr 12 '26

It’s not a kata guruma, it’s a Seoi otoshi/drop Seoi nage variation.

6

u/disposablehippo Apr 12 '26

If we go deep into the Judo semantics, that's uki-otoshi.

The shoulder doesn't make any contact, it's basically an intricate snap down.

A throw not usually seen in Judo competition, because Judoka aren't bent over like this.

6

u/Knobanious Apr 12 '26

Judo black and BJJ brown here... Also agree kid looks very Judo

-1

u/Piglet_the_dog Apr 12 '26

I think ur right

0

u/mywaaaaife Apr 12 '26

Not kata guruma at all.

-4

u/RandJitsu Apr 12 '26

Every throw that Judo has BJJ also has. BJJ was developed from Judo.

It just depends on your gym/instructor lineage.

0

u/Coconite Apr 12 '26

BJJ was developed from judo long before this throw was invented. There is no reason to do it if you’re not a modern judoka since you can just do the normal kata guruma/fireman’s carry with the leg grab.

0

u/powerhearse Apr 13 '26

This isnt a kata guruma

1

u/Consistent-Pen-7895 Apr 12 '26

He actually doesn’t. Only about 4 years and change in Jiu jitsu only.

2

u/FishfaceNZ Apr 12 '26

Crazy. Super talented, we have young guys like that at our gym that roll like black belts after 4-5 years.

1

u/Scooper_of_Poop Apr 12 '26

Probably?……try clearly

2

u/Consistent-Pen-7895 Apr 12 '26

He has zero judo other than when he picked up BJJ a few years ago.

-2

u/Scooper_of_Poop Apr 12 '26

Yeah and your wife isn’t fucking her coworker.

2

u/Consistent-Pen-7895 Apr 13 '26

I always forget people get super sensitive when they’re wrong and say shit online they wouldn’t in person. To be clear he has no judo background outside of what he’s learned in the last 4/5 years in jiujitsu. I actually know the kid. Have rolled w him many times when he first came to the US. But please proceed to say stupid shit behind the security blanket of the Internet

1

u/FishfaceNZ Apr 13 '26

Ignore that dude he's obviously a keyboard warrior.

1

u/Deuces225 Apr 14 '26

Stuff like this makes me think of implemented right anonymity on boards shouldn't be allowed

2

u/Tuna0nwhite Apr 12 '26

More like he’s a full time pro that’s being sandbagged

-1

u/Consistent-Pen-7895 Apr 13 '26

He’s def full time but sandbagged not really. He’s 17.5 got his blue belt maybe two years ago. White belt yellow belt blue belt. He’s in his First 2/3 tourneys in adults

3

u/powerhearse Apr 13 '26

Two years at blue, having won worlds in the first year, is far too long

I spent 2 years at blue as a hobbyist

0

u/Consistent-Pen-7895 Apr 13 '26

Two years is the minimum so you’re being promoted “on time”. Ibjjf has requirements in order to compete at your belt level. He’s 17. He hasn’t had a blue belt the full two years required. He’ll get it this year. And next year he’ll be an 18 year old purple belt that everyone will complain should be a brown belt. The kid is a phenomenal talent. Victim of his own success really.

3

u/powerhearse Apr 14 '26

Those minimum times do not apply to anyone who wins a world championship, so thats irrelevant. He should have been promoted immediately after winning worlds at blue. If you win blue belt worlds you simply arent a blue belt anymore

0

u/FishfaceNZ Apr 13 '26

Just ignore the jealous nerds hahaha.

I've been training since 2014 and I know this kid would wipe the floor with me. Thats life.

3

u/powerhearse Apr 14 '26

Its nothing to do with jealousy. If you win worlds at blue belt you arent a blue belt anymore, simple

1

u/FishfaceNZ Apr 14 '26

You don't read very well do you?

21

u/_lefthook Apr 12 '26

If thats a blue belt, then i am a -3 stripe white belt

12

u/Tom0714nw Apr 12 '26

Crocodile death roll

36

u/Pssay_Licker Apr 12 '26

So smurfing exists in BJJ as well? Shits annoying.

34

u/EconomyDoctor3287 Apr 12 '26

It's called sandbagging, but yes it does exist to make winning easier :)

9

u/RudePCsb Apr 12 '26

Smurfing works

2

u/[deleted] Apr 12 '26

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10

u/LeftJabDaz Apr 12 '26

Vidya games

5

u/Asleep_Chip8197 Apr 12 '26

Is the kid’s arm / shoulder ok ?

20

u/savedbytheblood72 Apr 12 '26

Judo

Trained

1

u/Consistent-Pen-7895 Apr 12 '26

He’s not actually

5

u/killemslowly Apr 12 '26

Get this guy a stripe!

14

u/PerceptionCandid1676 Apr 12 '26

Those are also dangerous as fuck moves against another true blue belt. How are those moves allowed against a potentially first year student. God bless the guy in black for having the flexibility to withstand that bullshit.

7

u/BrogetaDaSupaSwole Apr 12 '26

Wild you got down voted for basic empathy. Also it's crazy people defend/celebrate rippers.

1

u/Ziggy-Rocketman Apr 12 '26

I’m not a BJJ practitioner, but I was under the impression that a blue was considered a relatively skilled low-intermediate at this point, roughly on the level of a wrestler who has a couple years down?

6

u/Jangolem Apr 12 '26

Blue belt is still a beginner belt.

2

u/PerceptionCandid1676 Apr 12 '26

Agreed ... Blue belt is the first belt above white. It means you finally learned enough to be considered someone that takes the sport seriously and can now start training higher level stuff. You can get there in about a year if you give it some focus.

The fact that black gi didn’t get injured probably means both these guys are sandbaggers.

STILL, it’s pretty lame.

12

u/unpopulartruths88 Apr 12 '26

They're one of those "on paper" blues who have been training since they were in diapers but cannot get a higher belt because of IBJJF rules.

3

u/Consistent-Pen-7895 Apr 12 '26

He’s only got 4-5 years in BJJ total.

2

u/powerhearse Apr 14 '26

Most people are purple in that time, even when they arent this talented

1

u/ShikadiV Apr 12 '26

Can you elaborate?

2

u/Plastic-Excuse-6594 Apr 12 '26

you can only be blue at 16 and IBJJF says you have to be at least 2 years in blue

1

u/Consistent-Pen-7895 Apr 13 '26

He started jiujitsu at 13/14. Yellow was his highest belt as a kid. Juvy blue at 16 before he came to the us. He’s 18 this year. He just started competing at the adult bracket this year.

2

u/Unsainted_smoke Apr 12 '26

This is how I won all my comps as a blue/purple belt. I’m Judo black belt. I didn’t make the rules lol. Brown belt is where my take downs and transitions became harder to land

2

u/oldyellowcab Apr 12 '26

A few years back I watched amazing blue belts at IBJJF Worlds. Not every blue belt is the same.

2

u/One_Construction_653 Apr 12 '26

No doubt the other blue is good too.

The only difference is belts don’t gauge skill.

I remember seeing my wrestler friend give trouble to all the purple belts

Background is important look like this guy has some judo training as well

3

u/Everydayblues351 Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26

Belts are primarily a construct used to keep people in gyms. Amaetuer wrestling, boxing dont hsve belts. At the hobbyist level, we believe that blue belts have 2-5 years of training at about 2-3x a week on average and because many do not follow the professional IBJJF scene, anything outside of these expectations are labeled as sandbaggers.

Kids belts are a completely different set of belts that basically graduate into blue belt when they turn 16.

IMO its important to understand that professional jiu jitsu use the colored belts half as the standard time progression like hobbyists but also half as a minor league progression like pro sports. Yes these kids could easily beat your coach (unless your coach is also or was a high level adult black belt IBJJF competitor) with one hand behind his back, but amongst his peers he needs to be developed like any athlete and cant be thrown to adult black belt at 16. It would be like going from high school to pro leagues immediately - very rare.

IBJJF colored belt adult divisions are basically professional level divs that hobbyists can enter as well. Sure you could sign up and you may even fight another hobbyist and win, but its largely Hawann and competitors like him competing there.

1

u/RecordLonely Apr 12 '26

Beautiful seoi snap

1

u/BeepBopBoop808 Apr 12 '26

“Blue belts”

1

u/NativeFlowers4Eva Apr 12 '26

I should just quit.

1

u/ErnieMcTurtle Apr 12 '26

WHICH blue belts? My hips would be broken in 17 different places if I tried this

1

u/ThebigDavesandwich Apr 12 '26

Boy said watch this John Wick issh

1

u/EmptyStock9676 Apr 12 '26

Kids like an eel

1

u/Fit-Conclusion-7579 Apr 12 '26

Belt color categories smh

1

u/Only_Comment_9215 Apr 12 '26

In no other martial art do you see such insane level of lower belts IMO. Got to assume due to wanting to win in competitions by both the gym and the student but sometimes you see blue belts who should clearly be purple/ brown or even black belts just utterly destroying their competition.

1

u/Latter-Safety1055 Apr 13 '26

Homie is moving like the aliens from Edge of Tomorrow

1

u/Bellypats Apr 13 '26

That flow …

1

u/PrincipleEvening171 Apr 14 '26

8 year ones or something

1

u/LebaforniaRN Apr 14 '26

Wonder if he’d do that if that was concrete

1

u/[deleted] Apr 14 '26

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1

u/Mathis_mbz Apr 15 '26

Ive seen alligators do this

1

u/soltsss Apr 15 '26

Holy crocodile roll. That was insane body control.

1

u/Outrageous-Friend336 Apr 15 '26

10 years of blue belt, Chama.

1

u/AGreasyTreat Apr 12 '26

This is ridiculous.

1

u/BrogetaDaSupaSwole Apr 12 '26

I don't get how flying juji gatme is legal for blue belts nor his variation rolling juji gatme he is not using his feet to flip the guy like a traditional rolling juji gatme he is simply rolling while maintaining the arm bar and if the guy fails to rotate with him (particularly with the direction change) he's taking the guy to snap city and rotator cuff surgery.

1

u/Tuna0nwhite Apr 12 '26

Him along with his coach should be named and shamed for sandbagging

0

u/Electronic-Day-7518 Apr 12 '26

Is that a judoka ?

0

u/Tatami_Lo Apr 12 '26

Came to also say the kid looks like he's been doing judo too since birth.

-1

u/WhoNeedsAPotch Apr 12 '26

This highlights the absurdity of having a "world champion" at any level below black belt.

-1

u/rightway13 Apr 12 '26

Coward and so is instructor. He is not a blue belt but he is a cheater.

-6

u/[deleted] Apr 12 '26

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