“You harm your student by giving them a belt they can’t carry.” - Firas Zahabi 🤙🏾

I gotta say the war medals i ordered online truly make me proud and feel like ive served my nation hell i might even go get a purple heart

Jiu jitsu: the gentle art of folding clothing whilst people are still in them.

I've trained for almost 4 years now, mostly no-gi. Still a white belt, but can tap bigger blue belts, purple belts in the same weight. Belts are nice, but skills are more important.

Got my blue belt yesterday after 3 years of being a white belt. Edit: 3 June 2022 got my purple Belt.

This is why i love traditional Muay Thai. There are no promotions. You train hard and you gauge your improvement through sparring or competition.

I just started BJJ and I come from striking arts like TKD and Kickboxing. I’ve never experienced anything like BJJ. Every class we roll with others at some point going 85-90%. My first class which was a trial class I got chocked out by a blue belt. My whole experience is getting my butt handed to me but I’ve learned so much. Amazing art.

The belt just ties the gi. Your jiu-jítsu wil talk for you

I would hate to earn a stripe or belt through this method. Actually earning a belt / stripe for my effort would be far more rewarding.

I’ve got a student who started with me about a year ago, but rarely comes. He’s only got 1 stripe on his white belt. His buddies all started at the (insert big corporate bjj place across town), and they’re all blue belts now. They’re all making fun of him for choosing “the wrong gym,” because at their gym, he would be a blue belt too. Even if he only shows up once a month. This is what Firas is talking about

There are levels within levels. A purple belt under John Danaher or Andre Galvao would destroy a black belt at any typical average bjj school.

“I got black belt. It hold up my pant. I don’t care about belt. I care about fight” Kru Paul ...with his Thai accent

Nobody could beat my mom, she has a belt that could whup anyone.

TKD is bad for this. I know 11 year olds who have their black belt and believe you me they do not possess the skills to justify them having it.

Doing Jiu-Jitsu at my gym here in the Midwest has been amazing. The instructors are purple and brown belts and really good teachers. I've been going for a solid 4 months now and I don't plan on stopping

Karate has been watered down for years. They took the grappling and throws out to make the bullshit sport karate we say today.

0:33 Jamie runs down to cancel his BJJ gym membership upon realizing that the gym was shit the entire time

For MMA insight, Zahabi has gotta be the best guest Joe has ever had on.

When I was a kid, I started martial arts with my dad who was a black belt sensei in Karate Shotokan and Judo; in Africa and we were practicing martial arts for what they were meant to be and not for sports, which actually saved me in a couple of incidents back there and several others since I moved to Europe. A few years later after I moved to Europe, I was practicing my karate kicks and a buddy of mine saw me and he invited me to join his Olympic tkd gym. First off, I was quite surprised how light trainings were compared to what I was used to, but I was young, didn't think much of it, thought it's just because it's a style that I don't know and it's just different. Then I was registered for the first several belt exams, which was surprise nr. 2. Where I come from, you didn't just sign up for the exam, you had to work hard, prove yourself and earn your spot on the exam list. If you were good enough, maybe you were considered for the exam, if not, wait even years. Third surprise after I had a poor performance on my first 2 exams was that I had received my belts anyways. Again were I come from, that would have been impossible. I decided to stop at blue belt and refuse enter exams anymore. I felt ashamed for myself and it just didn't make sense to me. I felt that I am in no way to the level of a higher belt and decided that until I level up and improve my techniques and am able to hold my own with bigger opponents or at least handle myself, protect myself well enough, regardless of seniority and how good they were, I would refuse exams. Which I did for several years. My Sabonim (Sensei in Korean) would ask me twice a year to register and I kept telling him the same thing, that I can't, I am not on the level. Years later I had actually gotten so accustomed to my blue belt, that I failed to notice how much I had improved. I was now able to handle myself well and actually even beat multiple black belts. I was also one of the "examiners" for new members who either transfered from other clubs or claimed to have practiced other martial arts. I was used as a benchmark, since no one in my category could stand up to me. I was used to fighting much heavier and much more experienced guys. So that combined with my background, I would be the first several spars partner for newcomers with previous experience. Whoever could do full rounds with me or even land strikes and hold their own with me (happened only a few times), was considered good enough for our gym. So I waited many years until my Sabonim pointed out that I am at a black belt level already and need to get my belts. So I did and eventually got my black belt from a Korean master, excellent technician with great abilities despite his old age (he was in his 60s or something). That has been my path to the black belt, but even back then and sadly to this day, the standards and practices are the same in Olympic tkd... Exams are held and belts are handed for the money. Also I have never heard of a belt being revoked in TKD, although in Karate and Judo it was to be expected if you flailed to live up to your belt's standards. Which is why, in Karate and Judo, where I came from, you didn't even need to see practitioners wear their belts to know which one they were. It was obvious by looking at their skills and observing how they carried themselves and their whole attitude. You would look at a guy and know what belt he is. Sad to see that along the centuries and decades, martial arts have been watered down so much that in many cases, they are a sport at best or barely. There's a lot of fake clubs and associations which take money from students and teach them bs.

I had a buddy of mine that went to a mcdojo for a year, got his blue belt through attendance points. I went to a different gym for 7 weeks. We rolled and I tapped him 3/3 times. Sometimes it really is about the gym you choose

I just started jiu jitsu (no gi) at university at the start of October and asked them about belts and they told me they didn't hand them out which confused me cause I did Judo for 7 or 8 years when I was younger and it took me a couple of weeks to come to this realisation that you don't need a belt to verify your progress, cause if you have truly progressed to that next level, your skill should speak for itself

I took a bjj class once. We shrimped for 30 mins and learned a kimura from the bottom for 30mins. I remember thinking "ahhhh this is why it takes 10 years to get a black belt"

Meanwhile at wrestling clubs...

man i need Firas as a coach seems super chill and so knowledgeable

I noticed this a lot when I did Tae Kwon Do, so much emphasis on gaining a black belt rather than focusing on getting better.

The belt system is how martial arts gyms make money. This just in, that's the business model

I was a white belt 2.5 years & competed multiple times including the day I was promoted ( not a test, more a ceremonial in-house tournament). It was extremely frustrating but Im very grateful to have earned it that way

The best experience I ever had rolling was with a guy about 100lbs heavier than me, brown belt, on my first day. He was built like the mountain from GoT and was terrified going in. But he was super nice and chill, and he told me what I was doing wrong and how to fix it, and he never used a single ounce of force. If that man wanted to he could have crushed my skull with one hand, and he didnt even use his muscle. It was amazing. He just flowed and did everything with utmost ease. Since rolling with him I've been hooked

I love McDojo's. So many of their "fighters" get eaten alive by guys in the dank "hole in the wall" gyms.

“There’s just nothing you can do”. Yup. Embarrassing when someone can just submit you at will.

The art of folding clothes with people still in them. Or, involuntary yoga.

so true and so informative. Thanks for the motivation to keep pushing Firas!

Shame this happened to Karate and Taekwondo. Both were legit martial arts up til the late 70s 80s.

THIS GUY GETS IT. Firas just gets it

So true! Trying to teach my young son this lesson now. He enjoys training tae kwon do and is 11. But I really stress him knowing his forms and trying to be perfect with his technique. Good video.

Watched the clip...leaving to go watch the full interview💯

Been a blue for 5-7 years it be like that at times

Firas is a MMA genius. His KZfaq live streams are very informative. He’s good at answering everyone’s questions.

I know a teammate that experienced this. He told me at his last gym promotions and stripes were more based on attendance and the class would only roll once a week. Rank should be based on rolling because yes you can grasp a technique when your partner isn’t resisting but the testament of progress is being able to use these techniques while rolling.

Hes speaking about Gracie Barra. It only applies for the first year, and its for stripes to keep newbies engaged and give them things to strive for. When you enter most gyms without curriculums, or any real idea of where things are going thats why soooo many people start and quit before learning anything. Theres still gradings and just because you get to the end of the first year doesnt mean youre getting the blue belt.

The "watering down" of anything can easily become unattractive.

Firas is being kind and not naming names. There's a big name school in Montreal that uses a punch card to promote students, all the way to black!

I trained kung-fu very intensely for four years, had one situation in that time where I stiffened up and could not bring myself to throw a punch. What Joe says at 4:00 is exactly what I thought when I got my daughter started in ju-jitsu. Hearing him saying it here has really inspired me to start myself.

I have to say my piece on this, from experience. I am a student at a CTC for Gracie University in the UK, YES there is stripe promotions based on how many sessions you attend. The criteria is 1 stripe per 20 sessions attended, but as far as I know it in no way gives you actual belt promotions. Before you even get to touch or test for a Blue belt you have to demonstrate the 23 techniques to get a Gracie combative belt, then you move onto Master cycle where you will do live sparring with a partner, practice the techniques you have learned and then the more advanced moves are added. You carry on training, then you test for your Blue belt. Anything beyond that I am not sure as I am only a white belt. I sort of understand the people who say you have to roll to earn your belts but a lot of injuries and incorrect movements happen when being thrown in at the deep end. Gracie combative teaches you the techniques, allows you to drill them, then once you have demonstrated you can do these then you move into rolling/ sparring.

So It's like college graduation

Just get rid of belts. In wrestling the baddest guys in the room dont need a belt to let everyone know how good they are.

Just watched this for the first time. Great job!

0:33 here we see young Jamie trying to escape captivity

I laughed when they talked about their first times rolling and getting crushed. That’s exactly how I felt (probably most people), but then I wanted more. I was so blown away by how I was being controlled. Every class just got better and better even though I was getting my ass handed to me every time. I just wish I’d started years ago. The body can only handle so much.

Thé problem is that newcomers to the martial art won’t know whether the place is good or not

What it would it would take to genuinely revive karate as a combative form is something with a full contact format that doesn't end up looking indistinguishable from kick boxing, while also allowing punches to the face unlike kyokushin. Basically, if you could come up with a system of training that would mass produce Kyoji Horoguchis or Lyoto Machidas then we could generally say that old school karate is back. Full contact, knees, low kicks and elbows allowed, but fighters who move in and out in the blitzing style, sideways stances, sidekicks, front snap kicks over push kicks, old school karate style sweeps etc. You look at someone like Stephen Thompson and its not exactly it either. You can tell he has a karate background, but its in the same way Benny the Jet Urquidez has a karate background. The old long pants kickboxing style of the 1960s, which is fine, but is also distinctly its own thing imo. Kyokushin is also great, but it lacks punches to the face and tbh there is very little you can point to in a kyokushin competition and say hey that was karate. The other component is that you would have to actively acknowledge that alot of what is in katas is not actually practical and if you continued to practice it you would have to both bring back legitimate bunkai from how Okinawans try to apply it today, while also admitting that you are mostly keeping this in out of tradition. Remove things like the bunny hops added to shotokan katas, just so they can finish at the spot they started at and also remove kata as a competitive category entirely. Kata should be a means to an end not the end it self. Imagine if boxers had shadow boxing competitions ahahah. Then finely a lot of the old school conditioning stuff like makiwara training can and should be a part of it, but never done to such an extreme that it ruins people's dexterity. Something like karate combat is a step in the right direction, but the quality of fighters right now is very low imo. Also its a mistake to ban low kicks, knees and elbows. These are all techniques found in traditional karate kata and the distinction to muay thai should come from how people train and fight not through artificial restrictions on what techniques can be used.

Belts are just the icing on the cake: a reward for displaying a certain level of skill, they are not the actual reward themselves which is to acquire and develop new skills. With the commercialisation of martial arts, belts lost their intended purpose now, and it's really sad. This is true for both traditional martial arts like tkd and karate and mordern martial arts like bjj alike.

Excellent discussion on the state of martial arts school today! It’s all about fundamentals and understanding the psychology of the fighting...Great discussion Gentlemen!

I took my 8yr old kids to a karate class and half the class was a black belt, including the knuckle-dragging 300lb "instructor", I don't understand why you would go back a second time..

I’m a black belt in karate and I can say as well that the journey to black belt has been watered down. When I tested everyone passed and when I found out everyone passed I felt insulted. This was because I trained so hard for 8 years and I saw people there who couldn’t be bothered and took breaks over stitches. So I agree when this guy says it’s watered down and I think the achievement isn’t worth the same anymore.

I think No GI BJJ needs become more of a thing. Do away with belts all together and just have it be about the training!

Lmao Jamie running out for a piss knowing his pay getting docked😂

This guy has endless knowledge! And Joe and him have great chemistry. Very good interview

This guy always speaks sense. He described my karate experience as a teen. After a while, there is a grading....everyone gets to do it regardless. Doesn't mean we could really have done shit. Got to early 20s and realised it was horse manure in reality. This was the time when karate was starting to come undone from it's 70-90s hayday. God when I think back to doing kata!! Didn't know any better as a teen

Judo teacher told me 3 years in a row i wasn't at a brown belt level yet, when in competitions i saw all these brown and even blackbelts that i could take without too much to worry about. In retrospect i'm really grateful because damn that brownbelt actually meant something for me afterwards, i felt pride knowing i earned it. It's gotten to a point where in judo competitions i'd never get worried about a guy's belt because depending on the club it was just them starting katas at 16 to get their black belt asap at small regional competitions without too much effort.

Firas is right The same thing happened to karate and it looks like BJJ is going down the same road

Gracie Barra that's what he's talking about it's bs.

I loved this segment, but it also made me super self conscious about my belt rank in BJJ.

I remember when a blue belt was something. I remember when we first met pedro sauer in va. I remember when Gustavo Machado first came to va as a brown belt.

About time Firas Zahabi was brought back on

I learned more rolling with former competition grapplers than I ever did in a class. I saw someone post this as well, you don’t need a belt when your skill speaks for itself.

i got a blue belt curriculum 9 months into my white belt, i could have test for my blue belt 3 months later because i knew all the technique. That was a year ago and we havent tested for Blue again. I'm REALLY thankful i didn't get my blue belt a year ago, because i have learned so much since then and i feel like i have so much more to learn before i get my blue.

The early years of shotokan and kyokushin were serious times.

Saw the transition happen in my old dojos. It went from running a gym for fighters to training kids for pay.

I agree wholeheartedly with Firas, as one who was a Black Belt in a traditional martial arts in the 70s I have seen the ugly cheapened of many of the arts. I had to learn grappling etc, but this same martial art form today has been turned into a fancy sport, with no elements of the training that were used to teach soldiers hand to hand combat years ago. My first day of training was a test to see how close the instructor can get you to the breaking point. It was brutal, this concept is very foreign to most martial arts training these days

The JJGF, Gracie University and Gracie Humaita are there to preserve jiu-jjtsu the way it is supposed to be.

Currently a white belt been training for about six months, my gym is very strict on stripes and belts I mean I know guys who at other gyms could possibly be 3 stripes or even blue belts who are only on their first stripe. Our coach is big on earning belts the hard way and the traditional way, which is how he got his black belt.

Firas keeps it 100 and that’s he we roll in Chicago no giveaway belts at mission Mma

Imagine how the Japanese feel about the watering down of jiu jitsu.

Gracie Barra does it with the dots on the calendar you need to do min 2 times a week on your attendance card.. it doesn’t always mean you got it on the due date but it’s a decent chance if you attend

Very true. When training is hard, very few people will keep coming back.

The same thing is going on in the military

I train at a “Mcdojo” and I love it! Love all my coaches and teammates, 60 a month plus striking classes and regular gym equipment. UFC gym fam!! Plus get to watch all the pay per views there

When I was a kid and did karate I cried just during stretching and master always put you against someone better to keep us humble.

It's the same for Taekwondo. I took Olympic style taekwondo for three years. I managed to attain a brown belt, but I never felt like I deserved it. I never talk about or brag about it because all I had to do is memorize and perform certain forms, go to class two days per week, broke some boards and never, ever had to spar.

Jamie, Jamie, JAMIE?

Thats why I like boxing, no belts, only hands

This guy is right about karate at the beginning of the video. It's so hard to find good karate gym today

I tried a lot of different martial arts styles but Jujitsu was my favorite so I stayed there for 10 years. Was great. I was the unhappiest with Stephen K. Hayes and Steven Seagal's dojos.

Hearing this makes me want to get into it.

*He's talking about Gracie Barra. Look into it!*

Sad to hear it's like this now. So glad I studied the art back in the 90's when you could still order the Carlson Gracie Jr Black Belt Course of VHS tapes out of the back of the martial arts magazines, the way God intended

Firas Zahabi is a true great. What an inspirational man he is. He is one of the most important people, not just in MMA as a coach but in the arts of combat and self defence. We love you Firas!

Old man BJJ still Rocking and Rolling at 62 as a Black belt you never stop learning.Be like water my friends!

I know of so many of these “schools” that do this. Especially tkd

Idk, giving someone a belt based on how long and how consistently they've been training honestly makes more sense to me than the arbitrary way they do it now. I mean, a 64 year old who just got their black belt is probably gonna get crushed by a 22 year old purple belt. So it's not like the belts are based of your ability to win. As it is now, I feel like people view belts the same way I do anyways: if you're a black belt you've probably been training for a long time, and if you've been training for a long time then you're probably pretty good. I don't see the issue with a time based system of belt progression.

0:34 "Jamie has left the chat"

I'm in the late 40's now. Leave me a white belt with a couple stripes on it forever and just let me easy roll with people. I like the fitness and having enough skill to generally defend myself. I'm not competing and I'm certainly not going to start rolling with an ego because of a color around my waist

He’s talking about Gracie Barra

Proud of the gym I train at. No easy promotions and it means a lot when someone gets a promotion. Wouldn't want it any other way and plan to do the same if I ever get to be the man in charge.

This is why I'm glad my dad started me at a good gym. I didn't know it at the time how lucky I was that it wasn't a gym like this

I actually did feel like every stripe on my belt had meaning as a white belt. As a blue belt the striping thing has disappeared after two. I know I have vastly improved since the last stripe, but mostly in movement, escapes and maintaining dominant positions. My submissions are slowly improving and I think that's where I lack. I want to feel like I deserve my purple belt (when I get one) and this video has given me a better insight about it. I think that submissions are tricky because I could be forcing them on people, but I want to actually have the finesse, savvy, trickiness and technique to get submissions smoothly without actually being in danger of hurting my sparring partner. To me that is the next level and I am there in some areas whereas other area's require a bit too much struggle for me to feel like I am safely attacking so I give up on the submissions to be safe.

Watered down martial arts is a huge problem which is why I love judo so much , in judo your black belt isn’t awarded to you by your own Sensei or dojo , when you have your brown belt and you are going for your black belt grading you have to go in front of a small panel of judges and they ask you to perform random techniques throughout the belt classes in which you have to show and perform proper technique , it erases any scenario in which your Sensei hands out a belt in which you haven’t earned , so if you see someone with their black belt in judo it’s safe to say he is a legit martial artist and worked his way to the top , it’s unfortunate because I woulda really loved to have taken up karate or kung fu but nowadays you simply can’t find a legit dojo

it is not watering down. It is the distinction between becoming a pro fighter and just exercising for fun. Coaches that train pros always see everything subpar as watering down, but all I want for my kid is to socialize and learn how to fight to win. Even a little bit, kid will grow to understand the world.

I train in Brasil and we usually get advanced every two years, but the sparing is hard. We go hard