Mitsuyo Madea > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rolls Gracie > Romero Jacare Cavalcanti > Felipe 'Zicro' Neto > me ('Danny Boy'Vega) I'm in one of the framed pictures under the lineage wall sticker alongside other black belts promoted under Zicro

That's a great looking way to have the lineage on the wall! I amy have to steal that idea. =)

The only lineage that matters God > 'His Magnificence' Deepak Rao > 'The Illustrious Lasu Rogers' > LOL

Connor MacLeod -> Clan MacLeod.

I like the Idea of 'Lineage' - not because I think everyone needs to copy their teacher; on the contrary. If my students turn out to be 'copys' of myself, I would not consider myself a good teacher because I taught them MY moves instead of teaching them to develop THEIR game and mainly the Understanding of the Art... I like the Idea of lineage because for once, I like 'history'. Also, I like the option that it gives one a perspective on how the art one studies developed through the generations (looking at each teacher in succession and what their strong points were). Whatever I study an art I often try to get 'as close to the source' of said art for my onw studying - not because I believe it is 'better' (!) - oftentimes the new generations develop awesome methods that the founders could not even imagine - but I simply like to see how things were 'in the beginning' to be able to put those changes into perspective and understand those developments that changed the Art at one point or another. I also followed this 'rule' when I studied Traditional Chinese Medicine (I went to china to study there instead of attending the commonly offered courses offered here in Germany) or Osteopathy (wich I studied mainly with Osteopathic Professors from the US - where Osteopathy originated - instead of taking 'germanized' courses…)… Is lineage 'important' when it comes to ability? NO - there are plenty of experts / masters / champions who have no real lineage; and there are those with a great lineage who still suck at what they do... But I think we should not forget that BJJ is still one of the Few arts where direct Student-Teacher Lineage is one of the Main factors in 'verification' of a persons validity of Rank! If you can not produce a Promotion by a recognized Blackbelt, it does not matter how great you are on the mats… and that Black Belt of course had to come from anothe valid Black Belt etc etc - s in the end, EVERYONE in the comunity can andshould be able to trace their Lineage to one of the founding roots in Brazil. If they cant, their rank is automatically 'questionable'. And I like it that way! It makes us different from other Arts or Systems where you simply get Ranked at a Grade-Testing by some random Guy with a Licence for Grading from a certain Association. In the attaced file I tried to recreate my Lineages to the Kodokan through Judo and BJJ - and I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out my Judo-Lineages from when I started Judo. Unfortunately, my early teachers all end up in a big Association-Blackbox from where they recieved their rank; with no further documentation on who THEY actually learned from. Would knowing that make me a better practitioner? No; it would not. But I would love to be able to connect those dots just a clearly as I ca in my BJJ Lineage (and my current Judo Lineage - wich I can trace all the way to Kano as well. Anyways, just some Random thoughts... My main Kodokan Lineage/s are: In BJJ 1) Kanō Jigorō > Tomita Tsunejirō -> Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Reyson Gracie > Mario Stapel > Philipp Wolf (me) 2) Kanō Jigorō > Tomita Tsunejirō -> Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Helio Gracie > Robin Gracie > Mario Stapel > Philipp Wolf (me) 3) Kanō Jigorō > Tomita Tsunejirō -> Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Helio Gracie > Pedro Hemetério de Araújo > Franco Vacirca > Mario Stapel > Philipp Wolf (me) And my main Judo Lineage: Kanō Jigorō > Fukushima Seizaburō > Ushijima Tatsukuma > Hirano Tokio > Frank Thiele > Thomas Kohlrausch > Philipp Wolf (me) See also my Lineage-Poster (a Work in Progress): https://bjj-neustadt.weeb[...]020_02.jpg

Lineage doesn't matter. Everyone just does what they want and takes from everyone. The people who are just like their instructors are the ones that normally suck the most. Yea some academies will instill certain good things in their students but they don't become copies or their instructors. That's an ancient way of doing things before all the information in the world was on the internet now.

OK James.... you are saying this like it is fact again... FOR anyone who DOESNT KNOW JAMES by now..... what he meant to say was... 'THIS IS MY FULLY BIASED OPINION BASED ON HOW I FEEL'

And you're saying that like your angry or something. Isn't what everyone says an opinion? The way I say things are somehow not opinions? That's a neat trick I didn't know I had. Sorry it matters if you like bragging about names of other people like it somehow makes you personally better because your associated with someone who was associated with someone else who was sorta associated with someone else. I don't understand it. Honestly no one cares who your instructor was unless they are trying to check up on you but the mats never lie. I tapped out a Tom Deblass Black belt in a tournament a few weeks ago. I never thought before the match oh no.... They are going to be as good as Tom Deblass. I didn't care one bit. Don't get me wrong the guy was good. He won the nogi absolute pretty easily and has his own academy. But GI is my specialty. Really only take notice if it's someone from Pedigo as those guys are always full speed ahead. Other then that don't care. My opinion.

I like to know my family tree.

Don’t get James started on family trees.

Lmao should I edit it out quick!

Not mad, I actually was being sarcastic. Sorry you felt attacked. But yes in my opinion you state opinions much like fact. Example “ The people who are just like their instructors are the ones that normally suck the most.” this statement reads like fact. However it you stated “I feel” or “in my experience” it comes off differently. Or even “ Honestly no one cares who your instructor was unless they are trying to check up on you but the mats never lie.” hmm is it true that nobody cares or just James. I ( see my opinion) do not see people that are proud of their lineage as bragging. I see that they are proud of their roots. Same reason, I like to know my family tree.