should I promote people who train noGi only?

After all, a person who is the best fighter in Steroids Jiu-Jitsu may not do nearly as well, in 'No Steroids' Jiu-Jitsu....

That's not really how athletic performance works though. The best athlete in the current (steroids) jiu jitsu, would almost certainly still be the best in an alternate reality where steroids don't exist.

Sure it is. Steroids are not just a physical crutch, they are also a mental crutch.

Every BJJ instructor needs to decide what THEIR jiu-jitsu is and promote accordingly. To full out remove knowledge of gi techniques from promotions is really stretching it, but if it's someone with a very legit lineage doing it and they're consistent and transparent about it (here, it helps with them being generally known), I'm willing to still accept it from my end (for what it's worth). E.g. 10:th planet BJJ degrees. If someone further up the lineage (on who's lineage the legitimacy of the promotions rest) would object to no gi promotions, I wouldn't be as sure how I myself would vote. When it comes to my own promotions of students, I wouldn't promote anyone without a knowledge of gi techniques representative of that belt. The self defense parts of BJJ are also of importance to me and I really think you need gi experience as well there (at least living in Scandinavia, where people wear jackets around half the year).

Calling them a crutch indicates a massive misunderstanding of how they work. Steroids are not magic beans, the work still need to be done largely. The skills are still needed. If a minority were using steroids, they could change who is at the top. But when they are all using steroids, it's less likely.

all the old Gracies wore gis when fighting.

Another marketing tool or a solution for this dilemma?

Another marketing tool or a solution for this dilemma?

That is like a vegan steak. Call it mimikry.😆

Popularized, perhaps, but all the old Gracies wore gis when fighting. Royce always wore a gi in the UFC battles, and that was to demonstrate BJJ as opposed to other fighting styles. So when it actually comes to the Gracies, BJJ is all about using the gi.

https://www.instagram.com[...]IxNmRiOA==

Popularized, perhaps, but all the old Gracies wore gis when fighting. Royce always wore a gi in the UFC battles, and that was to demonstrate BJJ as opposed to other fighting styles. So when it actually comes to the Gracies, BJJ is all about using the gi.

The 'old Gracies' most certainly did not wear the Gi to fight in Vale Tudo. In most cases they did not wear a gi. A simple Google search will prove that. Carlos, George, Helio, Carlson, Robson, Rickson etc all were pretty much bare chested for their vale tudo matches. They did some Gi matches for sure but it was not the only way they fought.

I just think about something but, if we speak about being a Black belt in Wado ryu, shito ryu, shotokan, even kyokushin, you're a KARATE Black belt. You don't need to know how to spar or all the katas from more traditional styles. So in bjj, you don't need to know all the 10th planet, gracie self defense, berimbolos,...you just need to be able to apply your techniques in the way you have choose: competition, self defense, or just for fun and rolling. If you wear a Black belt and every teenager at the gym clean the floor with you wearing you Best shoyoroll, then you didn't deserve it. But if you tap people with guillotines, arm triangle or leg lock with a gi on, who cares you don't know the cross choke ? If you're mainly a nogi man and but the gi to have some rolls, it seems ok for me.

Sir, how dare you make a post, that was thoughtful, and shows common sense? When you raise the bar that way, it raises that bar for all of us, you know...