Long winded rant based on my thoughts and experience coming up. So if you do not care about my opinion, stop reading now as this will only piss you off or bore you.
I want to share my thoughts and opinion on a much overlooked aspect of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu promotions. There are many instructors who will completely disagree with what I say, and that is fine. They are entitled to their completely incorrect opinion LOL. Two recent events prompted this blog and some of it is just straight catharsis by getting my thoughts out and letting go of the feelings.
This weekend at our Carlos Machado Fall Training Camp, I had the honor of helping a little bit on promotion testing. We would have students flow roll, show a number of techniques and ultimately roll a few rounds. It is a fairly comprehensive process for determining knowledge and skill. The guys testing were certainly put through the ringer and upon completion, if they earned their promotion, they would surely feel as though they earned it after what they went through. A strong emphasis was placed on the rolling section and making the students truly have to earn what they get. The point was made that we need to guarantee the quality of the upper belts. I agree with this 100%. Any instructor should want quality people carrying their lineage and representing their name. Which is the point of this blog. While we were certainly able to comprehensively determine knowledge and skill, considering we just met these people, we had no way of determining their character. If they came with an instructor, we could of course rely on the instructor to bless them as being able to carry on and represent the Carlos Machado name. But many people testing do not train directly under a qualified instructor and provide their own training timeline and choose their own testing date. Well, what if they are not a good person? What if they have a criminal record? What if they have a history of assault? What if they are fudging their training time for a faster promotion? No quality instructor with an ounce of integrity wants a person with low moral fiber representing their name. I understand the challenges of being in an area that may not have access to consistent quality instruction, and more importantly guidance. Having an Association that allows a person to learn, train and grow can be a blessing. Just seems challenging to be able to include the character aspect in that scenario. The test of time is the only way that a persons integrity can be determined.
The second event occurred a few weeks ago. I received a call from a prospective student who wanted to potentially join Jedi Jiu-Jitsu. He indicated that he had been training a few years and hoped to get his blue belt. I told him that was a great goal and we could certainly help. The next unfortunately obvious question then came up - “how long will it take?”. My answer - “I don’t know. On average, two years minimum”. He indicated that his skill level was that of a blue belt or higher. My answer “That may be true, but if I do not know you, I cannot in good conscience put my name and my instructors name on your lineage list”. The only true way to know someone is through the test of time. While I may provide someone with a stripe after six months, awarding a belt takes much longer. Because the fact is, I just don’t know them. While I do background check every student who joins Jedi Jiu-Jitsu, learning they type of person who they truly are requires time. We may have lost a potential student but I did not lose any sleep.
For me personally in BJJ, I was at white belt 14 years, blue 2 years, purple 3 years, brown 3 years and now black 7 years. The process is not quick but builds patience. PATIENCE BUILDS CHARACTER. If someone only wants to build skilled tough students, character may not be important and that is their prerogative. My choice is to build peoples character and skill both. I have made the mistake in the past of promoting people who turned out to not be what they seem (even at the highest promotion levels) and turned out to have questionable character and lack of integrity. I have also passed on promoting students who proved to have questionable character - and have always proven to be justified on those decisions. As an instructor we must also grow and learn from our successes and failures.
I do not agree with quick belt testing in any Martial Art. A black belt should have black belt character and integrity. If someone is too young to have the life experiences that provide wisdom - do they truly have the ability to show Black Belt character? Yes I am picking on those 6-21 year old Black Belts in other systems out there.
You hear it a lot “be patient, trust the process, listen to your instructor”. It is not easy but it will build patience and patience will build character. Now go be nice to someone.