Why Belts Might Be The Worst Thing to Ever Happen to Martial Arts
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- Опубликовано: 18 май 2017
- I understand why martial arts have belts, but focusing too much on belt rank is toxic. This video breaks down what you should focus on instead of getting all upset that someone else got promoted instead of you. Check out my free app for learning BJJ on your phone at www.grapplearts.com/roadmap
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Amen to that. Who gives a fuck about stripes on a belt? Martial arts is a personal journey. There is no destination. It only ends when you're dead.
I've been doing martial arts for over five years. I'm a black belt ITF and WTF Tae Kwon Do, I've boxed, done a tad of Muay Thai and Kyokushin, and I can honestly say that getting a belt doesn't matter anymore to me. I just want the skills, not the rank. I do believe belts help younger kids, but past that, you don't need belts.
Daniel Bray you lost me at TKD
That's not my fault, Liam.
Sooooo right!😏😏😏😏 hands down🙅🏽
I like this man's take on belts - we all want that black belt so much ; we get it and then we realise .. the journey's just begun .
Once I get my red belt in jiu-jitsu I'm quitting.
SuperSneakySteve LMAOO once I get a black belt I'm quitting tkd
@@anjali1370 once i get a fucking blue belt im done
Good luck Steve
Quit now
At brown belt at 35, I’m too old for ever achieving a Red belt, luckily I started my kids early.
Yeah these belts create a lot of classism as well. I left my dojo because some people were just so cocky and thought they were better than everyone else, giving them a false sense of authority just because of the belt. Even when people below them we're beating them regularly. It should be everyone striving to be the best. Not the highest belt.
"beating them regularly".. huh? so even regular beating wouldn't make them behave.. how cocky!
refreshing to hear. I used to train at a place where 2 purple belts would not roll because they would consistently loose to lower ranks. They were definitely targets because of their belt and I think they felt the pressure to avoid loosing face, so they would not roll at all.
I couldn't agree more. This is one of the reasons I love my judo school in Japan, no new belts before blackbelt. It keeps it a lot purer in my opinion.
Good reminder! Thank you! Sometimes it is easy for me to get caught up in belt rank and forget this is something I want to do for life. I give you my respect and appreciation.
I had a Krav Maga instructor who pretty much refused to teach you any upper-level material until you thoroughly mastered the lower-level material. So all you did each day was practice basic material over and over, day in and day out, until the instructor was personally satisfied that you deserve to advance.
Relearning the basics just makes you faster and better at them. I'd rather be unstoppable with 5 moves than half assed with 10.
Miogi ??
I think that's a sensible approach.
I recognize this from my dojo.
The training focuses too much on the next exams instead of the training itself and some students seem to be training just to earn belts as fast as possible.
I agree. The one thing that I like about belts is that when I give someone advice, they can look at my waist and know not to put much value on my thoughts.
He is absolutely right. I hope this doesn't conflict with his point but I want that Batman Gi.
Fusion Fight Gear gave it me!
The worst is thinking about that much detail but a great way to teach gathered the information you were taught added to your style. keep doing your best with your videos I see your love for what you do.
Well said! The more I train jiu jitsu the more clear this message comes to me! I was just explaining this to my student last night and that's was at my taekwondo school. People get too wrapped up in the belt progression, forget the journey, and have more patience!
Great video Stephan. Thanks.
Excellent and well put as usual.
Since 20 years a Judo brown belt - I can definitely only agree.
Hmmm, I imagine it's not all that fair to fight you in a competition :-(
I saw yellow belts defeat brown belts. So, if you remember to NEVER underestimate your opponent you should be allright ;-)
Depends on the country. In Canada, ikkyu (brown belt) and above fight in same class. It's perfectly fair to for a "20 year ikkyu" to fight a sandan. I hate testing. Stopped testing after shodan 17 years ago.
@@Juarqua saw a brown belt come through from our nations #1 Judo Academy and he totally humiliated all the Black Belts in our Club who walk around on their clouds like they think they are Deity and should be worshiped. He was arrogant about it, he simply came to train, but the ease at which he made all their Judo ineffective spoke for itself. I had really hoped it would humble them a little bit but if anything the Club has become twice as toxic since then and unfortunately I'm stuck in this one horse town so cant easily tell em to go fuck themselves and move on
Inspiring, well said, and very true. Steven you are a true warrior, and someone to look up to and aspire to be like.. Thank you.
Cool, new to the martial art here and I love this approach. Thanks for the insight. It should be about bettering yourself everyday mentally and physically. There's truly something special about the people that are dedicated to BJJ and similar disciplines, it kills the ego and teaches humility and respect. It's a way of life and forces you to LIVE healthier. There's so much to learn, it excites me! Great videos, thanks.
Another mega banger video wonderful infor kesting Boa!
Thank you for this video, very motivating.
It's about the ears, not the belt
You can make them yourself dude, japanese judokas are rubing wet towel to get them, this "culture" has to stop, knowledge is not in your ears mate. All they say is "wow this dude likes to get into sankaku a lot"
They are made by fucking up your cartilage by any pressure or injury on the ear they are not "badge of honor" they are just an injury, no different than busted knee or elbow.
Busted knees and elbows are not cosmetic injuries. It's not even an injury, it's a boo-boo.
You can get them from a lot of friction so it makes sense that a towel can give it to you. I have wrestled for nine years and done jiujitsu for 5 years. I have never had noticeable cauliflower ears.My style of grappling does not get my ear rubbed much.
Or your cartilage is just softer and not prone to cracking like some other people with rugged ears, i had a friend who got cauili after 1 month of bjj practice when a guy tried to open up his turtle with a knee.
Most honest words i've heard about BJJ belts, and so true. Thanks Stephan!
awesome vídeo Stephan ...is the true everything you said here...congrats man...Nice chanel
When I failed the yellow belt test when I was around 9 the teasing and ridicule I got from the instructors and the rest of the class became unbearable. Honestly the bullying was worse than any treatment I received at school and the latter my parents didn't have to pay for. Of course once I quit the instructor called my house and was instantly my best buddy. Since I essentially had to start over anyway I eventually joined a rival gym.
Well spoken. Love the transparency. I've been a white belt with no stripes since 2014. At the same time, I'm not going to a traditional bjj gym.
Thanks for posting this- perfect.
Yoseikan Budo has begun with a ranking system but years ago they've finally abandoned all coloured belts. Now they all wear a blue and white coral belt - from beginner to high master.
i never chased belts at any of the gyms I trained at. Teachers would get kinda annoyed or not wanna teach me the next thing until I went and paid that $ for another belt(or sash) but it has no bearing on how good a fighter you are!
Happy to see this as its own video (that I am very late to the party on).
Someone please correct me if my thoughts here seem innacurate - I'm mostly remembering it from a book I read in the early 2000's with a section about about Jigoro Kano - but my understanding is that Japan is culturally fairly deferrent to seniority, and more interested in ranking by order than skill level (Sensei literally means "one who came before", followed by Sempai and Kouhai - senior and junior).
Belt ranks then were intended more to help recognize people who have been doing something longer than you. It's more like an effort to be respectful of other peoples' time and hard work, not something tied to exclusivity. I like this interpretation, though either way maybe it has to be explicitly stated that junior ranks are worthy of respectful treatment too.
Relevant personal anecdote: As an adult karate black belt who'se out of shape and practice, I had recently joined a local mma club (east coast Canada) with a keen interest in muay thai and BJJ (one of these Gracie affiliate schools even). Sadly, I bailed after a few weeks despite having a great relationship with the head instructor, because one or two of his senior students were complete degens picking on the junior students (and wouldn't even give me their name when I called them out). I'm not leaving myself in that kind of environment, because it ultimately shows bad leadership, and creates a bad environment for learning. Its left me with a longing for a club that trains competitively, but doesn't take itself too seriously.
Nice we just, had this talk. Just got my blue belt 6 months ago, no stripes. But i noticed my tri angle is better , more deadly. My side control makes people hate me because i got my pressure down and i still like cling wrap thats static charged. We laugh and coach each other. Our coach always pushes us to better . No talks ever about you need this to get a promotion. Just hey you , get your butt down our shell pass your side control. Or do you see the arm lock , its there..... we discuss. And so on. Great vid Stephen
Damn, I wish I could train with you. Your an awesome instructor and you also have great character.
That`s what I liked about Aikido. We had only white (5. Kyu - 1. Kyu) and black belts (1. Dan - 7 Dan). Nothing in between. You also started to wear a hakama when you got the 1. Dan.
Overall, the only thing the belts signify is what level you compete at. Maybe at your academy the belts and stripes mean something, but overall, they have no unified meaning across the sport. As far as sand bagging, if there was a formal way to track competition wins and losses there would be no way to sand bag because they would force people to move up after so many wins at any level. If anyone is on chess.com, they pair you up with another opponent based on your current rating. Every match is rated and your rating increases or decreases after every match.
I'm a blue belt in bjj and I can survive against many upper belts but as far as competition I should be competing at white belt. I can usually only tap new white belts with a few months of training and that's rare. Never tapped a blue belt so why bother competing if I'm not at blue belt competition level. It's one thing to survive, it's another to win.
Great video, thank you!
Thanks for taking the courage to state the truth on a controversial topic Stephan. If only more people saw it from that perspective.
This is the best video on the whole promotion thing with jiu jitsu I've seen..There really is way too much ambition and ego with belts..I've been off the mats for a while..The blue belt doesn't have the same meaning to me anymore. .I just want to leave the past in the past and start over
good perspective! Agree 100% Stephan.
I always watch Stephan's vids and learnt very good stuff (hello arm triangle!) and I couldn't agree more with this one. Sadly, belt promotion create problems. That phrase "don't compare yourself to others" is stupid. You will always compare yourself to others, it's called competition. It's natural to expect a reward when rewards are available, and if you are training consistently (paying a lot of money, bjj doesn't come cheap), competing regularly and all, yet you see someone who doesn't even show up to train gets promoted and you don't, yes, you will feel resented, no matter how much you think you are in "your own personal journey" (guilty here). Personally I struggle with letting the belt thing go to my head and succeed, more or less, but can't help and see that there is seemingly no rhyme or reason for promotions, although noticed a little pattern in which family groups, who are paying the equivalent of a full, very good salary, get promoted faster, as well as friends of the instructor, sorry, saw it, it happens. That being said, I get my stripes, slower, but still they come and I guess I have to be content with my lot, so to say. I think if promotions were based on attendance, and competition (within reason, not everyone can afford to compete all the time), it will be more fair to everyone, but I understand that there are expenses like rent, property taxes and coaches need to make a living as they are putting their time and effort, so I guess things have to stay that way, (sigh)
they are handy for instructors, so we know what to teach/what they know... I jump back and forth between pro/against belts
This is the best BJJ channel on RUclips.
I have been practicing MMA, Grappling as a whole and Jiu-Jitsu for quite some time now. I have mates that I often spar with, I know a bunch of coaches that really like having me at their school for a few classes, I can roll around with most of the Blue Belts and the underline of the Purple Belts but I have never in my life thought:"Hmm maybe I should get a belt." I have always just trusted on my mental and physical capabilities, and if I lose I'm the happiest person in the room, why you may ask? Because then I learned that there is someone that I can loop up against and try to become better than that person. I don't need a belt to have fun and get better at what I love to do, The only thing I really need is a mat or a sandbox, a referee or and instructor and some kind and respectful sparring partners.
Oss
Reading all the people angsting about belts and stripes on R/BJJ makes me glad I train at a nogi place without any of that nonsense.
Euan Christopher I train both, but with the gi you become more technical
Euan Christopher training with a gi makes you better at performing in a gi. That's it. The contrast might be a valuable, but working with all the extra tools a gi offers doesn't magically make you a better grappler when you take it off. In fact, more often than not, I've found the opposite to be true. Taking away the weapon from a fighter who isn't as experienced without the weapon doesn't yield good results. The gi is a weapon. It's an extension of your body, not a replacement for it.
Euan Christopher training with a gi makes you better at performing in a gi. That's it. The contrast might be a valuable, but working with all the extra tools a gi offers doesn't magically make you a better grappler when you take it off. In fact, more often than not, I've found the opposite to be true. Taking away the weapon from a fighter who isn't as experienced without the weapon doesn't yield good results. The gi is a weapon. It's an extension of your body, not a replacement for it.
+Ramsey Dewey Some of the gi skills can be used in a street fight on someone with solid clothing. If they are wearing a jacket or strong shirt then the lapel is very useful. Plus a lot of people wear a leather belt on the street so it could be used.
Euan i train at 10th planet and we have belts. for me at my current shit skipl level considering the fact that i cant remember any moves and just t rex my arms and hope my partner fucks up, id possibly quit if i was given a promotion when i know i dont have the ability
Didn't realize how pointless belts were till I got my black. Humbling experience. That's where the real learning begins. Still feels good to put the belt on though, haha.
I train JJJ and working towards orange belt at the moment (I am starting Karate tomorrow as well). I am there to better myself physically and mentally, to train hard, to defend myself if needed and overall just to learn the art. I am looking forward to my next grading and as I said before I am proud to wear my yellow belt, but overall I really am not fussed about the belt system. As long as I am learning, why fret about the belt progression? I only like belts as a measure of learning and not as a measure of "badassery". I think these days people expect gratification and instant rewards without putting in the elbow grease. As a result, you get watered down learning and thus no real mastery at all.
Sage words as always!
At the school I go to, I think it is not a problem. You get the stripes if you proof that you are able to do the basic technics. so it is a motivation to drill the basics
Totally agree! Been saying this for years.
The founder of judo, Kanō Jigorō (or Jigoro Kano) invented the whole colored belt system for Japanese jūdō in the 19th century. It spread into karate, tae kwon do and other martial arts, even the kung fu san soo I trained in as a youth.
when i go to the mat i don't care about my belt ,i only care to have respect for each one of my mates,and obviously my teacher.But what i do care is training and have fun and try my best,and even if i have lost every fight that day,i just feel so good to have the oportunity to train.
We didn't have "kids" martial arts when I started in 1989 there was a 12 year old black belt but that kid ate slept and breathed the dojo life, he was there teaching the lower belts during the summer, and helped our instructors do belt rank test .but 99.99999999999% of kids just quit after a yellow belt .
Great video , totally agree. I think it's funny when you see people look at the belt to gauge the danger level. Anybody can be dangerous at any given time... I think as you get older, these types of external measurements of self value mean less as you come to know your own worth and potential...
Thanks for sharing.
Actually you could make reverse the argument that belts are there to keep you safe! If you were just to spar with black belts then you'd get injured less often than if you were only to spar against white belts!
Maybe come up with a deep water test for WBs!... Complex subject with many arguments either way.
I am a four stripe purple belt and yesterday at our seminar i was the only student who was not promoted and i can tell you i felt like a piece of shit! Watching your video made my feel a little bit better about it !
First off: That's a sick gi with those Batman patches.
Second: True story. Preach it.
this is true man, there's other great things about martial arts than just the belt like camaraderie, passion and effectiveness.
I agree with this, but I think it misses a few of the main reasons belts, and stripes, came to be:
1)Ranking - There is ranking and formality in arts. The highest belt is in charge of leading the class in warm-ups or teaching if instructor is away, etc. Without the clear ranking, structure of classes can fall apart. Similar to why military adheres to rank so much.
2)Motivation - The steps of stripes and of belts provide short term achievements and continued motivation. Most people struggle with far off, long term goals due to a lack of visual progress or acknowledged return. Belts keep interest levels by breaking up a long term, large goal, into smaller, more manageable parts.
You hit the nail on the head. The way the average human brain works is knocking out goals large and small. If a person does not feel he is progressing then he starts to lose hope. Then they move on to something else.
Spot on foxy
Are samurais apart of a milita? Was judo created for the military? Just some questions to think about.
my thoughts exactly, Stephan
I've always thought it was kind of a scam for school to charge for promotion day, its like if your boss charged you to give you a promotion at work.
I would forget about the color around my waist if certain techniques where not "locked" behind certain belts.
You want to do a leg lock, well, most schools allow that from purple. So for you, the game becomes (more) interesting at purple, only problem is, purple is 3 years in. So lets say after 2.5 years you know where you stand.
With only white and black belts, it is anyone's guess when I'm gonna learn heal hooks. Teachers personal favoritisme?
This is specially annoying if you are new to BJJ but you did 12 years of Judo in your youth.
I'm a fan of a colored belt system for this reason. Having a certain belt color does not make you inherently auto defeat anyone lower. It just gives everyone a rough estimate where you are at.
Indeed the life long journey is most important, clearing millstones on the way however makes it easier to stay on track. It are the small victories that in the end lead to a big win.
2 min 47 is 100% correct. In my opinion I got my black belt in judo and aikido too quickly. once I got them......... well what do info now??? when my son's are old enough I will encourage them to do judo and bjj and always to do their best and work hard but not get as obsessed with the colour of the belt around their waists. It's about quality not quantity. ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE.......
BTW - my favourite belts for judo, aikid and bjj was brown.... I find them the most fun....
Yeah, this discussion is quite interesting. I had done Tae Kwon Do from ages 15-20 and once I got my black belt I quit.
As for BJJ, my original school back home in Canada doesn't use stripes. Before I moved to Korea, my instructor felt that I was a few months off from Blue. Once I moved, I eventually found a school and they use stripes. They gave me 2 stripes after a couple of weeks and now I feel like I actually regressed to a lower level. Weird right?
Then, there's also the thing about how rank doesn't reflect skill. Somebody could be an old Judo or wrestling hand, or be very competitive. A competition purple belt can be equivalent to more relaxed newer black belts, based on what I've seen.
Anyways, but exactly as Kesting says, it's a lifetime journey. I found my sport and I'll be sticking to it, whatever the stripe and color combination. For now, I gotta stop this bad habit of getting triangled when passing guard... Thanks for the Video!
A Black Belt just signifies you are at the least an assistant instructor in a martial arts. If we didn't have belts people would still have the same goals, become encouraged or discouraged by their progress and still quit when they think they are done.
Hi, can u make a video of how to mentally recover when u injured your teammate, last month I broke my partner's arm with a kimura. She never tap out for her huge ego and I didn't know it was tight cause people normally tap out very fast with a kimura or they moan about what the pain.So , I ' ve been a month without BJJ because Im afraid of hurting someone else accidentaly and my coach is so mad cuase I broke the arm of his favorite student.
started jiu jitsu in 2014s fall still a white belt in spring 2017 I switched schools and life made me take a break for a year and getting back into it I felt ashamed that I could've been a blue belt but then I realised the belt doesn't matter what matters is I was there to learn so I should focus on learning and bettering myself.
I agree with you Sir
"Remember daniel-san karate always here *points at head* always here *points at heart* never over here *points at waist* you understand" "yea I think so"
Belts were the worst thing to me, back when I did karate I was totally consumed by it, always got pissed off when I couldn't go for it, that's why I got kicked out of two clubs, now looking back I wish I wasn't obsessed with belts and just have fun with it
I just enjoyed the journey. Back in 98 my dojo was challenged to a couple of dojo fights where we fought against different forms. Every time it always came down to how much you trained, and what that training was about. I had four years of Muy Thai and four years of boxing at the time, and I trained averagely. I never received a belt. Back then belts were huge. The surprise to martial artist Sensie's on how well our group did against different standup martial arts always came at a surprise to them. It was back when cage fighting was NOT looked at as something good, but everybody was trying to figure out what really worked. A lot of people I trained with went to Jui Jitsu and slowed their Muy Thai training down. Because I've never received one, I've never really understood belts. I just think if you train in it, then you should be reasonable at it, like wrestling. If you stop training, then you won't be reasonable at it. I think knowledge and practice go hand and hand.
Im an 10 years Aikido practicioner and I never cared about belts. If I only were "hurting" for 1st Dan I could probably have accomplished that already, but I don't care about a higher Belt where everything I have to do is learn more versions of all the techniques I can do already. I am currently more focused on getting the techniques to work rather than anything else
Hats off
awesome !!!!!
Originally belts are there to hold your pants up, but when weapons were banned in Japan in Zen era (ca 500AD) that belt would be used as a strangling weapon by ninjas. During the ban also business men used it for a "poor man's" seppuku (suicide) which means "death by own belt".
it made me laugh a bit, because i've had 4 years of taekwondo and i was quite good, but i was a white belt because i could never attend the promotion classes. i had the level, i knew the korean, i knew the poomsae, and i could do all the kicks, but i was not their to get the little test. it never bothered me and i was happy with my skill and constant progression. know, i stopped tkd and started judo and systema because i've got the feeling that something is lacking in this martial art. i'm still happy with my time in tkd and i might get back to a striking art, probably muay thai.
Great Videoo
I like belts only because it gives me a general idea of who has experience and dividing up competitions so people have a chance. I started BJJ because i loved it and now i have been doing it for 7 years and still enjoy it for the love of the sport. My belt progression has given me pride and a sense of recognition but I would be happy regardless of where I am at.
could not take my eyes off the bat signal.
yes and no it gives u an idea if what others should know that you should know.
i went for my blue belt i didnt get high enough score to pass but whatever just means i need to be better for the next time lol
I tapped out purples and browns, with very few blues tapping me before I got my blue belt. Your instructor knows what he's doing, and will give you your belt when your ready.
You say that, but I worked my fucking arse off for two years and wasn't promoted to blue belt, whereas others who only trained casually were promoted to blue belt ahead of me, people that I absolutely mauled in training, and who didn't even bother to develop a proper understanding of jiu-jitsu. Before one of the gradings my instructor tested people on the blue-belt curriculum. I was so obsessed with training that I knew more than all the white belts, the blue belts and the one brown belt in the room, but still I was denied. I was even invited to help teach a kids class but advised not to wear my belt because the kids wouldn't respect me if they knew I was only a white belt. My plan was to progress as quickly as humanly possible so that I could give myself a chance of teaching one day (not just the kids class), and when I realized that my club just holds people at certain belts for a set amount of time regardless of ability, training frequency, or dedication, I decided to quit. I get what you're saying about not becoming obsessed with belts, but you're wrong: without a goal there is no meaning. That is a psychological reality -- as irrational as it might seem -- and for goal-obsessed people like myself being unfairly denied promotion whilst watching less capable, less hard-working people go ahead of me, was psychological torture.
My martial arts school give you stripes for you having 100% knowledge of the certain skills the color represents. When you get enough stripes it shows you that you are capable enough for testing.
I remember I was orange belt I was toe to toe with a brown in testing sparing for our next belt
Jiguro Kano (the founder of Judo) is the person credited with instituting the belt system. He did so because he felt that students would eventually lose interest after so many years but with a degree system, it would give them goals to work toward and keep them motivated to stay in it. The problem today though is it's the number 1 money scam used by all McDojo's in the world. We have to understand that its the person not the rank. I agree Stephan. It's sad what it's become...
I just started taekwondo and I am enjoying it sooo much I hope I never get board of it I want to be the best I can I really don’t care about the belts
Guilty as charged. I totally got addicted to the belts in judo. On the one hand, It motived me to continue to train. But Ive definitely thought of "black belt then Ill quit...but wait, 2nd dan is only a year away after that...."
started when everyone got into Tyger Shulmans karate BJJ was the best decision my dad made. small room vs that giant building everyone knew. I've learned there's too much to learn, I've never had my ass kicked around bullies mostly to BJJ. helps me with college football and life.
People may say boxing is not a martial art, but boxers have beaten karate and other martial arts practitioners before (striking arts usually, not wrestling) there's an example of a martial art that's never used belts.
well said
So true! Forever the student,
You're right sir
Thanks again you can shove the Bell up your ass I'm there the train
I thourougly agree with you, sir. Even when you say you understand why belts are there. I think they are necessary especially for competition (which still is and will remain a vital point of BJJ) in order to allow fair matches, fullfilling a function analogous to weight divisions. Nonetheless, belts are a psychological burden (when you don't get them and also when you do) that is unhealthy for the art. Who says that there's no ego in BJJ knows nothing, because this is a human activity, and not one of spiritually ascended demi-gods; and as any other human activity, there's ego, pride and vanity, and it's ok. The call here is for professors and leaders to always have a speech which boosts a healthy environment and clear purpose for those who chose this path in life.
I have a stripe on my white belt also I know why their there it’s to see if u got your stances right well that’s for me at least
There are many points to this. For one, it is about the belt. Kids take these classes because they think they want it, or their parents want it for them. For some that belt is a goal, and we teach, reach your goals, thus when the goal is reached they stop, because the knowledge was not the point. It is very rare for kids to want to do martial arts when they could be doing so many other things, that could be free to do, or cheaper, with a better emotional payout. I know kids that go to a $20 a month Martial arts class, and they just go to go, no cares about learning. They go cause it is cheap for their parents. No goals with it or no real reason to stay after Black Belt. You can say there is no real love of it with most people.
what's with the batman patches?
Belts suck when you need to do kata/poomsae and they suck even more when gradings are expensive. However, if there are no opportunities to compete then you need them- I didn't start MMA until I was violet belt in Japanese Ju Jitsu (belt 6 out of 12), orange belt in judo (4 out of 9) and blue in kickboxing (5 out of 10).
Our belts during class serve no purpose other than to hold our gi together so I dont care what color belts my students wear. The main exception is when we go to tournaments and seminars. I can see how belt ranks can be beneficial to some degree in keeping a tournament fair assuming the rank actually represents that student's experience and skill level.
I started bjj at 40 and i think age influences it too. I don t give a shit if it takes me 10 years to be a blue belt or a purple belt..but one thing i know i m gonna be a darn good white belt! I got a stripe this week it kind of made me proud cuz to me it was an indicator i had reached another point when i roll and my teacher noticed it he wanted to reward my efforts.
when i was training karate some years ago, i just wanted to have the minimum belt necessary to do kumite in tournaments. i didn`t want to learn katas after that. just went to training, did some sparring, practiced some moves and that was it. i saw some elderly housewifes with black belts, but they never were in a real fight once (tournaments i mean) and naturally they sucked at sparring. so, i don`t give a shit about belts at all.
here here!
I got my Taekwondo black belt when I was 16 and I am now 36 and still train and practice even by myself. I am ranked 4th degree black belt now and master certified. There are more of us than you think. We didn't just quit at black belt and do something else.
ive only been doing bjj for a month at 10th planet and i gotta say i dont think we have stripes and im glad cause i am not a 1 stripe whits belt and if i got a stripe with my current ability id possibly quit. there im 36 yrs old 5"8' 192 lbs out of shape, but i used to box, sparred hundreds of rounds and ive never been dominated like with bjj. all i remember during rolls are keeping my elbows, in trying tp get to my side, getting stuck and having to wait and hope my partner makes a mistake advancing or going for a sub. my fellow newbs cant tap me but they dominate, passing my guard, getting side control and guard and if every roll (5 min) were points id lose by a huge margin. im frustrated and pissed off that i suck and the only people i tap are at a 45 lb weight disadvantage and i recently decided to stop using strength against them and cant tap them either. im giving myself 1 year and if i cant routinely tap all new white belts im gonna quit. i dont care about belts, i care about ability and i literally forget everything except what i learned in class that day! a more experienced belt intentionally helps me by putting himself in the position we learned and i fucking cant see it!!!!!!! why the fuck cant i use or remember anything from drilling when i roll!!!!
It's funny. I trained with BJJ blue belts in high school who were VERY good. Later, in college I joined the Judo club. One day a BJJ blue belt from a different school trained with us, and to my great surprise I was able to submit him repeatedly with relative ease. I know my grappling improved between high school and college, but I don't think it improved THAT much.