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[Vigilant Walrus]

Vigilant Walrus.. you are simply amazing!! :O
This is fantastic, yet at the same time terrible because I'm entering exam time but I want to dig into every single one of these now lol.

The problem I'm having with spats is that I'm actually quite skinny so I'm unsure what size to go. I'm about 5'9 and 125 pounds so I don't know if I should go extra small or small.
Damn those reversal tights are expenssiiive. I think I'll just get some cheapish plain black ones. I don't wanna get some crazy spatss trying to look like a badass.. when I'm not lol.
I just splurged on black Friday so I think those scramble ones look in my price range.



BJJhq is sweet, but I need some spats to throw on right away and it looks like they just do a single random daily deal.

The class was AWESOME. We did our first roll today with our classmates. We took turns drilling passing guard -> side control -> mount -> bottom reverses -> back in guard.
Not sure what that sequence is called, but continually went back and forth which felt great. At the end we did some real time sparring er rolling.
We had to break guard and get to mount and on the bottom keep guard. I was going with a guy about 140-150ish so I was unsure if I would be effective at all against him but I just kept trying to keep applying to all the details I could remember and I reversed him!! Felt so good dude.. haha
He was quite strong so it was hard to keep him in my guard but I think with time I'll be able to keep someone there! Breaking guard was also fun! Once I passed one leg I slowly slithered my other leg out hehe. Perks of having sticks for legs. We're learning triangles next class.

No problem mate. I also made a list with some previous interesting specific videos and highlights on a previous page. You might find some of it interesting as well (I was cleaning out old bookmarks.

Oh yeah, those Reversals are totally fashion statements. They are like the Shoyoroll of Fight Brand (Shoyoroll is this really limited collectible Gi's that some people go crazy over. Highly limited and expensive. It's just a regular Gi with some fancy branding and stitching thou) I cannot afford such either. I have some 15 dollar spats I got off Amazon. They have no logos but they get the job done. I actually mostly use gi pants and a rashguard/t-shirt in No-Gi classes. I like protecting my knees because It hurts when my knees are rubbing against the mats when sliding, falling, shooting!


Good job! Guard retention is difficult! When you're dealing with stronger guys my advise to you (as a big guy) is to try and fight to tire them out. People will steamroll you and smash through your guard. Power pressure type passes. The cool thing is that there is a million ways to retain your guard or change guard. It will probably take a few years to find one you really really really love

So...I've never seen this Fight Quest episode of BJJ.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfswe9wNTtk

It's so fucking cool. You get to see Rickson standing there like the BJJ God he is like a badass as these guys train in Rio. Try not to squeal, I dare you.

He is really stoic! It's very cool!

 

[juliushandle]

my personal pic of Rickson who i sat behind at the last IBJJF Worlds.

 

[Fox318]

Bit on the Gi on BJJHQ deal of the day

Sure I can't compete in it but it looks cool and now I only have to do a wash with my white gi once a week.

 

[juliushandle]

www.peelgi.com had a 50% off everything sale this past weekend so I bought all 3 of my remaining belts in BJJ (purple, brown, black). the belts my gym gives out are pretty cheap plus when I travel I usually like to not bring my main belt as I've lost those in the past. also, looking at those belts I have yet to be promoted to will give me motivation to continue on, not quit, and see this journey through.

Design is non-traditional with the unique embroidery.

 

[Brerlappin]

I have class in an hour. Stomach, commence butterflies!

 

[Fox318]

https://youtu.be/ZXZ9bEpp7kk

 

[Brerlappin]

Had a good class tonight after being off last week. I watched a bunch of videos and learnt a few things that really helped. I still "lost" each roll but the guy who usually submits me easily congratulated me after the roll cause I gave him a much harder time this time around.

Also I read a thread on r/BJJ about Ezekiel's from inside someone's guard, and is it considered bad BJJ to attempt a sub from in guard. Well I figured I'm a scrub BJJ player so I said fuck it and gave it a shot. It worked lol. But I'm aware it's something you would only try on another white belt

 

[juliushandle]

Had a good class tonight after being off last week. I watched a bunch of videos and learnt a few things that really helped. I still "lost" each roll but the guy who usually submits me easily congratulated me after the roll cause I gave him a much harder time this time around.

Also I read a thread on r/BJJ about Ezekiel's from inside someone's guard, and is it considered bad BJJ to attempt a sub from in guard. Well I figured I'm a scrub BJJ player so I said fuck it and gave it a shot. It worked lol. But I'm aware it's something you would only try on another white belt

Yeah, choking while in someone's guard is a no no. More experienced guys can use their legs to pull you a away and relieve pressure and/or arm bar you. Pass that guard, at least try choking from half guard.

 

[kidnemo]

Also I read a thread on r/BJJ about Ezekiel's from inside someone's guard, and is it considered bad BJJ to attempt a sub from in guard. Well I figured I'm a scrub BJJ player so I said fuck it and gave it a shot. It worked lol. But I'm aware it's something you would only try on another white belt

I don't know if it's "bad bjj", but generally submissions you attempt from a non-favorable position (inside someones guard for example) are going to end badly for you.

There is a super sneaky keylock I LOVE to attack from under side control for example...

But like you said, in the white belt vs white belt battle, the rules are a bit different.

BJJ practitioner with ten years or so of experience, I run a small kids and adults program, sup bjjgaf?

 

[SwipeLeftHoney]

So glad that I've found (and now subbed) this thread. Reading through this is bringing my inner child out.

 

[Brerlappin]

I don't know if it's "bad bjj", but generally submissions you attempt from a non-favorable position (inside someones guard for example) are going to end badly for you.

There is a super sneaky keylock I LOVE to attack from under side control for example...

But like you said, in the white belt vs white belt battle, the rules are a bit different.

BJJ practitioner with ten years or so of experience, I run a small kids and adults program, sup bjjgaf?

Welcome!

Yeah, choking while in someone's guard is a no no. More experienced guys can use their legs to pull you a away and relieve pressure and/or arm bar you. Pass that guard, at least try choking from half guard.

Half guard is still something I rarely find myself in, but I'll keep it in mind thanks. I'm not gonna make a habit of attempting subs from in guard tho obviously. I really only did it for a laugh to see how it would play out!

 

[Cindi Mayweather]

So glad that I've found (and now subbed) this thread. Reading through this is bringing my inner child out.

Your inner child? You've been doing bjj since you were a kid?

 

[SwipeLeftHoney]

Your inner child? You've been doing bjj since you were a kid?

Actually I've been doing Judo and a bit of Kickboxing since I was 6 years old. Been out of it all for quite awhile now, but reading through this thread is bringing back all the competitive juices from the tournament days. Been a little over 10 years since I last trained. Maybe I'll use my kids as an excuse to get me back into the flow of things.

 

[PushingButtons]

So the BJJ gym I'm joining also does Muay Thai classes which look really fun. It's only $30 more per month to have total access to everything offered (BJJ, MT, Kettlebell classes, etc).

Is it overkill to take both BJJ and MT classes? I'm tempted to dive right on in with both but I don't know. Thoughts?

 

[kidnemo]

So the BJJ gym I'm joining also does Muay Thai classes which look really fun. It's only $30 more per month to have total access to everything offered (BJJ, MT, Kettlebell classes, etc).

Is it overkill to take both BJJ and MT classes? I'm tempted to dive right on in with both but I don't know. Thoughts?

If you have the time, go for it. Totally different skillsets and both are great workouts.

 

[Fox318]

I do an hour of striking and an hour of grappeling 4 to 5 days a week.

Honestly I like the grappeling better.

 

[Banglish]

No problem mate. I also made a list with some previous interesting specific videos and highlights on a previous page. You might find some of it interesting as well (I was cleaning out old bookmarks.

Oh yeah, those Reversals are totally fashion statements. They are like the Shoyoroll of Fight Brand (Shoyoroll is this really limited collectible Gi's that some people go crazy over. Highly limited and expensive. It's just a regular Gi with some fancy branding and stitching thou) I cannot afford such either. I have some 15 dollar spats I got off Amazon. They have no logos but they get the job done. I actually mostly use gi pants and a rashguard/t-shirt in No-Gi classes. I like protecting my knees because It hurts when my knees are rubbing against the mats when sliding, falling, shooting!


Good job! Guard retention is difficult! When you're dealing with stronger guys my advise to you (as a big guy) is to try and fight to tire them out. People will steamroll you and smash through your guard. Power pressure type passes. The cool thing is that there is a million ways to retain your guard or change guard. It will probably take a few years to find one you really really really love

Interesting that you use the gi pants and rashguard combo. Any sort of advantage to using the gi pants? That was the biggest thing for me, sliding my knees raw on the mat. I'm excited to try out my spats!

 

[kidnemo]

Interesting that you use the gi pants and rashguard combo. Any sort of advantage to using the gi pants? That was the biggest thing for me, sliding my knees raw on the mat. I'm excited to try out my spats!

It's a pretty common thing, the rashguard/gi pants combo. Even without being allowed to grip the pants, they still allow you extra traction when doing stuff that clamps down with your legs (half guard, triangles, lockdown, etc).

Im always shorts/rash guard for nogi personally. I started nogi before the whole spats thing, was a thing, so I've stuck with my shorts.

Also I always wear neoprene knee pads with the extra padding on the kneecap in both gi and nogi.

 

[Banglish]

Actually I've been doing Judo and a bit of Kickboxing since I was 6 years old. Been out of it all for quite awhile now, but reading through this thread is bringing back all the competitive juices from the tournament days. Been a little over 10 years since I last trained. Maybe I'll use my kids as an excuse to get me back into the flow of things.

What city?!

I do an hour of striking and an hour of grappeling 4 to 5 days a week.

Honestly I like the grappeling better.

I've been doing some mt with a friend you trained for 5 years.
I'm extremely excited about starting bjj, but there's something about clinching and blasting some knees to the breadbasket!

It's a pretty common thing, the rashguard/gi pants combo. Even without being allowed to grip the pants, they still allow you extra traction when doing stuff that clamps down with your legs (half guard, triangles, lockdown, etc).

Im always shorts/rash guard for nogi personally. I started nogi before the whole spats thing, was a thing, so I've stuck with my shorts.

Also I always wear neoprene knee pads with the extra padding on the kneecap in both gi and nogi.

Ahh I see, I'll have to try out some different combinations.

 

[Cindi Mayweather]

Rolled with professor again tonight and I'm sore.

 

[SwipeLeftHoney]

What city?!


I've been doing some mt with a friend you trained for 5 years.
I'm extremely excited about starting bjj, but there's something about clinching and blasting some knees to the breadbasket!



Ahh I see, I'll have to try out some different combinations.

Toronto and Mississauga

 

[Brerlappin]

Oh man. I think we sparred for about 35 minutes tonight. For the last 10 or 15 minutes I was straight up dead. Literally just lying there like a dead fish barely able to do anything at all. I'm fucking wrecked now!

I managed to pull off a perfect (for me!) trap and roll escape after I got mounted. Was really happy with that! I also had one roll with a relatively new guy and was really glad to see I could spot some of the massive rookie mistakes he was making. I swept him, got mount, and he started trying to attack my collar while I was mounted. I armbar'd him straight away.

 

[juliushandle]

Oh man. I think we sparred for about 35 minutes tonight. For the last 10 or 15 minutes I was straight up dead. Literally just lying there like a dead fish barely able to do anything at all. I'm fucking wrecked now!

I managed to pull off a perfect (for me!) trap and roll escape after I got mounted. Was really happy with that! I also had one roll with a relatively new guy and was really glad to see I could spot some of the massive rookie mistakes he was making. I swept him, got mount, and he started trying to attack my collar while I was mounted. I armbar'd him straight away.

Beautiful. That's really rewarding after weeks of being the new guy thinking you aren't getting better.

 

[Cindi Mayweather]

Oh man. I think we sparred for about 35 minutes tonight. For the last 10 or 15 minutes I was straight up dead. Literally just lying there like a dead fish barely able to do anything at all. I'm fucking wrecked now!

I managed to pull off a perfect (for me!) trap and roll escape after I got mounted. Was really happy with that! I also had one roll with a relatively new guy and was really glad to see I could spot some of the massive rookie mistakes he was making. I swept him, got mount, and he started trying to attack my collar while I was mounted. I armbar'd him straight away.

Nice! I finally pulled off a sweep on a partner last night. He's a blue belt and I've been trying to do this for weeks. He loves spider guard and I've tried sweeping it so many times but his defense is really starting to shine which makes approach hard. But finally last night I did it! Ended up getting submitted in the end, though.

That feeling of no longer being the worst person in the school feels so good. ;_; Congrats!

 

[Banglish]

Rolled with professor again tonight and I'm sore.

What does it feel like rolling with a black belt.. other than sore lol

Toronto and Mississauga

Cool, nice to see another canuck in here!
You train in both cities?

 

[Cindi Mayweather]

What does it feel like rolling with a black belt.. other than sore lol



Cool, nice to see another canuck in here!
You train in both cities?

Rolling with a black belt is like...

Well, to start, when you roll with upper belts for a while you realize they're much, much better than you. This is obvious the first time you roll with one of course but over time the more you understand Jiu Jitsu the more you understand how big the gulf between you really is. Once you've started to learn the Jiu Jitsu vocabulary as a white belt, this puts you much closer to other white belts and sometimes blue belts. You likely won't be able to beat them unless you start training more than them but you'll be able to survive for the most part. But a purple belt? Even a four stripe blue belt? A brown belt? When you try something on them, they'll already know what you're doing. The difference between beginner belts (white, blue) and advanced belts (purple, brown) is that beginner belts tend to be overly rough. There's little grace in their roll psychology and we're still learning and mastering moves through repetition, repetition. Advanced belts aren't rough, they're gentle. They'll do a sweep where they flip you over and you'll land as if you landed on a bed a feathers. That's how much time they've put in, where you feel okay even when some guy flips you upside down out of nowhere and it doesn't hurt.

But a black belt? They're rough and gentle at the same exact time. It's hard to describe and maybe it's because the black belts in my gym all are big guys, but they'll rough on you while being absolutely graceful and soft. Advanced belts play it light to see what you'll do and then just go for the kill. But a black belt does this, and rather than going lightly after they make a read, they go full on. It's really surreal how he has massive hands with an elite grip and when he sweeps me I'm actually never worried about my safety despite how rough he is. That is true mastery and it must be felt to be understood. You will be out thought. You will be out fought. Any time you try that "new technique" you've been implementing into your rolls, the black belt already knows about that shit and swats it away. It might surprise an occasional advanced belt. It might allow you to get the advantage on a white or blue belt. But a black belt stays course and treats you like you're nothing but also while treating you like you're a legitimate opponent each and every time.

If it seems like there's no difference between a black belt and advanced belts, believe me when I say that's not true. It's a subtle difference and must be felt to believed.

 

[Brerlappin]

Beautiful. That's really rewarding after weeks of being the new guy thinking you aren't getting better.

Cheers! Yeah the last couple of weeks were a bit disheartening but this week i just tried to stay positive, kept reminding myself that you only lose if you dont learn anything from a roll. I just kept a few things in my head that i wanted to make absolutely sure i did in a given situation, and i managed to utilize them in rolling so i was pretty pleased with that!

Nice! I finally pulled off a sweep on a partner last night. He's a blue belt and I've been trying to do this for weeks. He loves spider guard and I've tried sweeping it so many times but his defense is really starting to shine which makes approach hard. But finally last night I did it! Ended up getting submitted in the end, though.

That feeling of no longer being the worst person in the school feels so good. ;_; Congrats!

haha thanks, yeah the exact same thing happened to me, lovely mount escape, but submitted a few minutes later anyway...im still counting it as a win! Good job sweeping the bluebelt tho!

 

[Fox318]

I got to roll with a purple belt yesterday.

Guy was great but it was funny the first thing I told him that because we are a catch gym all of the people here would have just neck cranked or facelocked me instead of trying to get that arm perfectly under the chin.

 

[juliushandle]

EBI in Mexico is tonight, anyone watching?

Just saw the last EBI where Gary Tonon, who usually fights at 155, won against light heavyweights.

 

[Cindi Mayweather]

No I'm at work and I still haven't watched the last EBI.

What is this about Metamoris? Read that Rener and Ryron said they're not going to support Ralek's Metamoris anymore?

 

[Fox318]

No I'm at work and I still haven't watched the last EBI.

What is this about Metamoris? Read that Rener and Ryron said they're not going to support Ralek's Metamoris anymore?

They weren't paying people.

Part of the reason Ralek is fighting again is to pay off depts.

 

[Cindi Mayweather]

How much did he owe?

 

[Fox318]

How much did he owe?

All I know is many people have complained about pay and the production values for his events was always pretty high.

 

[PastorOfMuppets]

What does it feel like rolling with a black belt.. other than sore lol

Depends on the relative level, not absolute level.

When you're a white belt, rolling with a good purple to black belt feels pretty much the same way - you don't have the ability to do anything.

When you're a blue belt, you begin to notice a gap in skill level from higher belts. A purple belt has tendencies you can see, you might even be able to get some offense going. Browns and blacks seem infinitely versatile though, they have answers to everything you do.

At purple, your rolls with black belts are more competitive and you start to see the things they do at a micro level.

Brown belts and black belts are effectively the same, maybe a black belt might have more polish though.

As a black belt when I roll with other black belts, a lot of the fight is taking place with grips and mind games. I might bait my leg so I can duck under. I might expose an armdrag to set up a d'arce. I'm not thinking about trying to establish half guard or setting up a triangle. I'm looking for a grip and have a decision tree in my mind for everything I think my opponent will realistically do and am prepared to switch to it.

An example of this:

I'm in butterfly guard. I'm looking for a collar tie and to establish a grip just behind his elbow. I attempt to establish:

a) If I get it, I look to do a hook sweep immediately by pulling down on his neck and pulling his arm in
b) If he slaps my hand away, I'll switch to a 2 on 1 grip and look for an armdrag or hook sweep
c) If he tries to duck under the collar tie, I hunt for the guillotine
d) If he smashes me, I'll look for a wrestler's switch
e) If he tries to pass to the side, I establish half guard

From a) to e) there are other decision trees that branch off from there.

 

[juliushandle]

Depends on the relative level, not absolute level.

When you're a white belt, rolling with a good purple to black belt feels pretty much the same way - you don't have the ability to do anything.

When you're a blue belt, you begin to notice a gap in skill level from higher belts. A purple belt has tendencies you can see, you might even be able to get some offense going. Browns and blacks seem infinitely versatile though, they have answers to everything you do.

At purple, your rolls with black belts are more competitive and you start to see the things they do at a micro level.

Brown belts and black belts are effectively the same, maybe a black belt might have more polish though.

As a black belt when I roll with other black belts, a lot of the fight is taking place with grips and mind games. I might bait my leg so I can duck under. I might expose an armdrag to set up a d'arce. I'm not thinking about trying to establish half guard or setting up a triangle. I'm looking for a grip and have a decision tree in my mind for everything I think my opponent will realistically do and am prepared to switch to it.

An example of this:

I'm in butterfly guard. I'm looking for a collar tie and to establish a grip just behind his elbow. I attempt to establish:

a) If I get it, I look to do a hook sweep immediately by pulling down on his neck and pulling his arm in
b) If he slaps my hand away, I'll switch to a 2 on 1 grip and look for an armdrag or hook sweep
c) If he tries to duck under the collar tie, I hunt for the guillotine
d) If he smashes me, I'll look for a wrestler's switch
e) If he tries to pass to the side, I establish half guard

From a) to e) there are other decision trees that branch off from there.

Amazing input. As a 4 stripe blue, what you just described is exactly where I'm at.

 

[Cindi Mayweather]

Depends on the relative level, not absolute level.

When you're a white belt, rolling with a good purple to black belt feels pretty much the same way - you don't have the ability to do anything.

When you're a blue belt, you begin to notice a gap in skill level from higher belts. A purple belt has tendencies you can see, you might even be able to get some offense going. Browns and blacks seem infinitely versatile though, they have answers to everything you do.

At purple, your rolls with black belts are more competitive and you start to see the things they do at a micro level.

Brown belts and black belts are effectively the same, maybe a black belt might have more polish though.

As a black belt when I roll with other black belts, a lot of the fight is taking place with grips and mind games. I might bait my leg so I can duck under. I might expose an armdrag to set up a d'arce. I'm not thinking about trying to establish half guard or setting up a triangle. I'm looking for a grip and have a decision tree in my mind for everything I think my opponent will realistically do and am prepared to switch to it.

An example of this:

I'm in butterfly guard. I'm looking for a collar tie and to establish a grip just behind his elbow. I attempt to establish:

a) If I get it, I look to do a hook sweep immediately by pulling down on his neck and pulling his arm in
b) If he slaps my hand away, I'll switch to a 2 on 1 grip and look for an armdrag or hook sweep
c) If he tries to duck under the collar tie, I hunt for the guillotine
d) If he smashes me, I'll look for a wrestler's switch
e) If he tries to pass to the side, I establish half guard

From a) to e) there are other decision trees that branch off from there.

Much more articulate than how I phrased it. Even though I'm not blue yet I 100% agree.

 

[Cindi Mayweather]

Today was one of those "god bjj is fucking hard, there's so many things to learn" classes. Almost a year in and these classes never stop happening. I've gotten to the idea that they probably never will but that doesn't not make them overwhelming.

 

[Fox318]

EBI

aka Heel Hooks galore

 

[Cindro]

Does this thread also cover Muay Thai? I've skimmed bits and pieces, and it seems like some folks are mentioning it even though the style didn't originate in Brazil.

I'm considering joining a Muay Thai dojo (or is it just called a gym?) in 2017 and I have some very noobish questions, but I'm not sure if this is the best active thread to bring them up in!

 

[Cindi Mayweather]

Does this thread also cover Muay Thai?

No.

Some of us just have an MT background.

Join the martial arts thread for questions about MT.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=489742

Or better yet, you might find a faster answer if you make a thread asking questions.

 

[Cindro]

No.

Some of us just have an MT background.

Join the martial arts thread for questions about MT.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=489742

Or better yet, you might find a faster answer if you make a thread asking questions.

Awesome, I had no idea there was an official martial arts OT! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

 

[BrettWeir]

WARNING – Wall of text:
Hey all. I’d like to get your thoughts on my (well, my schools) situation.

I’m at a new(er) school where a few of us left a previous one, which includes our Professor (2nd Degree Black belt under old school Pedro Sauer….in other words, not new Gracie affiliated Combatives/Master Cycle). He opened the school in January, 2015. Those of us that went with him were a 4 stripe Blue belt, a 1 stripe Blue belt, and myself, also a 4 stripe Blue belt.

The three of us (students) have done everything in our power to help our school grow, but unfortunately, it’s struggling to keep people on the mats. I don’t know why, but we’ve finally started to see a lot of things that are really beginning to frustrate us to the point of finding another school to train at.

As a disclaimer, yes, I know that Jiu Jitsu is not about promotions, but in the end, it truly is about respecting a person’s skill level and acknowledging it. Which is one of the larger issues we are having. So what are those issues?

They say that in school, if students fail, it’s due to the teacher. We all know there are outliers to that case such as students not putting in any type of effort at all, but this is not the case. Out of the three of us that have followed our Professor, two of us are still the same rank we were 1 year and 11 months ago. The other was (finally) promoted to Purple belt last week. Both him and I have been told various things from our Professor since August that we were both going to be promoted to Purple soon. I’ve been told countless times statements along the lines of “Now that’s how a Purple belt rolls”, “You’re Purple belt level now”, and “You’re about to get your Purple belt, so you should order one you would like me to give you when you’re promoted”. Herein lies the crux. Lack of communication or expectations. He doesn’t communicate at all. We have no idea what he is looking for in order to get to the “next level”. We have no curriculum. We have no way of taking attendance. We receive absolutely no feedback at all. Here I am, wondering why I didn’t get promoted. Yes, I can ask him……. And previously I have. The “feedback” is always the same – “You’re doing great. Just keep doing what you’re doing”. Not exactly helpful.
What really gets me, is the guy who got promoted to Purple asked Professor why I wasn’t promoted. His response was “He’s (me) more technically sound than you with his skills and technique, but you have the physical athleticism to go along with it”. That frustrates me. I’m 5’4” and 150 lbs. wet. Purple belt friend is 5’8”, a body builder, and is 240 lbs.

Don’t get me wrong. I would be completely fine with the current state of things IF I were given feedback and told what he would like to see me improve on in order to get my Purple belt. But he refuses to give any actual feedback.

This is where I’m completely frustrated though and am at a point of leaving the school for a new one. It’s not just myself and the Purple belt…. it’s quite a few other students. We have a 1 stripe Blue belt that hasn’t received a stripe in 16 months. He has improved immensely. He’s at the point now where he’s being accused of sandbagging at other schools and tournaments. Then we have another 1 stripe Blue belt that is also a Black belt in Judo. This kids’ skill level is through the roof, constantly beating out Purple belts from other gyms, but hasn’t received a stripe in over a year.

We get these new White belts in, and they naturally ask about timeframes to obtain stripes, belts, etc. We have nothing to tell them. Most will stick with it for about 6 or 7 months (no contracts), but never receive a stripe, so they leave.

It’s sad. All of us really wanted to see this school grow and our Professor to have an amazing program. It’s a shame.

Lastly, you could simply say “Why not just discuss these issues with your Professor?” The guy that hasn’t received a stripe in 16 months tried to last December. Our Professor didn’t take to kindly to someone bringing up promotions in his school, so it’s a moot point to approach him about it.

 

[Oscar]

I wish there was a 10th planet school in Dallas.

I have no interest in Gi.

 

[Vigilant Walrus]

WARNING – Wall of text:
Hey all. I’d like to get your thoughts on my (well, my schools) situation.

I’m at a new(er) school where a few of us left a previous one, which includes our Professor (2nd Degree Black belt under old school Pedro Sauer….in other words, not new Gracie affiliated Combatives/Master Cycle). He opened the school in January, 2015. Those of us that went with him were a 4 stripe Blue belt, a 1 stripe Blue belt, and myself, also a 4 stripe Blue belt.

The three of us (students) have done everything in our power to help our school grow, but unfortunately, it’s struggling to keep people on the mats. I don’t know why, but we’ve finally started to see a lot of things that are really beginning to frustrate us to the point of finding another school to train at.

As a disclaimer, yes, I know that Jiu Jitsu is not about promotions, but in the end, it truly is about respecting a person’s skill level and acknowledging it. Which is one of the larger issues we are having. So what are those issues?

They say that in school, if students fail, it’s due to the teacher. We all know there are outliers to that case such as students not putting in any type of effort at all, but this is not the case. Out of the three of us that have followed our Professor, two of us are still the same rank we were 1 year and 11 months ago. The other was (finally) promoted to Purple belt last week. Both him and I have been told various things from our Professor since August that we were both going to be promoted to Purple soon. I’ve been told countless times statements along the lines of “Now that’s how a Purple belt rolls”, “You’re Purple belt level now”, and “You’re about to get your Purple belt, so you should order one you would like me to give you when you’re promoted”. Herein lies the crux. Lack of communication or expectations. He doesn’t communicate at all. We have no idea what he is looking for in order to get to the “next level”. We have no curriculum. We have no way of taking attendance. We receive absolutely no feedback at all. Here I am, wondering why I didn’t get promoted. Yes, I can ask him……. And previously I have. The “feedback” is always the same – “You’re doing great. Just keep doing what you’re doing”. Not exactly helpful.
What really gets me, is the guy who got promoted to Purple asked Professor why I wasn’t promoted. His response was “He’s (me) more technically sound than you with his skills and technique, but you have the physical athleticism to go along with it”. That frustrates me. I’m 5’4” and 150 lbs. wet. Purple belt friend is 5’8”, a body builder, and is 240 lbs.

Don’t get me wrong. I would be completely fine with the current state of things IF I were given feedback and told what he would like to see me improve on in order to get my Purple belt. But he refuses to give any actual feedback.

This is where I’m completely frustrated though and am at a point of leaving the school for a new one. It’s not just myself and the Purple belt…. it’s quite a few other students. We have a 1 stripe Blue belt that hasn’t received a stripe in 16 months. He has improved immensely. He’s at the point now where he’s being accused of sandbagging at other schools and tournaments. Then we have another 1 stripe Blue belt that is also a Black belt in Judo. This kids’ skill level is through the roof, constantly beating out Purple belts from other gyms, but hasn’t received a stripe in over a year.

We get these new White belts in, and they naturally ask about timeframes to obtain stripes, belts, etc. We have nothing to tell them. Most will stick with it for about 6 or 7 months (no contracts), but never receive a stripe, so they leave.

It’s sad. All of us really wanted to see this school grow and our Professor to have an amazing program. It’s a shame.

Lastly, you could simply say “Why not just discuss these issues with your Professor?” The guy that hasn’t received a stripe in 16 months tried to last December. Our Professor didn’t take to kindly to someone bringing up promotions in his school, so it’s a moot point to approach him about it.

I'm not going to tell you that belts don't matter because obviously they matter in the sense that you spend thousands of hours on the mat. Getting a black belt is probably akin to getting a PHD in terms of the amount of hours and technical understanding you have. There is nothing wrong with desiring titles and being proud of your accomplishments. But at the same time- You must not forget why you train.


It's up to you if you want to find another school and you may have your reasons, but your instructor not giving out the belts which frustrates you, might be a sign of that your instructor is doing the right thing. There is a saying in Jiu-Jitsu about that you get a new belt when you don't care about it. Instructors promote very differently.
Mine- He promotes based on maturity. A 51 year old guy came in- overweight, just out of a divorce, looked like shit, scared as a mouse. He got wrecked. 2 years later, even though he is not subbing everyone he gets his blue. 2 years later even though he is not subbing all the blues, he gets is purple. Instructor promotes him because the requirements for a 55 year old guy is different; He grew a lot. He changed a lot. He showed a lot of maturity, and so if you judge him on his individual growth and not on how many people he submits in the gym, the picture of who gets promoted changes.


Instructors will someones hold students back because they see the best in them and they see they can push them a lot more. Your instructor might know that he can get more out of you. You say you're frustrated by the lack of feedback, but he is telling you that you're doing great. You just need more mat time. He trusts your growth and your development and all you can do is attend classes and be the best you can be. There is no shortcuts you can do to get the belt sooner because the belt is not just a indicator of skill but how far you move.
Purple belts often begin to take a lot of responsibility of their own learning. they have a technique in their head which they are determined to master so they keep drilling them in sparring and open mats. Many whites and blues just met up to class and do the curriculum. When you get to purple you begin to take more responsibility for your own learning, and I'd advise you to do this.
There are many ways you can approach this. Flow charts- journals, you can make a trillo board. Sit down and map out your weaknesses, engage with the others in class and be proactive, make sure to give the beginners attention and be invalvuable at your school- not for a belt. But just to be better for your own sake.

A guy in my school he was about to be promoted to purple- Then the instructor (who came from a checkmat affiliate from somewhere else- we had no local black belts back then) asks him: "what do you do when you choke someone out?"
And the guy didn't know that you have to lift someones legs to make sure the blood flow get back into their brains. Guy didn't get his purple, and wouldn't for 2 more years.
It's a cliche to say that martial arts grows you as a person, but I find it to be true when I look at everyone around me, and while I see some people who just come to class and seemingly never really participates beyond doing the drilling and sparring, many others exercise an inane willingness to learn and be better. This is not some "pie in the sky" rant either- It's just saying; It seems like you have all the technical abillities of a purple. You are a purple belt for all intents and purposes. Your instructor wants to not give you yours and he is saying you're doing great. You can speculate on why, but I suspect that you're already doing great and you just need to keep doing it.

I know the feeling of not feeling like you get any feedback from your instructor. I felt like mine never talked to me or told me what to do. "give me the manual". "Tell me what to do, to be able to kick ass". But at the end of the day, sometimes telling people what they lack or what they need to improve keeps them from figuring it out themselves and getting to the solution themselves which helps them grow in other ways. Other become worse because in their desire to get the next belt or reach the next level they might end up ruining a good path they are on by thinking that if instructor said something, they need to dedicate all their resources to it.
Jiu-Jitsu mattime is training your bodys muscle memory. It's getting caught in 10,000 triangles, 10,000 kimuras, 10,000 armbars. You need to get caught. you need to have wars. it needs to be difficult. your body is remembering it, not you. so allow your body to get the mat time.



That's my take

 

[juliushandle]

Long post about promotions? I thought it was going to be something juicy like jiu jitsu gym politics, professors acting inappropriate, or dating female training partners.

 

[BrettWeir]

I'm not going to tell you that belts don't matter because obviously they matter in the sense that you spend thousands of hours on the mat. Getting a black belt is probably akin to getting a PHD in terms of the amount of hours and technical understanding you have. There is nothing wrong with desiring titles and being proud of your accomplishments. But at the same time- You must not forget why you train.


It's up to you if you want to find another school and you may have your reasons, but your instructor not giving out the belts which frustrates you, might be a sign of that your instructor is doing the right thing. There is a saying in Jiu-Jitsu about that you get a new belt when you don't care about it. Instructors promote very differently.
Mine- He promotes based on maturity. A 51 year old guy came in- overweight, just out of a divorce, looked like shit, scared as a mouse. He got wrecked. 2 years later, even though he is not subbing everyone he gets his blue. 2 years later even though he is not subbing all the blues, he gets is purple. Instructor promotes him because the requirements for a 55 year old guy is different; He grew a lot. He changed a lot. He showed a lot of maturity, and so if you judge him on his individual growth and not on how many people he submits in the gym, the picture of who gets promoted changes.


Instructors will someones hold students back because they see the best in them and they see they can push them a lot more. Your instructor might know that he can get more out of you. You say you're frustrated by the lack of feedback, but he is telling you that you're doing great. You just need more mat time. He trusts your growth and your development and all you can do is attend classes and be the best you can be. There is no shortcuts you can do to get the belt sooner because the belt is not just a indicator of skill but how far you move.
Purple belts often begin to take a lot of responsibility of their own learning. they have a technique in their head which they are determined to master so they keep drilling them in sparring and open mats. Many whites and blues just met up to class and do the curriculum. When you get to purple you begin to take more responsibility for your own learning, and I'd advise you to do this.
There are many ways you can approach this. Flow charts- journals, you can make a trillo board. Sit down and map out your weaknesses, engage with the others in class and be proactive, make sure to give the beginners attention and be invalvuable at your school- not for a belt. But just to be better for your own sake.

A guy in my school he was about to be promoted to purple- Then the instructor (who came from a checkmat affiliate from somewhere else- we had no local black belts back then) asks him: "what do you do when you choke someone out?"
And the guy didn't know that you have to lift someones legs to make sure the blood flow get back into their brains. Guy didn't get his purple, and wouldn't for 2 more years.
It's a cliche to say that martial arts grows you as a person, but I find it to be true when I look at everyone around me, and while I see some people who just come to class and seemingly never really participates beyond doing the drilling and sparring, many others exercise an inane willingness to learn and be better. This is not some "pie in the sky" rant either- It's just saying; It seems like you have all the technical abillities of a purple. You are a purple belt for all intents and purposes. Your instructor wants to not give you yours and he is saying you're doing great. You can speculate on why, but I suspect that you're already doing great and you just need to keep doing it.

I know the feeling of not feeling like you get any feedback from your instructor. I felt like mine never talked to me or told me what to do. "give me the manual". "Tell me what to do, to be able to kick ass". But at the end of the day, sometimes telling people what they lack or what they need to improve keeps them from figuring it out themselves and getting to the solution themselves which helps them grow in other ways. Other become worse because in their desire to get the next belt or reach the next level they might end up ruining a good path they are on by thinking that if instructor said something, they need to dedicate all their resources to it.
Jiu-Jitsu mattime is training your bodys muscle memory. It's getting caught in 10,000 triangles, 10,000 kimuras, 10,000 armbars. You need to get caught. you need to have wars. it needs to be difficult. your body is remembering it, not you. so allow your body to get the mat time.



That's my take

Thanks for the incredibly thought out response!!!! Greatly appreciated!!!

Long post about promotions? I thought it was going to be something juicy like jiu jitsu gym politics, professors acting inappropriate, or dating female training partners.

It's not fully about promotions. It's more being frustrated by getting no direction or feedback.

 

[juliushandle]

My apologies, jiu jitsu can be frustrating especially if you are in an environment where you are receiving no direction or feedback.

 

[BrettWeir]

My apologies, jiu jitsu can be frustrating especially if you are in an environment where you are receiving no direction or feedback.

No worries. It really could have been taken that way, so I see your point. Agreed on lack of direction and feedback. It's frustrating.

 

[Fox318]

I've been rolling with a judo black belt. It's almost impossible to take him down.

 

[Vigilant Walrus]

I've been rolling with a judo black belt. It's almost impossible to take him down.

Yeah! Jimmy Pedro (The US Olympics Judo Coach) has a whole bunch of great videos about concepts BJJ guys can try and apply to up their game; https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jimmy+pedro+judo+for+bjj

The grip videos are super useful!