Jiu Jitsu discussion / complete beginner!
Discussion
Wear the purple belt. If I get my blue soon, then travel around clubs for one of sessions always wear the belt you were given. The issue here is hes been promoted by somebody who hasn't trained him for a while (not sure on time scales).
We had a lad turn up a few weeks ago, 17 years old first lesson ever , wearing a white belt smashed loads of people , turns out hes brown (I think) at Judo.
Mind you, my 2 mates (Twins) both professional at MMA, they train no gi regular, used to wear white at gi and smash people, they are brown and purple now.
We had a lad turn up a few weeks ago, 17 years old first lesson ever , wearing a white belt smashed loads of people , turns out hes brown (I think) at Judo.
Mind you, my 2 mates (Twins) both professional at MMA, they train no gi regular, used to wear white at gi and smash people, they are brown and purple now.
The more I think about it, the more I lean towards just wearing my blue belt and waiting to be honest. If I put myself in the shoes of my new coach, I'd probably feel a little put out by it and then there's the potential 'elephant in the room' of an expected promotion at the next graduation date.
When I say that I'm happy to stay at blue, I'm being entirely sincere although in reality I know that deep down I'm at purple level based on performance sparring with purple / brown belts and time of relatively consistent training (6 years now). It's just getting a little awkward explaining at times after mauling someone that I've been a blue belt for 4 years now (not helped by having no stripes either).
For those dipping in, BJJ is much like any other sport at times - very political, have a browse through r/bjj or the UK BJJ Underground on Facebook for validation.
On the previous page someone mentioned earning a belt and then rocking up to a 10P gym wearing it, as far as I'm aware, although they have belts, they don't wear them in training / sparring anyway so it's probably not an issue.
Thanks for your input chaps, its given me some pause for thought and clarity.
Edited to add, I want to make it clear that I didn't go to my old club expecting a promotion, I just dropped in the for the open mat. I'm of the opinion that when you move clubs and start training permanently with them then they become responsible for grading etc.
I also wanted to tack on that I'd have no hesitation in wearing a coloured belt if I was dropping into other clubs for a week, or temporarily, at the end of the day the belt often represents a lot of hard work and commitment, as well as letting people know what they are potentially dealing with in terms of skill level.
When I say that I'm happy to stay at blue, I'm being entirely sincere although in reality I know that deep down I'm at purple level based on performance sparring with purple / brown belts and time of relatively consistent training (6 years now). It's just getting a little awkward explaining at times after mauling someone that I've been a blue belt for 4 years now (not helped by having no stripes either).
For those dipping in, BJJ is much like any other sport at times - very political, have a browse through r/bjj or the UK BJJ Underground on Facebook for validation.
On the previous page someone mentioned earning a belt and then rocking up to a 10P gym wearing it, as far as I'm aware, although they have belts, they don't wear them in training / sparring anyway so it's probably not an issue.
Thanks for your input chaps, its given me some pause for thought and clarity.
Edited to add, I want to make it clear that I didn't go to my old club expecting a promotion, I just dropped in the for the open mat. I'm of the opinion that when you move clubs and start training permanently with them then they become responsible for grading etc.
I also wanted to tack on that I'd have no hesitation in wearing a coloured belt if I was dropping into other clubs for a week, or temporarily, at the end of the day the belt often represents a lot of hard work and commitment, as well as letting people know what they are potentially dealing with in terms of skill level.
Edited by Pete102 on Tuesday 18th January 10:48
If it was me, I'd try to speak to your regular coach before your next session,maybe call him or message and say look , I went to an open mat at my old place and they have given me a purple belt, but I dont want to rock up wearing it at the session, your coach might tell you to wear your blue belt on the first night back and hell "promote" you ad hoc that night to make it official.
On the other hand he might just say wear it, its fine, or no back to blue.
On the other hand he might just say wear it, its fine, or no back to blue.
Pete102 said:
Edited to add, I want to make it clear that I didn't go to my old club expecting a promotion, I just dropped in the for the open mat. I'm of the opinion that when you move clubs and start training permanently with them then they become responsible for grading etc.
I also wanted to tack on that I'd have no hesitation in wearing a coloured belt if I was dropping into other clubs for a week, or temporarily, at the end of the day the belt often represents a lot of hard work and commitment, as well as letting people know what they are potentially dealing with in terms of skill level.
Sounds very sensible I also wanted to tack on that I'd have no hesitation in wearing a coloured belt if I was dropping into other clubs for a week, or temporarily, at the end of the day the belt often represents a lot of hard work and commitment, as well as letting people know what they are potentially dealing with in terms of skill level.
. And thanks for answering my question btw.When I moved from a GB gym to Combat Base affiliate I explained to the head coach my situation and that the blue belt I was awarded I didn't feel justified as it was just due to the number of completed sessions. Before my first session he was happy for me to wear my 4 stripe white which I did for a couple of months before he promoted me to blue.
This raises an interesting point that I was aware of and never really got to a firm conclusion. I would personally always want to be awarded a belt based on skill and ability, rather than time served i.e. I want to be able to walk into any gym at that belt level and hold my own.
This obviously raises the issue of those that take up BJJ and will never reach the perceived level of physical skill and ability expected of a purple / brown / black belt...but they turn up, week in week out and put in the hours on the mat, they still deserve the recognition and kudos that comes with a new belt.
I've heard about the Barra approach e.g. ticks on an attendance sheet, being honest it's not something I'd ever sign up for, then again, the other approach is down to judgement of the coach. I moved clubs when I had 4 stripes on my white belt, I was still held back 9 months to my blue (despite hanging with the blues every session), afterwards it was alluded that this was to make sure I was committed etc.
This obviously raises the issue of those that take up BJJ and will never reach the perceived level of physical skill and ability expected of a purple / brown / black belt...but they turn up, week in week out and put in the hours on the mat, they still deserve the recognition and kudos that comes with a new belt.
I've heard about the Barra approach e.g. ticks on an attendance sheet, being honest it's not something I'd ever sign up for, then again, the other approach is down to judgement of the coach. I moved clubs when I had 4 stripes on my white belt, I was still held back 9 months to my blue (despite hanging with the blues every session), afterwards it was alluded that this was to make sure I was committed etc.
Pete102 said:
This raises an interesting point that I was aware of and never really got to a firm conclusion. I would personally always want to be awarded a belt based on skill and ability, rather than time served i.e. I want to be able to walk into any gym at that belt level and hold my own.
This obviously raises the issue of those that take up BJJ and will never reach the perceived level of physical skill and ability expected of a purple / brown / black belt...but they turn up, week in week out and put in the hours on the mat, they still deserve the recognition and kudos that comes with a new belt.
I've heard about the Barra approach e.g. ticks on an attendance sheet, being honest it's not something I'd ever sign up for, then again, the other approach is down to judgement of the coach. I moved clubs when I had 4 stripes on my white belt, I was still held back 9 months to my blue (despite hanging with the blues every session), afterwards it was alluded that this was to make sure I was committed etc.
It's great for kids, a nice progressive pathway that rewards them for sticking at it - they look forward to nice regular stripes to keep them rewarded but for adults, not so much. This obviously raises the issue of those that take up BJJ and will never reach the perceived level of physical skill and ability expected of a purple / brown / black belt...but they turn up, week in week out and put in the hours on the mat, they still deserve the recognition and kudos that comes with a new belt.
I've heard about the Barra approach e.g. ticks on an attendance sheet, being honest it's not something I'd ever sign up for, then again, the other approach is down to judgement of the coach. I moved clubs when I had 4 stripes on my white belt, I was still held back 9 months to my blue (despite hanging with the blues every session), afterwards it was alluded that this was to make sure I was committed etc.
To be honest, whilst I was at GB I thought it was fantastic with a great set of lads. Looking back this was more to do with it being my first taste of BJJ compared to traditional atemi JJ (worlds apart). With hindsight, the whole GB set up was geared up purely to make money and thats fine but there is a huge section of the BJJ 'community' that don't have that approach and whilst ultimately all acadamies most coaches do have to pay the bills it's much more like a labour of love for them compared to GB. I imagine the liscence/franchise costs for GB are astronomical and these have to be paid for somehow and the obvious way is from the students.
GB does seem to be getting more press lately, Lloyd Cooper was giving them a bit of stick recently and Bracie Garra account on Insta pokes fun too, to be clear though it's the organisation that comes in for hammer and not the individuals within it. There were some good lads who were really high level at GB and I made some good friends.
AJB88 said:
Wear the purple belt. If I get my blue soon, then travel around clubs for one of sessions always wear the belt you were given. The issue here is hes been promoted by somebody who hasn't trained him for a while (not sure on time scales).
We had a lad turn up a few weeks ago, 17 years old first lesson ever , wearing a white belt smashed loads of people , turns out hes brown (I think) at Judo.
Mind you, my 2 mates (Twins) both professional at MMA, they train no gi regular, used to wear white at gi and smash people, they are brown and purple now.
Thats the trouble with being a white belt (and entering comps), everyone gets stuck at the same level and you can come up against people like this. Once at blue, most people have the same understanding.We had a lad turn up a few weeks ago, 17 years old first lesson ever , wearing a white belt smashed loads of people , turns out hes brown (I think) at Judo.
Mind you, my 2 mates (Twins) both professional at MMA, they train no gi regular, used to wear white at gi and smash people, they are brown and purple now.
Pete102 said:
This raises an interesting point that I was aware of and never really got to a firm conclusion. I would personally always want to be awarded a belt based on skill and ability, rather than time served i.e. I want to be able to walk into any gym at that belt level and hold my own.
This obviously raises the issue of those that take up BJJ and will never reach the perceived level of physical skill and ability expected of a purple / brown / black belt...but they turn up, week in week out and put in the hours on the mat, they still deserve the recognition and kudos that comes with a new belt.
I've heard about the Barra approach e.g. ticks on an attendance sheet, being honest it's not something I'd ever sign up for, then again, the other approach is down to judgement of the coach. I moved clubs when I had 4 stripes on my white belt, I was still held back 9 months to my blue (despite hanging with the blues every session), afterwards it was alluded that this was to make sure I was committed etc.
When i used to train at Mill Hill, Nick used to use competition success as part of the promotion whereas other gyms just seemed to hand out their belts based on time served which wasnt always long. It probably helped that MH had some beasts at the time that i used to train with but you could tell who where promoted (at the lower ranks) based on time as opposed to 'combat' and id consider to be soft 'coloured' belts if you know what i mean. Its probably changed now but it used to take people ages to get to Black belt at certain gyms, yet i know someone who got his within 5 years but never competed and id class as a cereal box promotion (not MH BJJ)This obviously raises the issue of those that take up BJJ and will never reach the perceived level of physical skill and ability expected of a purple / brown / black belt...but they turn up, week in week out and put in the hours on the mat, they still deserve the recognition and kudos that comes with a new belt.
I've heard about the Barra approach e.g. ticks on an attendance sheet, being honest it's not something I'd ever sign up for, then again, the other approach is down to judgement of the coach. I moved clubs when I had 4 stripes on my white belt, I was still held back 9 months to my blue (despite hanging with the blues every session), afterwards it was alluded that this was to make sure I was committed etc.
Anyway, talking of Nick, not sure if some are aware of this (or knew him) but he passed away at the start of December 2021 and MH are having open mat sessions where anyone is invited to raise money for Nicks family.
lemmingjames said:
Thats the trouble with being a white belt (and entering comps), everyone gets stuck at the same level and you can come up against people like this. Once at blue, most people have the same understanding.
I think that's an issue with belt based system, but it's useful overall, as the sport growslemmingjames said:
When i used to train at Mill Hill, Nick used to use competition success as part of the promotion whereas other gyms just seemed to hand out their belts based on time served which wasnt always long. It probably helped that MH had some beasts at the time that i used to train with but you could tell who where promoted (at the lower ranks) based on time as opposed to 'combat' and id consider to be soft 'coloured' belts if you know what i mean. Its probably changed now but it used to take people ages to get to Black belt at certain gyms, yet i know someone who got his within 5 years but never competed and id class as a cereal box promotion (not MH BJJ)
Anyway, talking of Nick, not sure if some are aware of this (or knew him) but he passed away at the start of December 2021 and MH are having open mat sessions where anyone is invited to raise money for Nicks family.
I never met Nick, but I read lots of testimony following his passing, very sad and a pioneer of BJJ in the UK. I've trained with two of Nicks students - Dan Strauss and Luc Lamude, both absolute beasts. Anyway, talking of Nick, not sure if some are aware of this (or knew him) but he passed away at the start of December 2021 and MH are having open mat sessions where anyone is invited to raise money for Nicks family.
Just to add some meat to your comments above, I also know of a particular BB who's never competed and cannot hold his own against other BBs, yet was awarded based on time and helping out at the gym (Barra).
I read Lloyds Instagram poking fun at GB, it was a nice evenings entertainment!
shambolic said:
Did anyone else take part in the Reorg Rollathon in December. Some shift in our place. Did 430pm to 8pm Thursday then back in 430am till 7am Friday.
Ps sorry for the long hiatus. Forgot about this thread!
Yeah our gym took part, though due to work I only put about 3 hours into it, the lads were knackered come the end but raised £1000 for a great causePs sorry for the long hiatus. Forgot about this thread!
Some interesting comments about the belt system, being as it's a subjective thing there will never be a firm right or wrong answer. I think it's ok for people to be promoted for a number of reasons i.e. someone might know how to execute a whole range of techniques but might not have the strength, aggression, confidence etc to make it work in a hard roll or competition whereas somebody else might know very little technique yet thrives in that environment, who is worthy of the higher belt
I'd say most of the blues and purples at my gym know far more BJJ specific techniques than I do yet 99% of the time i'd come out on top in a roll due wrestling, physicality, no-gi technique etc. our club seems to value the how well you do in a roll over knowing a zillion techniques but then I find it awkward when I'm having to ask someone a few belts below me to explain to me some very basic Gi techniques
I'd say most of the blues and purples at my gym know far more BJJ specific techniques than I do yet 99% of the time i'd come out on top in a roll due wrestling, physicality, no-gi technique etc. our club seems to value the how well you do in a roll over knowing a zillion techniques but then I find it awkward when I'm having to ask someone a few belts below me to explain to me some very basic Gi techniques
BRR said:
Some interesting comments about the belt system, being as it's a subjective thing there will never be a firm right or wrong answer. I think it's ok for people to be promoted for a number of reasons i.e. someone might know how to execute a whole range of techniques but might not have the strength, aggression, confidence etc to make it work in a hard roll or competition whereas somebody else might know very little technique yet thrives in that environment, who is worthy of the higher belt
I'd say most of the blues and purples at my gym know far more BJJ specific techniques than I do yet 99% of the time i'd come out on top in a roll due wrestling, physicality, no-gi technique etc. our club seems to value the how well you do in a roll over knowing a zillion techniques but then I find it awkward when I'm having to ask someone a few belts below me to explain to me some very basic Gi techniques
I agree, I know what I'm doing but most of the time get out powered. Other white belts my size I tend to submit at rolling (got 1 or 2 go to submissions). But most of the lads are 10kg+ on me, some of them upto 40kg more. I'd say most of the blues and purples at my gym know far more BJJ specific techniques than I do yet 99% of the time i'd come out on top in a roll due wrestling, physicality, no-gi technique etc. our club seems to value the how well you do in a roll over knowing a zillion techniques but then I find it awkward when I'm having to ask someone a few belts below me to explain to me some very basic Gi techniques
Grading that should of happened in December happening on 15th now, coach asked me if I'm coming (he knows I work nights a lot and cant come) and luckily I'm off that day! few minutes later in the advanced class I got a nice single leg take down on him hopefully that sealed the blue belt haha.
Contemplating entering another comp, last time I entered in the under 82kg group, I'm sitting at about 85kg at moment but this comp is weighed without GI so its either under 79 or under 85. Swaying towards going in the under 85 and just maintaining/cutting body fat a little for now. Although seen pics of 2 of the guys who are registered (In the blue under 85) and they are both shredded monsters.
Contemplating entering another comp, last time I entered in the under 82kg group, I'm sitting at about 85kg at moment but this comp is weighed without GI so its either under 79 or under 85. Swaying towards going in the under 85 and just maintaining/cutting body fat a little for now. Although seen pics of 2 of the guys who are registered (In the blue under 85) and they are both shredded monsters.
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