The Path to the Black Belt

The Path to the Black Belt

I came into jiujitsu with the purpose of 1) learning self-defense and 2) getting a black belt to affirm my proficiency and so that I can certify my children's technique and award them with belts as they earn them. 

The path isn't as simple as I thought it would be.  I thought I would have to learn techniques and at some point have to demonstrate those techniques to be awarded a belt.  When I first started I found out that time limits and promotions were subjective and completely up to your coach/instructor.  I didn't care for this approach.  There was no set curriculum or time limits.  It was very general.  Basically one should be submitting 90% of people at their current belt level before being considered for promotion.  That was about it.  If you "looked" like you were ready for a stripe, you got a stripe.  4 stripes and then when you "looked like" you were ready for the next belt it was handed to you.  Something like this. 

Far too subjective.

When I was introduced to a professor’s system I remained under for several years it was breathe of fresh air for many reasons, but among them was a curriculum and established time limits.  You had to 100 classes per stripe, and 500 per belt.  You paid your monthly tuition.  It was cut and dry.

Seems like not so cut and dry anymore sometimes. 

Here's some of what I see happening.  If you take multiple classes in a day, then you don't necessarily get credit for them anymore.  You do...but you don't.  An electronic system has replaced the manual class cards.  You sign in at a kiosk or on your phone web browser.  But when it comes to getting a stripe it is becoming subjective. "You need more 'seasoning' and time at your current level before getting your next stripe.  You've been taking 2-3 classes a day and we want you to have more time in."  On its face that might seem reasonable. But then what is the point of having the sign in?  If I am training more, then I am training more.  Instead of telling me I need more "seasoning" tell me specific things you want to see me improve.

Theoretically one is supposed to be able to get their black belt in 10 years.  At least that's what we're told over and over again.  That means 5 classes per week for ten years in order to make that math work.  It is impossible to do without attending multiple classes in a day for someone that has any type of work or family life in their schedule. So if you do the classes but then are told it essentially didn't matter in terms of promotion, then what was the point?  Seems like a bit of a false promise, that being if you put in the time and know the material and perform reasonably against your peers that you will be promoted.  Of course there's a skill component to it all, but I am just talking raw numbers right now.  

Also, what constitutes a "class"?  You’d think just physically being in the class, right?  But what happens when you are a brown belt and the class instructor is a purple belt, teaching basic techniques for white and blue belts?  As a brown belt you definitely have your own way of doing things and your own game developed already.  Must someone doing calculus have to practice arithmetic just to get class credit for advancement?  That seems absurd.  So the tendency is to train on your own at other places, or on the adjacent mat so that you can get class credit while still improving.  Great idea...but you aren't getting class credit for that. 

If quality is the issue, then make an objective observation and suggestions for what needs improvement so that a student can know specifically what to improve on other than simply aging.  "More time" at your current level may be a quality control, but it also can easily be a way to keep a student at the current level longer in order to get more money out of them before they get their black belt and potentially leave the Academy for other life endeavors.  Not only that, once you have been at an Academy for years you don't want to essentially have to start over at your last belt rank and spend more years under someone else to earn your black belt there.  Then there's the whole "creonte" stigma, of being a traitor or otherwise disloyal to your professor or affiliation.  So you end up trapped to a certain extent with your current professor and Academy. 

The next issue is curriculum changes. Techniques get adjustments as well as curricula, however if I have been training over 13 years and there is a change within a year or so of a theoretical black belt test, should I have to learn all the new ways to do the techniques for the test?  I don't know.  If the techniques worked for a few decades why should I have to learn the new way if I have been doing it a certain way for over 10 years.  Does the new test decertify existing black belts?  Of course not.  The purpose can be justified as to say they are improving the techniques for the Academy, however it can easily be interpreted as a means to 1) once again keep you at your current rank longer, and 2) sell more videos and books so you can learn the techniques.  

Both cases of time and new techniques all but forces a student to pay more money.

Then next obstacle in the path is inadequate instruction during regular classes.  Here's the game:  The school teaches the basic movement of the technique but then doesn't get much detailed individual coaching during class. This is in purpose. They can then use this gap in instruction to push for private classes, which cost significantly more than class itself.  For example, if monthly tuition is $175/month, a private class can be anywhere from $50-$100 depending on the rank of the instructor.  The Academy gets as much as 30% of that cost.  If you just go to that instructors house to train for free, or so that the instructor gets 100% of the money, you don't get credit for that class.
 

So how can I accelerate my time in grade so that I can test sooner?  More private classes, which are almost subliminally pushed quite regularly.  “When I trained with my instructor is was mostly private lessons.  We didn’t have regular class like we do here today when I was in Brazil.”  You can also sign up for trips to Brazil to train for a week or so, or for a few days on jiujitsu cruises, and several hour weekend seminars when different “masters” that come in from out of town.  None of this applies to just my affiliation.  I have seen this with others as well since I started training.  Of course, this is all at significant cost.

At some Academies you can only be promoted by your affiliations “master”, who likely lives out of town somewhere.  When he comes into town you have to pay for his seminar or just his time for your test, when is typically anywhere from $150-$200 for an hour or two.  This is fairly standard.  Fortunately, unlike taekwondo for example, there’s only 4 belts you get tested for.

So, as I have outlined here, the path to the black belt isn't all that straight forward and there are different ways to it depending on your Academy.  Some more subjective than others.  But most of the paths are lined with hands trying to get into your pockets.  Jiujitsu may be a hobby for you, but it is a living for them.