Rank doesn't matter?

So somebody earns their Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Blue Belt. What happens next?

They start attending the Master Cycle classes, of course. That's the fancy name that the Gracies have given the sessions for Blue, Purple, Brown and Black Belts. Personally, I hate the name as it seems to imply we think we're a bunch of martial arts masters. What it really refers to is the procedure of cycling through techniques in order to gain some level of mastery. Anyhow, the name isn't up to me.

Every single Blue Belt that I've ever seen joining the Master Cycle class reacts the same. They are a bit timid and shy, and act like they've just been fed to the lions.

There will be a bunch of material taught, and practised with more experienced partners. What could be wrong with that? I think it's the free rolling they fear. There is usually at least a little bit of that at every class.

So they roll with somebody who's been in the class longer, maybe that person has a stripe or two on their belt. Normally, people go easy on the new arrivals. During that first free roll, they'll experience stuff they've never seen before. They'll try stuff that will get magically countered, and anytime they get anything, it will be pretty clear that their partner let it happen. Most likely, in mid roll their partner will show them something or give a tip or two.

It won't turn out to be a bad experience, but it will be pretty clear how far they have to go?

It's funny; everybody says rank doesn't matter, but it really does. In Gracie Jiu-Jitsu every new Blue Belt reacts the same.

There is a likewise effect when Blue Belts get their first stripe. This will be awarded somewhere after 8 months in the Master Cycle class. The recipient will have learned a great deal of technique by then, and will have rolled hundreds of times. After they get that stripe, they seem to change.

The stripe acts as a visible acknowledgement that they are no longer rookies; not the bottom of the free-rolling food chain.

The reaction isn't as immediate as with a Blue Belt, but it's just as real. Within a few weeks the new one-striper becomes more relaxed and confident in their abilities. This, in turn, makes them much more effective when rolling.

I can't really say what effect receiving a second stripe has on a Blue Belt student, as that has only happened at our school twice. It's too small a sample to work from. In about two months we may see a few more awarded, and maybe a pattern will emerge.

Around here, a second stripe does have a big effect on the other students. When I got mine, it was right after I'd returned from a couple of months training with the Gracies. In my 8 weeks there, I trained as much as most people do in 8 months. While this was a great training experience for me, the others seemed to magnify it several times over.

Everybody seemed to see me as much more advanced than anybody else even if it wasn't really true, and associated perceived skill with my two little stripes.

When Scott got his second stripe, everybody seemed to think he must be equally advanced.

I'll give you an example. Let's say we are all learning a technique new to everybody. At practice time, somebody will always grab me as a partner. If they have any difficulty, they will ask me how do do things. Even if I say that it's just as new to me, they will expect me to be able to do the technique and to explain all its subtleties to them.

They do the same thing with Scott.

So rank means nothing, except a Blue Belt makes you humble, a stripe makes you relaxed, and a second gets you seen as some sort of tutor.

I look forward to the next few months when we should be seeing more stripes handed out, including a couple of third stripes. The group should end up with a healthy mix of people with from zero to three stripes on their Blue Belts.

I think that with three stripes you get the ability to fly.