Elder Belts

I don't mind being the oldest student at my Jiu-Jitsu academy. I think it's pretty cool, actually.

It looks as if I might just be getting a Purple Belt in 2017. I'll be a mere kid of 60 by then.

Assuming things run as smoothly in my rank progress beyond that, I could be a Brown Belt by the age of 64. Is smooth progress something I can realistically expect as I push through the ravages of time? Perhaps.

Beyond that, at the same rate a Black Belt awaits when I'm a 68 year old. Hmmm.

It really doesn't matter much when I get to Purple, but there is finite time that I can continue to climb the ladder.

I've been able to shake off bumps and bruises, but it's only a matter of time before I start missing chunks of time to injury or illness. My prediction for attaining Brown and Black Belt at 64 and 68 are perhaps very optimistic.

If I could shave a bit of time off now in attaining Purple, that would move forward future promotions as well.

I will be entering my last level of training before Purple around mid-October of 2015. I would like to complete attendance at about 100 classes before making the big jump up to Purple.

There is a strong chance I'll be at the Gracie Academy in Los Angeles early in 2016, but I'll only have about 50 or 60 advanced classes racked up by then; nowhere near enough. It would be about a year before I might return to LA again, so that's when I'll be evaluated for Purple. Hence, 2017.

Just recently our instructor mentioned that an extra class might be starting on Saturdays. Interesting. That starts making things for a Purple Belt evaluation in 2016 look practical. I started playing a little with the dates for the 2016 visit.

It looks like the trip can be moved a couple of months without any serious repercussions. Suddenly, the number of classes I'll have done prior to the visit will have reached 100.

That could mean Purple a full year early. That would make every subsequent rank move a year nearer as well.

I am greatly tempted.