Instructor Rankings

About a year ago our instructor, Shawn Phillips, was evaluated by the Gracies, and awarded the rank of Purple Belt.

It was long, long overdue. The system is relatively new. Unlike students, who can receive rank from their home academies, instructors only receive rank directly from the Gracies.

He has received no promotions since, as he hasn't seen the Gracies since getting his Purple Belt.

In about a month, Rener Gracie will be doing a seminar down in Seattle. There are bunch of us heading down for the event, including Shawn.

Perhaps he will be promoted.

In a year, an ordinary student at the Gracie would have received one promotions, and be halfway to a second.

Instructors are different. They are the ones who carry the torch for Gracie Jiu-Jitsu far from the core. They have to self-teach the material from the online program, and to present it to the rest of us. This is not easy, and Shawn does an outstanding job of things.

Everything he has taught me is exactly the way things are done down in California at the main Gracie Academy. I don't now how he can do it, week after week, year after year.

I suppose they might give him a single stripe for his Purple Belt. In my opinion this would be highly inappropriate, and two stripes should be the minimum of what he might be awarded.

I certainly hope they don't just let things slide, and that he doesn't get promoted at all.

There is a practical side to all of this as well.

Instructors can only promote students to one level below their own. In that way, a lack of progress in an instructor can impinge on his students' advancement.

Rank can also be helpful in attracting students to a school.

In any case, Shawn is definitely due for promotion, and I hope to see him heavily-striped up very soon.