Slow Blue

Our Jiu-Jitsu school has a few issues regarding belt promotions.

The first is the slow progress people are achieving through their Blue Belt levels. As most people never make it out of their Blue levels, it is the more important.

I have heard many people in locker-room discusions about rank say they are in no hurry to get promoted. They say they would prefer to develop solid skills, rather than progressing too quickly. They would rather be a, "good Blue Belt, instead of a weak Purple Belt."

Interestingly, these are not the two choices available.

The rules for promotion through most levels are 8 months of training, and attendance at 100 approplriate classes, and an OK from their instructor. The reason people are not getting promoted promptly is usually failure to complete the attendance requirements.

Lets create a pair of hypothetical twins. They earn their Blue Belts together. The first wants to progress quickly, and he maintains near-perfect attendance. The other, "is in no hurry," and takes a year to complete the attendance requirement and is promoted then.

Which twin will have a more solid level of skill on their promotion day?

It will certainly be the 8-month eager student. We go through material very rapidly. Missing training makes it very difficult to try and keep up.

They will both have accumulated an equivalant amount of sparring experience by promotion time, but even that won't be really equal. The more eager twin will have more things they will actually be able to try out, and that only takes into consideration a comparison at their promotion time, which are actually 4 months apart.

At the first twin's promotion at 8 months, he will have done 1/3 more rolling than his sibling. By the time the other twin "catches up" at 12 months, the first twin will not have stood still and still be 1/3 ahead. He will already be halfway to his next promotion.

Now, don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with setting your own pace; just don't think that going slowly makes you in any technical way superior to somebody training more intently. It is much more likely that the exact opposite is true.

And just what the heck is a, "bad Purple Belt," anyhow? Not only has every Gracie Purple Belt put in every bit of the required work, they also have to have passed an evaluation by one of the Gracie's themselves.

My advice to anyone who is proud about how long it has taken to earn a promotion; stop it. Choose your own pace, and be happy with it, but if you want to get as good as possible then get on the mat. Doing so is not only the most efficient way to improve, but higher rank will appear. Rank need not be a goal, but that's not allthat it is.

It is also a reflection of effort expended and proficiency gained.