Don't Wanna Suck

You are not supposed to chase the rank. You should be training for its own sake. The rank doesn't matter.

This kind of thinking is inaccurate. Especially within the Gracie promotion system.

To go up a stripe, you must have put in 8 months of training, and attended at least 90 advanced classes, and received your instructor's OK.

Training 3 times a week will get your attendance tally filled up almost exactly when your 8 months is up. This is also the maximum that most people train in a week.

Interestingly, it almost never seems to work out that way. Viruses happen, as do minor injuries, and other time commitments. It is rare that anybody gets their quota filled up at the 8-month mark, and so they train on for 9 months, or 10, or a year.

This makes sense, as with all things being equal, a person who has attended 90 classes will have learned more than one who has only made it to, say, 77.

I like getting promoted on time; call me crazy.

To guarantee this as much as I can, I have kicked my program into a higher gear. My weekly goal includes the 3 advanced classes that we have at my home Training Centre. In addition, I have started visiting the city for an extra 2 classes at a neighbouring school.

Around the time that I would normally have hit the 90-class mark, I will have made it to something around 150.

Rank chasing? Maybe, but I'll also be better at Jiu-Jitsu than if I weren't doing it.

Especially as I won't just back off once I make it to the attendance goal, but will soldier on.

I find the very best form of training is found in private lessons. The Gracie's recognize this, and count them as double towards attendance totals.

I also want a private lesson in my weekly tally, and it looks like this will become possible on a regular basis soon. That means that my weekly tally will become 7, instead of a normal full load of 3.

I will complete my quota in under half the time of a regular, good student. By the time a 3-class-a-week person reaches the mandated 90, I will be at 210.

If I were really chasing rank, wouldn't I stop at 90, or at least slow down?

The entire rank-slash-quota-slash-tally thing is supposed to be a motivator, and it does help. The real result is more training. More training equals better progress. Attaining rank quickly means you've met or exceeded the minimum requirements. Not doing so indicates that you haven't met the minimum standard. I intend exceeding the standard greatly.

My current 8-month period will end on July 29^th. My tally will have finished in May.

Actually, that's just the classes that count. I also attend 3 beginner classes per week to help out, and 2 open-mat free-training times, and meet up a time or two with friends for extra work. In reality, my weeks hold more than 12 sessions each. My “real” tally in 8 months is more like 360. Clearly, this isn't just about chasing the rank.

So why do I do it?

I just don't want to suck.