What a blackbelt is

What a blackbelt is

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There is a never ending question of what a blackbelt is. A blackbelt in BJJ, or any other martial art for that matter, is not just about competition or success in fighting. It is about attitude and a willingness to give back to fellow students, the school and the community. Also, it’s about self control and discipline. Futhermore, it’s about dedication, physically, mentally and spitually. Abandonding the traditions of the martial arts reduces all martial arts to simple fighting techniques.

Respect

BJJ and other martial arts are built upon respect. Respect for the discipline, respect for the instructor, respect for the school and for your fellow students and training partners. One must also respect THE SWEAT AND KNOWLEDGE THAT EACH LEVEL OF LEARNING REPRESENTS.

Instructors and schools who who promote too quickly don’t help the students or the martial arts community in general. Especially when it comes to children’s ranks. Is it hard as an instructor to resist the temptation to promote people quickly? Sure it is. Sometimes parents can be pushy and smaller schools are afraid of losing the student. With younger students, it is certainly reasonable to create an atmosphere where quicker promotions keep the young student motivated. But part of what instructors must teach is patience and the value of a truly eraned belt versus one simply awarded. The value of something earned is ten fold.

Effectiveness of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is effective because you can’t be a fake and train in the art. It is one of the only martial arts where you train live every class. One can can openly test the effectiveness of your skills against a resisting opponent. This process helps you understand where you are strong and more importantly, where you are weak. It has been said that only 1 BJJ practitioner in 10, 000 reaches blackbelt because going through the ranks is a long and tough process. That process usually weeds out the people who are not 100% commited to to Jiu-Jitsu. Many believe that a black belt  in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the hardest black belt to achieve in all martial arts.