Brown Belt Instructor?

My main instructor is a black under carlos gracie jr but a purple teaches the class a lot and I can learn just as much from him right now. He is very willing to help and goes above and beyond both before and after class. It took me over 1 year to get me blue and I was one of the earlier one's to get it. There is a beginner class that only white belts are allowed that teaches the basics. I think that is a great idea because for white belts to be learning omoplata's & leg locks before they know how to pass guard is ridicuolous. Our instructor will not even teach leg locks. Good choice moving gyms. Sounds like they have their priorities messed up.
 
Nothing wrong with learning footlocks and omaplatas. Omaplata is often used as a sweep which some of you were complaining about. But the problem I do see is the instructor not walking around helping people and a 2 month promotion is just crazy.

My instructor is a Brown belt, was a purple when I started and he is an amazing instructor.
 
The problem with leg locks, aside from the danger that some of them present, is that they require you to give up position. As a white belt, when you are in someone's guard your job should be to pass the guard. You need to learn about your posture, controlling the opponents posture, hips, arms, etc, how to break the guard and how to pass safely. Not, how to fall back for a heel hook like your Ken Shamrock and give away position. This is why most won't allow any subs below the waist until blue belt. It helps the student to learn to get the basics down first and focus on one half of the body. The other stuff will come with time.
 
Yea I don't think white belts should be shown footlocks. They have a tendency to twist the leg while applying a straight ankle lock.
 
Some of the bes teachers aren't the best fighters. Some of the best fighters can't teach really all that well and end up teaching out of garages. Teaching is a talent, much like anything else. One of the best instructions etc I ever received was from a BJJ brown belt. he is black now. But he had a excellent way of "coaching"
 
My instructor is a brown belt. He's been training for like 8 years and he's a very good coach, a solid teacher. He's only allowed to promote students to blue belt, but in the year and a half I've been training with him, he's only promoted one guy that I know of. And that guy is awesome. He kept dominating tourneys so he prety much had to be promoted to find any real competition. We're no gi, so I really don't know what everyone else is. We've got a lot of wite belts, a handful of blue belts, and I think one, maybe two purples.
 
r1kee said:
My question is:

Can a brown belt award belts? And is he just giving belts away? Should brown belts not be instructors for the reason that they haven't really taken any instructor courses? (Or do BJJ instructors not do instructor courses)

Thanks all.
Click to expand...

yes, a brown belt can award belts, and it honestly doesn't sound like he was giving belts away. if he felt that kid deserved his blue belt that's his call, and i can promise you he knows better than you do.

some schools offer instructor course for under belt trainers, but by the time your a brown belt you've likely been training for a long time, and maybe even teaching for a while, and they can know more than enough to teach without a course. this isn't like karate or tae kwon do. a purple belt in bjj usually has more time on the mat and even years of experience then black belts from most other styles.



on a side note not every good competitor is a good instructor, even if they're a black belt (though most in bjj are), but from what you described from one class i see no reason to be alarmed. those are pretty basic transitions, but they're obviously not for brand new students who should be learning basic positions; however, if the class was not full of brand new students he probably had to do the best he could to keep everyone happy if he was the only instructor.

if you have a problem like this when you feel you aren't learning necessary baics you should probably go to your instructor about it rather than post online. now that you know it's normal for brown belts to teach anyway.
 
stlnl2 said:
Blue after 2 months is odd. But the average for blue is a year, its not like some huge hurdle to cross.

Are you sure the kid that got a blue has only trained 2 months and never trained anywhere else or before he went to that school?
Click to expand...

Well he didn't submit any of the white belts during the sparring session, just controlled most of them because he was a wrestler. He was a cool kid, I asked him lots of questions and he was a step above the whites, but not quite a blue.
 
Mikey Triangles said:
yes, a brown belt can award belts, and it honestly doesn't sound like he was giving belts away. if he felt that kid deserved his blue belt that's his call, and i can promise you he knows better than you do.

some schools offer instructor course for under belt trainers, but by the time your a brown belt you've likely been training for a long time, and maybe even teaching for a while, and they can know more than enough to teach without a course.



on a side note not every good competitor is a good instructor, even if they're a black belt (though most in bjj are), but from what you described from one class i see no reason to be alarmed. those are pretty basic transitions, but they're obviously not for brand new students who should be learning basic positions; however, if the class was not full of brand new students he probably had to do the best he could to keep everyone happy if he was the only instructor.

if you have a problem like this when you feel you aren't learning necessary baics you should probably go to your instructor about it rather than post online. now that you know it's normal for brown belts to teach anyway.
Click to expand...

Im not questioning his credibilty. Ive trained under a 3rd degree black belt and my Judo brown belt friend. I know this instructor knows far more than I do, I never questioned his skill and knowledge. And second of all, he's not my instructor, I already have one. I just think that 2 months is too soon for a blue and the blue belt didn't sub anyone and rolled with about 6 whites in a row for 4 min. rounds. One white, my bro who was just as strong as the kid, pretty much controlled him for the 4 min. This kid relied on strength and size but not skill.

Also, it wasnt the transitions, it was the fact that he was moving quite fast and I was actually showing many students the transitions.
 
r1kee said:
Well he didn't submit any of the white belts during the sparring session, just controlled most of them because he was a wrestler. He was a cool kid, I asked him lots of questions and he was a step above the whites, but not quite a blue.
Click to expand...

what makes you think you are in any position to call that? how long have you been training? are you sure he was even really trying to submit them this day? how long had the white belts he was fighting train for? you do realize the is more to bjj than submission, don't you? was he passing the guard, gaining position and maintaining it, sweeping, transitioning to more dominant positions, etc?

most of the time i roll with white belts i don't only not try to submit them, but i actually let them get position on me soi can work from bad positions, or even submissions. this is how you improve as you reach higher levels
 
Mikey Triangles said:
what makes you think you are in any position to call that? how long have you been training? are you sure he was even really trying to submit them this day? how long had the white belts he was fighting train for? you do realize the is more to bjj than submission, don't you? was he passing the guard, gaining position and maintaining it, sweeping, transitioning to more dominant positions, etc?

most of the time i roll with white belts i don't only not try to submit them, but i actually let them get position on me soi can work from bad positions, or even submissions. this is how you improve as you reach higher levels
Click to expand...

It was a kumate of sorts. I was there he was trying to pull off subs. Look man, I just had a simple question and thought it was odd he gave away a belt so soon. Ive done BJJ, never with a Gi. I have rolled with MANY blue belts and the technique is DIFFERENT. I'd say the only reason he was controlling most guy swas his size. When he rolled with my bro, who was same size, my bro controlled his ASS. My bro has been going for one month.
 
r1kee said:
It was a kumate of sorts. I was there he was trying to pull off subs. Look man, I just had a simple question and thought it was odd he gave away a belt so soon. Ive done BJJ, never with a Gi. I have rolled with MANY blue belts and the technique is DIFFERENT. I'd say the only reason he was controlling most guy swas his size. When he rolled with my bro, who was same size, my bro controlled his ASS. My bro has been going for one month.
Click to expand...

I can't say that I could honestly and fairly judge and critize an instructor after one class. I also wouldn't be so confident on my judgement of who is blue belt quality or not. If the instructor feels that the person is capable and deserving how are you to judge otherwise after watching one class.
 
Assuming TS is correct in his assesment of the bule belt, it seems too early. If the guy has previous bjj training, that's a different story. I just don't think you can learn and become sufficiently proficient in even the basic techniques in just two months to achieve blue belt status.
Of course, even a mediocre wrestler would be able to control most white belts, but that doesn't mean he should be a blue belt. Now, if he can hang with blues, more power to him. Give the dude a belt. I just don't see it happening in two months.
 
2 months for a blue belt? sounds like the gracie blue belt...(for those of u who think im bashing...search dr. rey 90210 and look at how he got his blue belt!)
 
mayhem203 said:
2 months for a blue belt? sounds like the gracie blue belt...(for those of u who think im bashing...search dr. rey 90210 and look at how he got his blue belt!)
Click to expand...

didnt they just hand him a blue belt for doing pretty much nothing? haha
 
They gave him a blue for passing a pre-done test.

Anyway, don't place your blame entirely on brown belt instructors. My primary coaches are brown belts and they kick ass as teachers. This guy seems to be lacking more in teaching skills than knowledge.
 
Brow belt is definitely a worthy instructor. I train at Alliance in Greenville and our instructor, Billy Fletcher is a brown belt under Jacare Cavalcanti. Which as many people in the grappling world know he is the co founder of team Alliance with Fabio Gurgel. Our instructor doesn
 
r1kee said:
My bro goes to a gym where a brown belt is the BJJ instructor. I haven't been doing BJJ for very long but I know a good instructor when I see one. I went for a free class and he was showing white belts armbar transition to triangle to omoplata to foot lock. Most of the white belts were A) doing the subs incorrectly and B) and the instructor had a student practicing with him so he had no time to correct any of the students; myself included. Is this too much for white belts to be learning?

Second of all, he awarded a blue belt that day to a kid with a wrestling background. (It was the guys 2nd month practicing BJJ, mind you.) We all rolled with the new blue belt and he just mounted all the white belts but could not finish them. One white belt actually controlled him during the 4 min. spar. because he was just as strong as this wrestler kid.

My question is:

Can a brown belt award belts? And is he just giving belts away? Should brown belts not be instructors for the reason that they haven't really taken any instructor courses? (Or do BJJ instructors not do instructor courses)

Thanks all.
Click to expand...

Yes Brown belts can award belts

If he feels the wrestler kid deserves the blubelt than it makes sense to give it to him. Getting the blubelt doesnt mean your a badass it just means your grasping the general concepts of bjj and are able to implement them. The kid just got the bluebelt - its not like he has been one for a year or two yet.

Most bjj instructors dont take instructors courses - they have been brought up in the sport most likely over the last 6-8 years and have witnessed and been a part of the school for long enough to begin to teach them selves.
 
I'm a brownbelt running my own school. www.valkobjj.com

I don't give out belts. I've heard that you can and that you can't, so I don't. Until I get my blackbelt I will bring in a blackbelt t o promote students if needed.

I teach the omoplate to whitebelts all the time. In my style omoplata is one of the more important moves. Foot locks not so much. I don't ignore them like many schools do, but I teach them cautiously and mostly for defensive reasons to white belts.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M0ller
Which BJJ gym to choose?
Replies
12
Views
1K
mattemate
mattemate

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,236,982
Messages
55,459,249
Members
174,787
Latest member
Freddie556

Share this page

Back
Top