Had the most surreal experience at class today!!!

Ybot said:
I thought about technique all the time, and would often meditate on particular techniques, repping them in my head. But I am prone to go off on tangents, so rather than concentrating on one game, or set of techniques I would just go with the flow, and learn and concentrate on what ever I was interested in at the moment. Eventually a game developed, but it certainly was not systematically set up in any way... it just came together over time.
Click to expand...

first off, congratulations. i'm a white belt myself and can hardly imagine getting my purple, let alone black. and thanks for posting about your promotion. i love reading these. it gives me a chance to live vicariously for a moment while i work toward my own promotions.

i'm really interested in what you said above about how 'eventually a game developed'. this is something i can relate really strongly to, altho i'm wondering if it's problematic or not. it's also possible i've misunderstood you.

the thing i like most about jiu jitsu is the movement. movement is what got me into martial arts in the first place, but jiu jitsu has a very specific type of movement that you learn and i think it's different from other strike-focused arts. it's 3-dimensional. x y and z axis. inverted, even. it's like this 3D puzzle where your body parts are the pieces you have to move around to solve a problem. i'm much less invested in the competitive "win/submit" aspect, tho of course i enjoy that too. but the thing is, since i started bjj i haven't really focused much on submissions, or on a game plan. every time i roll i just like to see where it goes. i just try to get and maintain positions, and if a submission presents itself, i'll take it. based on feedback i've been getting i think i *might* be getting close to my blue belt (but who knows!). and as more pieces of the jj puzzle start to click together, i'm starting to feel like i should have a game of some sort. i have things i'm good at (or at least that i'm better at than others), but i don't know if i one could logically string them together and call them a "game". but perhaps that's my own ignorance.

in any event, how far along were you when your game emerged? do you think i should be getting more focused on a game plan, a strategic set of techniques that will lead me to a submission? or is it actually alright to take a more winding, wandering path? will such an approach hurt my progress, or, with proper mat time, will we all wind up at the same place eventually?

i'd love to hear from other higher ranks as well, esp seasoned purples and up.

cheers!
 
Amazing accomplishment! Congratulations - you must be extremely happy and proud.
 
Ybot said:
10 years ago the only places to train in my whole home town were run by blue belts. My first day I got my ass handed to me by a much smaller blue belt instructor. I thought at the time he was amazing. I could barely imagine at the time what a purple belt was like, let alone a brown. And black belts??? They seemed nearly god like to me!

So, today after we finished training and we lined up, Cassio retrieved a white plastic bag and brought it out. He proceeded to promote two of my team mates to blue, and one to purple. Then he called me up! It was the weirdest feeling in the world... I was shaking. I had every intention of getting my black belt one day, but it still seems crazy! I had reason to believe that my time was coming, yet it was still a shock!

Today I received my black belt from Cassio Werneck!!! I couldn't be more proud! Thanks to all my friends, family, and training partners! I wouldn't have made it without you!

Nova Faixa Preta!!!!
Click to expand...

10 yrs ago??? You probably spent over 7-8k for 10 yrs worth of monthly fees, seen two hundred students come and go, probably seen your instructor go threw at least 1 vehicle, probably taught one hundred whitebelts, Competed in at least 15 tournaments, suffered from at least 5 injuries and lost and gained several friends and you didn't see the writing on the bathroom stall that you were getting a promotion??? Congrats.
 
ohmalley said:
first off, congratulations. i'm a white belt myself and can hardly imagine getting my purple, let alone black. and thanks for posting about your promotion. i love reading these. it gives me a chance to live vicariously for a moment while i work toward my own promotions.

i'm really interested in what you said above about how 'eventually a game developed'. this is something i can relate really strongly to, altho i'm wondering if it's problematic or not. it's also possible i've misunderstood you.

the thing i like most about jiu jitsu is the movement. movement is what got me into martial arts in the first place, but jiu jitsu has a very specific type of movement that you learn and i think it's different from other strike-focused arts. it's 3-dimensional. x y and z axis. inverted, even. it's like this 3D puzzle where your body parts are the pieces you have to move around to solve a problem. i'm much less invested in the competitive "win/submit" aspect, tho of course i enjoy that too. but the thing is, since i started bjj i haven't really focused much on submissions, or on a game plan. every time i roll i just like to see where it goes. i just try to get and maintain positions, and if a submission presents itself, i'll take it. based on feedback i've been getting i think i *might* be getting close to my blue belt (but who knows!). and as more pieces of the jj puzzle start to click together, i'm starting to feel like i should have a game of some sort. i have things i'm good at (or at least that i'm better at than others), but i don't know if i one could logically string them together and call them a "game". but perhaps that's my own ignorance.

in any event, how far along were you when your game emerged? do you think i should be getting more focused on a game plan, a strategic set of techniques that will lead me to a submission? or is it actually alright to take a more winding, wandering path? will such an approach hurt my progress, or, with proper mat time, will we all wind up at the same place eventually?

i'd love to hear from other higher ranks as well, esp seasoned purples and up.

cheers!
Click to expand...

Honestly, as a white belt, I wouldn't worry too much about "your game". You are at a point in your training you should be focusing on basics, and learning what you need to do to survive in rolling longer. I find that people usually start developing "a game" in the latter half of their time as a blue belt. By Purple they have their game, and they will continue to improve upon it, and start working to improve the weaker parts of their training (ie. if you're a takedown and pass guy, as a purple going to brown you'll start trying to improve your guard game, or vise versa).

What I meant about the way my game developed has more to do with these up and coming phenom grapplers we've been seeing lately. You see them systematically develop certain parts of their game that they become absolute monsters at. They make a small part of their game black belt level... Then they work on not being taken out of that game. I guess what I mean is my jiu-jitsu development was less directed and more organic. I may have taken longer to reach black belt than if I had been more focused. I'm not sorry about a single aspect of my journey so far, though.
 
My friend John got his blue belt in that class too. He said you hella deserved it. Also, he said it was a surreal expierence. Congrats!
 
war path said:
question: do you feel you deserve the black belt?
Click to expand...

I'm sure that after 10 years of hard work and dedication that, no, he feels like it's just a gift.

Seriously, wtf?
 
pittelp said:
10 yrs ago??? You probably spent over 7-8k for 10 yrs worth of monthly fees, seen two hundred students come and go, probably seen your instructor go threw at least 1 vehicle, probably taught one hundred whitebelts, Competed in at least 15 tournaments, suffered from at least 5 injuries and lost and gained several friends and you didn't see the writing on the bathroom stall that you were getting a promotion??? Congrats.
Click to expand...

LOL It's not that I didn't see it coming... You just don't know when it's actually gonna hit you! It was kinda like that scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail when Lancelot is running at the castle from a long ways away, then it cuts to the guards standing at the entrance unconcerned, cuts back to the knight running, but they are no closer... back and forth until all of a sudden the knight is there cutting down one of the guards, the other guard takes a while to even realize what is going on. That was me!

 
war path said:
yo im talking to the black belt not you the white belt
Click to expand...



First off, I'm not a white belt. I started grappling 16 years ago, when I Was 6. Learn to show a little respect here, at least. You just joined this site less than a month ago.



Second, your question was kind of a dick one.
 
A.Silvap4pbest said:
My friend John got his blue belt in that class too. He said you hella deserved it. Also, he said it was a surreal expierence. Congrats!
Click to expand...
I just rolled with John that day too! He definitely was ready for his Blue!!!

war path said:
question: do you feel you deserve the black belt?
Click to expand...
Deserve has nothing to do with it, I am a Black Belt! Was I at black belt level before? I think I was, quite honestly, but it's far more comfortable being a good brown than a new black!

codysweet02 said:
Ybot showin his love of the flower sweep....
Click to expand...
Oh man, you found that video! I love those series of sweeps. The intention was, and still is, to do an iPhone/Droid app dealing with those sweeps and their variants... I was just trying to get something down so my scattered brain would have something to go on. LOL Not intended to be good instruction. :)
 
xcydal said:
First off, I'm not a white belt. I started grappling 16 years ago, when I Was 6. Learn to show a little respect here, at least. You just joined this site less than a month ago.



Second, your question was kind of a dick one.
Click to expand...

i disagree with that my question was a dick one. i know plenty of people who feel like they don't deserve their belt rank. sometimes they think that "they will grow into their belt." i know i am one of those people; i don't think i deserve my brown belt.
 
war path said:
i disagree with that my question was a dick one. i know plenty of people who feel like they don't deserve their belt rank. sometimes they think that "they will grow into their belt." i know i am one of those people; i don't think i deserve my brown belt.
Click to expand...

That's why I was never a big fan of traditional ranking systems. I've seen white belts submit purple belts (Legit, competitive GB purple belts), it's hard to 'rank' what level some people are on. At a recent tournament I was at, a blue belt (a judo convert), walked through the elite open class like it was nothing. A belt doesn't define who you are as a grappler. If I was forced to wear a pink belt with glitter embroidery stating "this guy blows at BJJ", it would make zero difference to me.

That being said, I can see how it is nice to have milestones and more order to a gym. It also gives you easily definable goals. It's a give and take thing.
 
Ybot said:
Oh man, you found that video! I love those series of sweeps. The intention was, and still is, to do an iPhone/Droid app dealing with those sweeps and their variants... I was just trying to get something down so my scattered brain would have something to go on. LOL Not intended to be good instruction. :)
Click to expand...

I actually use the cross grip flower sweep that you show in that video sometimes. I found that video a while ago and it was pretty useful for me. I found some of your other videos where you show some of you other "talents" :icon_twis, but since I have actually met you before I decided against it, beings you are a black belt and all heh.

I met you for a second at the last American Cup in the stands. I told you I recognized you from that flower sweep video actually.
 
How'd I miss this thread .....

Awesome job, Ybot.

Still have a goofy smile and a small "shock" every time you look down at the belt? Enjoy the afterglow mate - you deserve it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,236,646
Messages
55,431,711
Members
174,776
Latest member
kilgorevontrouty

Share this page

Back
Top