Promoting in a new academy...

[Trickster***]

This conversation came up between myself and another guy at my school about how to handle promoting when you open a new school.

You obviously would like to hold your students back and make them really deserve the belt so you set a high standard for the rest of your students.
Ex. Your first blue belt should be somone who is abusing all the other white belts so those white belts know the level they need to be at before expecting their blue belt

BUT...

You also want there to be higher belts on your mat when new studenets walk in and are interested in training. You wouldn't want to walk in a school and see a ton a white belts but no higher belts.

So, in YOUR opinion what do you think is the best appraoch in regards to promoting if you opened a new school?? Please keep in mind if you hold people back too long you risk people quitting due to lack of progression.

IMO its a catch 22. You want to have high standards but you also do not want a school of all white belts who eventually quit bc their goals become unreachable.

 

[grdstorm11]

Thats an interesting topic. I have seen *not naming the school* Open up and immediately have a bunch of blues and a few purples. This is after maybe.. maybe 6 months of training at most.


Just doesn't seem right.

 

[D Train]

I train no gi so maybe it's different, but there isn't much thought given to belts or promotion. We have advanced, intermediate, and beginner classes. The instructor just lets you know when you should move into a new class. Sometimes we all work out together and it's pretty obvious who has more skills.
I guess I would stress to my students (were I to open a gym) that progression doesn't equal promotion. And after a few months training they'll be able to dominate new guys so they will be able to guage their progression in other ways.

 

[Heavy Bag]

You have to set a strict standard and promote to that standard. This is the only way you are going to have long term success. It will be a rough road to start, but will benefit you down that road. Jiu Jitsu is a sport that will weed out schools that are promoting for reasons other than merit, don't fall into that trap.

 

[UrbanSavage**]

You have to set a strict standard and promote to that standard. This is the only way you are going to have long term success. It will be a rough road to start, but will benefit you down that road. Jiu Jitsu is a sport that will weed out schools that are promoting for reasons other than merit, don't fall into that trap.

I agree, if people are going to quit because they aren't being promoted they aren't the kind've students you really want. Maybe that kind've shit will fly at blue, but then the student will do the same thing down the road and you can't be promoting early for other belts. I'd definetely set a high standard in the beginning.

 

[Trickster***]

You have to set a strict standard and promote to that standard. This is the only way you are going to have long term success. It will be a rough road to start, but will benefit you down that road. Jiu Jitsu is a sport that will weed out schools that are promoting for reasons other than merit, don't fall into that trap.

I think thats a lil easier if you have a strong name (MMA fighter) but if you don't you will really struggle if you dont have a good student base quickly.

If you went to look at a school that was open for a year and it had 12 students wouldnt you think that something was wrong?? On the contrary, if you walked into a new academy and there were 50 students you'd think to yourself "Damn this guy must be good...I cant wait to train here"

Ya see what Im getting at? Its a very fickle, sensative time...when you open a new school.

 

[UrbanSavage**]

I think if the instructor shows the prospective students what he's all about and what the guy's who have been training there for a year can do, it doesn't really matter. Like I said, the guys that will be impressed by a bunch've blue belts and easy promotions will be the guys that quit after 2 months, too.

 

[Heavy Bag]

I think thats a lil easier if you have a strong name (MMA fighter) but if you don't you will really struggle if you dont have a good student base quickly.

If you went to look at a school that was open for a year and it had 12 students wouldnt you think that something was wrong?? On the contrary, if you walked into a new academy and there were 50 students you'd think to yourself "Damn this guy must be good...I cant wait to train here"

Ya see what Im getting at? Its a very fickle, sensative time...when you open a new school.

I totally get what you're saying, but it's a business plan based on short term success. Like any other business, you have to be willing to put in the blood, sweat and tears in its infancy if you want long term success.

Jiu Jitsu is a very tight knit community, and if you get guys coming in as solid blues to check out your school, they are going to tool all your new blues and possibly purples. Then they'll spread the news and through word of mouth you're going to fuck yourself. The same goes for new white belts coming in. Within months they will be schooling your colored belts, how is that going to look? Then, don't even get me started on competition. What happens when your students start testing the competition waters and get waxed? It won't look good for you or them and will bite you in the ass.

My instructor started his school in Denver as an unknown black belt, and started in a very small studio. Now, after years of dedication and hard work he's a well respected instructor in the area and gets new students all the time. It really pays off to have integrity.

Just out of curiosity, what level belt is your instructor? Is he a black belt?

 

[Trickster***]

I totally get what you're saying, but it's a business plan based on short term success. Like any other business, you have to be willing to put in the blood, sweat and tears in its infancy if you want long term success.

Jiu Jitsu is a very tight knit community, and if you get guys coming in as solid blues to check out your school, they are going to tool all your new blues and possibly purples. Then they'll spread the news and through word of mouth you're going to fuck yourself. The same goes for new white belts coming in. Within months they will be schooling your colored belts, how is that going to look? Then, don't even get me started on competition. What happens when your students start testing the competition waters and get waxed? It won't look good for you or them and will bite you in the ass.

My instructor started his school in Denver as an unknown black belt, and started in a very small studio. Now, after years of dedication and hard work he's a well respected instructor in the area and gets new students all the time. It really pays off to have integrity.

Just out of curiosity, what level belt is your instructor? Is he a black belt?

Dude I TOTALLY agree with you!!

ANd yes my instructor is a black belt. I train at ScarolaBJJ with both Joey Scarola and Tom Muller (both black belts) and they are having NO problem with enrollment. I'm really not talking about MY school here it was an interesting topic that came up between myself and another guy last night. We already have some very good purple belts and a few blue belts that transfered from other schools...so we do not have the problem I am talking about.

I have NOOOO doubt that Joey will only promote those who are deserving of the belt! Especially coming from Serra's who is notorious for holding people back a long time before promoting.

I should have said that I wasn't talking about my academy in my original post...my bad!

 

[blink_man182]

I believe you have to set the standards higher for the gym at the beginning especially because you want those first people to be promoted and set and examples of what you need to achieve.

 

[blink_man182]

Also I'd like to add that at our gym, since it's about a year old, everyone is still white belts. So I think it's important that you have a bunch of students from the beginning that will set an example for new ones