promotion dilemma

Personally i would just pay for a private lesson and when you start just tell him you are really keen to get your 3rd/4th stripe and ask what you need to do.

This way you dont really question his judgment and you get feedback about what he think you need to improve on.
 
Brian McLaughlin said:
As an instructor I hate threads like this - worry about your progression, not someone else's. There could be a million reasons why you are at the rank you are at - many could be positive, he may hold you to a higher standard due to your potential.

Your instructor has been doing BJJ for far longer than you - you pay him because he known so much more than you. Trust his judgement, you've been doing BJJ for 6 months - you don't know anything, he does.

In close to 11 years on the mat I trained an average of 5-8 times a week, every week. I was a blue belt for 4 years, a purple for 3 1/2, I've been a brown for 3 years. I never complained about rank, I shut my mouth and trained. Six months is spit in the ocean, get over it.
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great pancho villa quote. well done.
 
mmaruinedme said:
It seems like our coach promotes people based on politics and social reasons. We both give blood, sweat, and tears on the mats day in and day out but we're receiving zero recognition for it.
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i hate when shit like this happens
 
Belts are for holding up you pants, as mister Miyagi would say. What I wear with my gi says less about my skill then it does about things like time, continuity of training, winning competitions, being available when Marcus comes to town, etc.

When you have guys coming from a wrestling, no-gi or serious judo background, they will be more effective then other BJJ players of their rank (particularily at the lower ranks) because they use their other skill rather than their BJJ. And some people are just fine with that. Adam Singer has a BJJ brown belt and will never get a black. Chris Hauter, his instructor, has told him to wear a gi for 6 months and he will promote him, Adam refuses. Joe Rogan will never make black because he trains with Eddie Bravo and he is not flexible enough.

Concentrate on skills. If you are tapping everyone left and right, up to the purples and browns, everyone that matters will know your bad assery and someone will promote you. I have a white belt that I have had since I was 14. Right now it is a very dirty beige. I plan to "earn" my black belt by rolling and training until that thing is black.
 
mmaruinedme said:
Ok me and my buddy have been at this academy for a little over 7 months. We train more often than anybody thats signed up, and we've only missed a few classes in all of the 7 months, while most people miss atleast a class a week. We've been continiously passed over for promotion and we both have 2 stripes on our white belts. There are now people with 2 stripes aswell who have only been training for 3 or 4 months and are nowhere near us skill wise. We regularly both tap a couple of the new blue belts and 3 and 4 stripe white belts. My buddy even tapped a purple belt and a blue belt back to back in the same class last week. It seems like our coach promotes people based on politics and social reasons. We both give blood, sweat, and tears on the mats day in and day out but we're receiving zero recognition for it. Our instructor is an amazing teacher and has limitless knowledge of bjj and we like the people there so its a shitty situation.

My question is I don't know if it's inappropriate to ask him why we aren't being promoted. Also if we do let him know where unhappy, then he promotes us right after, wouldn't you guys feel like that cheapens the accomplishment? Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Any advice is appreciated!
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There is a reason you aren't getting promoted, whether it's because you lack something in your same, or politically, your instructor isn't just ignoring you.

Roll on and forget about it.
 
You still have about 2 years to go if you're training where I train lol.

But in all seriousness... the reason may be as simple as the fact that you do train 5 days a week. He knows you're serious and train hard and for the right reasons. Maybe your teacher promotes some people based on nefarious reasoning... i.e. those guys he knows will quit if they don't make rank. Whereas he sees you are dedicated and are more willing to put that work in.

All I know is that progress is individual.

Maybe you can submit the purple belt because you are just physically stronger, but your technique isn't on the same level? When I started rolling, I could physically muscle people because I wrestled since I was 6. I could put myself in good positions and ride people out on points, but I couldn't submit them and I couldn't avoid being submitted if I did more than lay n pray.

Keep your mouth shut, show up to class MORE than 5 times a week.. Hell, come twice a day if you can. Spend more time being a 2 stripe white belt that submits the blue and purple belts.

In my experience, people who are white belts that submit blue/purple belts in practice are wearing exactly the belt they should be wearing. Right now you feel as though you have something to prove. It shows, because you are submitting higher belts.

Just keep learning and improving and rolling with blue and purple belts. Roll with brown belts. Roll with your instructor. Show your instructor that you can help the newbs who are just starting out. Ultimately, if you're a blue belt, you should be able to do 75% of the movements your teacher can, although nowhere nearly as effectively... you should be able to teach all of the basic sweeps, submissions, defenses to the other white belts...

can you do that?

Also... 7 months?

My brother is 2 years in and has a 2 stripe white belt. He's undefeated in both Gi and Nogi competitions for white belt and regularly wins either first or second place in blue belt comps... he's not bitching about his belt.

There's nothing spectacular about a blue belt that does well against blue belts... there's nothing spectacular about a purple belt that beats purple belts...

Belts mean nothing. They are abitrary, political, bullshit. Just keep putting out and you will receive. Maybe not a belt, but something more important than a belt... knowledge.
 
Gerbiljiujitsu said:
my suggestion is to stop worrying about the belt all together. The belts, especially in BJJ, can be very political and when you start assessing to much meaning to them they can only cause grief.

The belt will come. Train BJJ to train, not to get the belt.
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This is a true statement to a point. The BJJ purists out there are very political. I have seen several folks well deserving of promotions get passed over due tot he fact that they trained at a different gym for a short while or they aren't in good with the right people. That being said, you know who are. You know what you can do and above all else, you know where you stand. If what you say is true, don't worry about it. Your stripes and belts will come.
 
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mmaruinedme said:
Ok me and my buddy have been at this academy for a little over 7 months. We train more often than anybody thats signed up, and we've only missed a few classes in all of the 7 months, while most people miss atleast a class a week. We've been continiously passed over for promotion and we both have 2 stripes on our white belts. There are now people with 2 stripes aswell who have only been training for 3 or 4 months and are nowhere near us skill wise. We regularly both tap a couple of the new blue belts and 3 and 4 stripe white belts. My buddy even tapped a purple belt and a blue belt back to back in the same class last week. It seems like our coach promotes people based on politics and social reasons. We both give blood, sweat, and tears on the mats day in and day out but we're receiving zero recognition for it. Our instructor is an amazing teacher and has limitless knowledge of bjj and we like the people there so its a shitty situation.

My question is I don't know if it's inappropriate to ask him why we aren't being promoted. Also if we do let him know where unhappy, then he promotes us right after, wouldn't you guys feel like that cheapens the accomplishment? Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Any advice is appreciated!
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Maybe you both act like dicks?
 
trollin down the street smokin indo sippin on gin and juice, go join team garcia, u'll have ur red belt by tomorrow
 
I agree with the other posters that said it's never a problem to ask your instructor the areas in which you can improve on. Listening to that instruction and making a concerted effort in those areas is a great way to get positive notice from your instructor.

Another thing I hate is when a white belt talks about tapping a blue or purple belt in practice. You just don't get it do you?

Most blue and purple belts have the maturity and attitude that rolling after class is a time where they are focused on improving their games. As such, they will put themselves in bad positions and work out of them. Sometimes they fail to work out of those positions without getting tapped out, but that has no relevance as to whether or not you would be able to get that position during the course of a competition or when rolling where they aren't working on their games.

When I got my blue belt I spoke to my instructor as to what he thought I needed to work on. He told me several things all of which involved positions I was not comfortable in. For the first month or so while working on these positions I was getting beat by people that I normally destroy in an even roll. Even though it hurt me ego it's helped and now my game is much more even.

Point being - you tapping somebody out in class may or may not have any bearing on whether or not you're better at BJJ than them.
 
Brian McLaughlin said:
As an instructor I hate threads like this - worry about your progression, not someone else's. There could be a million reasons why you are at the rank you are at - many could be positive, he may hold you to a higher standard due to your potential.

Your instructor has been doing BJJ for far longer than you - you pay him because he known so much more than you. Trust his judgement, you've been doing BJJ for 6 months - you don't know anything, he does.

In close to 11 years on the mat I trained an average of 5-8 times a week, every week. I was a blue belt for 4 years, a purple for 3 1/2, I've been a brown for 3 years. I never complained about rank, I shut my mouth and trained. Six months is spit in the ocean, get over it.
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This.

Coming from another brown belt my advice is, don't ever even think about asking for a promotion. Just train in good spirit, help other people all the time, and if you need help ask your instructor how to improve in the areas you are weak. Seven months is really short. Enjoy your time as a white belt tapping out blues.
 
Knuckles69 said:
I agree with the other posters that said it's never a problem to ask your instructor the areas in which you can improve on. Listening to that instruction and making a concerted effort in those areas is a great way to get positive notice from your instructor.

Another thing I hate is when a white belt talks about tapping a blue or purple belt in practice. You just don't get it do you?

Most blue and purple belts have the maturity and attitude that rolling after class is a time where they are focused on improving their games. As such, they will put themselves in bad positions and work out of them. Sometimes they fail to work out of those positions without getting tapped out, but that has no relevance as to whether or not you would be able to get that position during the course of a competition or when rolling where they aren't working on their games.

When I got my blue belt I spoke to my instructor as to what he thought I needed to work on. He told me several things all of which involved positions I was not comfortable in. For the first month or so while working on these positions I was getting beat by people that I normally destroy in an even roll. Even though it hurt me ego it's helped and now my game is much more even.

Point being - you tapping somebody out in class may or may not have any bearing on whether or not you're better at BJJ than them.
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Well put!!! I have nothing to add to these statements but praise. Welcome to BJJ, kid.
 
If you have two sripes and are tapping 4 stripe white belts, blues and purple then your schools whole ranking system is fucked.
 
mmaruinedme said:
Ok me and my buddy have been at this academy for a little over 7 months. We train more often than anybody thats signed up, and we've only missed a few classes in all of the 7 months, while most people miss atleast a class a week. We've been continiously passed over for promotion and we both have 2 stripes on our white belts. There are now people with 2 stripes aswell who have only been training for 3 or 4 months and are nowhere near us skill wise. We regularly both tap a couple of the new blue belts and 3 and 4 stripe white belts. My buddy even tapped a purple belt and a blue belt back to back in the same class last week. It seems like our coach promotes people based on politics and social reasons. We both give blood, sweat, and tears on the mats day in and day out but we're receiving zero recognition for it. Our instructor is an amazing teacher and has limitless knowledge of bjj and we like the people there so its a shitty situation.

My question is I don't know if it's inappropriate to ask him why we aren't being promoted. Also if we do let him know where unhappy, then he promotes us right after, wouldn't you guys feel like that cheapens the accomplishment? Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Any advice is appreciated!
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And you think your getting sandbagged? Im still a purple belt :icon_chee
 
i think i'm kind of the guy that the thread starter is complaining about.

i've been training since march of '09, i've had 4 stripes for a while, and i'll be getting my blue belt at the next promotion.

i don't train every day, sometimes i'll miss an entire week or two, sometimes i'll train 4 times in a week. when i do train i can usually hold my own against other smaller white belts, but i often get mauled by blue belts and bigger white belts. sometimes i only go for the technique training and don't even spar...

at the same time i'm extremely friendly and respectful. when there's a new guy who looks lost or nervous i am always the first and often only person to go up to that person, talk to them, and train with them, even though it's sometimes a little annoying. a couple weeks ago a guy dislocated his toe and, even though we're not good friends, i volunteered to take him to the hospital.

it's not all about tapping people.

also, anyone who asks my instructor about their own belt promotion automatically gets 1 year added to the wait. i think that's an old carlson gracie thing.
 
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