How does the belt system work in JJ?

Last week was belt promotion at my daughter's gym which left me wondering how does it work in JJ. My daughter was so excited and EXPECTED to get promoted to the next belt level (orange), she is currently a yellow/orange. However, this didn't happen. She just got a stripe. I'm NOT saying this because she is my daughter, but you will never find a kid that work on her game harder than her. After school, after she finished her homework, we practice for about 30-45 minutes then we go to the gym. At the gym she put in another hour and half with the black belt club. ANd when all the kids leave, she ask the coach if she can spar with one of her favorite sparring partner. They usually go for about another 30-40 minutes in the cage. So each day she put in about 2.5 hours of practice. ANd on the weekend she put in about 3-4 hours of practice. All of her coaches know how much time she put into her game as she never miss a class. Not only that, she is showing them techniques that they haven't teach the kids yet and on top of that...the RUBBER GUARD. For six months straight she have competed in a tournament every month and gets 1st and 2nd, and brought her medals to show the class. Kids that she beat in the tournaments and in the gym are already long time orange belt and she go through them less than a minute. You can see on some of her youtube. So with the time she put in and all her accomplishment, she still didn't get promoted to the orange belt make her sad and down, which left me wondering how this belt system work?? I know she's only been doing this for 2 years, but believe me, her mat time is much more than that of kids that in it 4-5 years. So does time with the gym matter more than mat time and dedication to the sport? Of course my own philosophy about this is, don't worry about the belt color, just practice hard and beat them all, cus the streets know no color. But for a 9 year old girl, she just want some reward to show for her hard work and have a visual prize around her waist.

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Originally Posted by Cora Sek

Last week was belt promotion at my daughter's gym which left me wondering how does it work in JJ. My daughter was so excited and EXPECTED to get promoted to the next belt level (orange), she is currently a yellow/orange. However, this didn't happen. She just got a stripe. I'm NOT saying this because she is my daughter, but you will never find a kid that work on her game harder than her. After school, after she finished her homework, we practice for about 30-45 minutes then we go to the gym. At the gym she put in another hour and half with the black belt club. ANd when all the kids leave, she ask the coach if she can spar with one of her favorite sparring partner. They usually go for about another 30-40 minutes in the cage. So each day she put in about 2.5 hours of practice. ANd on the weekend she put in about 3-4 hours of practice. All of her coaches know how much time she put into her game as she never miss a class. Not only that, she is showing them techniques that they haven't teach the kids yet and on top of that...the RUBBER GUARD. For six months straight she have competed in a tournament every month and gets 1st and 2nd, and brought her medals to show the class. Kids that she beat in the tournaments and in the gym are already long time orange belt and she go through them less than a minute. You can see on some of her youtube. So with the time she put in and all her accomplishment, she still didn't get promoted to the orange belt make her sad and down, which left me wondering how this belt system work?? I know she's only been doing this for 2 years, but believe me, her mat time is much more than that of kids that in it 4-5 years. So does time with the gym matter more than mat time and dedication to the sport? Of course my own philosophy about this is, don't worry about the belt color, just practice hard and beat them all, cus the streets know no color. But for a 9 year old girl, she just want some reward to show for her hard work and have a visual prize around her waist.

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Best bit of advice I can give (and I am still relatively new to all this, 18 months or so) is don't get all wound up with belts and rankings and all that bullshit. Quite often there is no method to the madness.
Seeing people less skilled and far less committed than you actually pass you in stripes/belts for whatever reason sucks balls though, but its part of the game I guess.
Anyway, hope she sticks with it as it sounds like she is going to be a killer! :-)

Yes you are right... her last tournament, in the NO gi, Cora tapped this boy out in about 20 seconds and he didn't even know what hit him, all he can do was look at his coach and say "what happened??". When they finished with the no gi, I saw that kid in the gi with an orange belt on.

Stripes are time accumulative within the belt.4 stripes per belt.Comprehension is the next belt change. Instructors discretion. Funny cause in BJJ,they added the gray belt last year,after white, and before the yellow belt for the kids. I AGREE with you,train hard and it will come. Days are different now,status is pushed down our throats. At my former school,newbies would literally ask,"How long til I get my belt?" My veteran students know NEVER ask,or it's alot longer!
Kids go white,gray,yellow,orange. There should be rules at IBJJF.com When the Black Belt comes thats when it's difficult for what year the stripes come.There are no defined rules.Hope that helped

here is that fight...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ss8W5YWo2c

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Originally Posted by Cora Sek

here is that fight...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ss8W5YWo2c

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That was actually kinda sad to see how badly quickly he lost- especially if he is supposed to be ranked higher than her.
I'm really impressed with her skill at her age, forget that she's a girl

I believe there are age requirements that some schools follow for certain ranks, so even if a child is putting in alot of work, and may well be deserving for the next rank, if you promote them a full belt then you end up having 14 15 year old black belts. In karate or tae kwon do, this happens all the time, but in jiu jitsu it's rare to see youngsters get full belt promotions. Most jiu jitsu instructors aren't gonna just give the belt away cause your kid pays the tuition and shows up at class. In the school I was training at, we litterally had a world champion at 11 or 12 years old and he was ranked an orange belt, who soon after got his green. I think I heard that you can't even receive your blue until your 16? Our kids don't even get that half yellow half orange stuff. You get patches, and then when you're ready the new belt promotion.

As much as it hurts your childs ego, in a way, this is a good thing. It challenges your child to have patience, a sense of long term commitment, and something to strive for in terms of martial arts as a life style. This is probably why enrollments in arts like karate or tae kwon do, start to dwindle shortly after puberty. Once you're a black belt, you've already had your cake, and soon the kids start to move on to high school and other interests in their life. (I'm a 3rd degree black belt, who rec.d there shodan at age 10 or something, and have helped teach other children with my karate school).

This could also be the reason why you don't often see green belts at your local school or gym, because some parents, families, or children, don't understand the concept, or just lack the patience and commitment and also fizzle out due to frustration or just loss of interest. Why there seems to be so many students btw the ages of 5-10 but why at around age 13 or so the enrollment of that generation really thins out. New students coming in at white belt who are 14, 15, 16 are at a physical maturity where it's accepted to promote them to blue without the yellow, orange, green rankings, so that's typically when a whole new generation of students begin again.

As a parent, take it upon yourself to explain to your daughter that jiu jitsu is a life style. Something that should grow to be a part of her and not just happen in pre fabricated increments. Use it as an avenue to elevate her personal learning as opposed to constantly comparing yourself to your peers. It's kinda like having a college degree on a resume. It really doesn't matter what you majored in, so long as you demonstrated the long term commitment to stay on the path and get your diploma. It's that dedication that employers appreciate. Not just the academic prowess.

U also may wanna consider somethings that you've brought up in your post. You seem to dedicate alot of time into your daughters training and alot of what you guys work on are things that are outside of what's being taught. I'm not saying this is the case at your school, but the sad reality is this could be looked at as a distraction in various ways. Yeah we will all say that it's bull shit, and the exposure benefits everyone, but if you're the guy who's in charge of curriculum, and one of your students is injecting a new style amongst your pupil that you don't totally understand, unless you're truly willing to learn and adapt your teaching styles to it (which isn't as common as you think), you're starting a bit of a counter culture in the gym. Many 10th planet practitioners still continue to go through this as adults, where as children, instructors maybe a little less rigid to encourage the initiative of the child and to save face. It's like that tae kwon do kid, who still does tae kwon do at a karate dojo, or a wrestler or judo player who relies to heavily on their wrestling judo techniques while at a jiu jitsu school. On a much broader scale, eddies thing with renato is symbolic of this phenomenon that seems unreal, put has a place in a real world.

As cliche as this next point may sound, don't be that pushy parent who's constantly evaluating there child by comparison to other children. Each childs journey is different, each have their own relationship with their teacher, each have their own unique lessons to learn, and it's a little short sighted to base your opinions on competition results, and sparring sessions that are really designed to encourage the growth of the school overall, not just designate the all stars from the b team. This is something that I notice in martial arts that's quite different from traditional american sports. The focus can at times be too comparitive and not as communal as martial arts is intended to be. She's got a lot of talent and potential, and it's obvious she loves the sport. Who cares about the color of her belt, she'll get there. And if she truly is better than those that are promoted, believe me, on the mat, everyone learns the truth and reality of the game anyway.

You seem very proud and involved in your childs jiu jitsu and that's a good thing. Just keep it positive for their sake, ya know? I've had this conversation with tons of parents and you're not the only family who experiences these feelings, or this situation. The truth of the matter (which is really not the focal point) is you daughter is tapping everyone out anyway and people are definitely aware and taking notice of that. In that sense her dedication is recognized for it's true merit, and this is where it's important to think about the spiritual side of jiu jitsu and not just the competitive side, cause believe me, there's probably alot of envy in the air. Especially cause she's a girl.

so in closure to my essay on the matter, your belt really just keeps your kimono closed and your pants up, who cares what color it is. Alot of families go through this in their own way, don't make it bigger or harder than it needs to be for yourself.

respectfully with all my support

Do you train Cora?

Here is a tough boy (mohawk) that is an orange belt and been doing BJJ for over 4 years now...
Battle of H-town on 10/20/12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcT0wjJF-to

They met again at Fight to Win Texas Open on 11/17/12 but this time, the Rubber Guard is in her arsenal. We been playing with the Rubber Guard for about 4 wks by then.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vASvcSnnCi4

Gotta be 16 to get your blue.

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Originally Posted by Cora Sek

Yes you are right... her last tournament, in the NO gi, Cora tapped this boy out in about 20 seconds and he didn't even know what hit him, all he can do was look at his coach and say "what happened??". When they finished with the no gi, I saw that kid in the gi with an orange belt on.

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WOW. :-)

Some coaches (mine included) do not include your nogi game at all when grading.
For example some coaches may decide to reward the guy that trains in the gi twice per week a stripe, but ignore another guy that trains 5 times per week just because 4 of those sessions are nogi and not gi. Even though that guy is more committed to jiu jitsu and training AND is more skillfull. Crazy, but it does happen. :-)

As I say, I am still a noob so have no place to talk, but I honestly feel grading should be based entirely on mat/class time. Like, I think it's Relson Gracie that grades 1 stripe every 50 sessions. That is the fairest way IMO.

Mr Sanborn, wow....that was a mouth full..:) Thank you for taking the time to write such a beautiful essay your point well taken and believe me, I always and have felt the same way as you when it comes to belt color.

Mr. Rivers, yes I train Cora at home. But its not just for her, its for me too cus I'm pushing 40 and getting old and fat. And since my knees are not what it used to be, I've cut down my basketball (my sport) to spend more time on the mat with Cora. Also she is growing so fast that I have to find something that we can do together and bond more during her childhood years because at a blink of an eye, she will be all grown up and we might not have our chance like we do now.

my pleash my fren! I've watched some of her videos. Without a doubt talented, and I can't wait for my two infants to grow up so I can be a proud martial arts father as well.

take it ez my bahdy.

So your daughter's name is Cora? What is your name sir? You can call me Bobby.

You should train at your daughter's school as well. It's the best way for you to gain the perspective desire.

*you desire

Once you go forward, you can never go backwards. Sandbag as long as you can, buy her ice cream if she's feeling down. You know what she's capable of, she knows what she's capable of, just keep doing your thing, she's only 9 yrs old. Belts and ranks and stripes and stars and all these little tokens we use to keep people motivated are just symbolic references. Try not to take it too seriously.

Mr. Sanborn: I also have a year old son that I can't wait to get him kick and rolling..:):)

Bobby: I'm Bruce (american name), you don't want to know my real name. its too hard to type or say...lol Anyways the idea of me joining also did come to mind, but wasn't able to make it come true. YOu see i'm already paying $170 for her month to do this. Can't afford to put me in it also. Besides, her class is from 6-7:30pm (include black belt club). By the time we get home its almost 8pm and then we cook and have dinner. WHat time do I have? THis is monday thru friday. That is why guys my age get old and fat, we just have too much on our plate to have any time for ourselves. Besides, my days of competing is done, I had my fun in high school doing track and field, power lifting, and football. Always tried to get on the basketball team, but didn't make it, too short...lol

Compella: lol you read my mind or something??? we took her to Tutty Fruity the next day and she had over 10 oz of ice cream...lol

ok talk to you guys more in a little bit, need to hit the mat. We getting ready for NAGA on 12/16 up in Dallas area. Polishing up her Rubber Guard and taking the back.

Where does Cora train?

Cora trains at one of the best MMA gym in Houston....Team Tooke... her head coach (Travis Tooke) is a great guy. He has a way with the kids. If you guys watched the UFC fight on FX last night, he was in the corner of Eve Edwards, that is one of his UFC student.

Another one of her coach is Andrew Craig, he's an undefeated UFC fighter...

Do you pay for belt testing? or stripe testing? If so there is more money in giving stripes then promoting to the next belt. if I had a school and charged for stripes each child would have like 30 stripes on their belts

great observation eric perez. Martial arts has some what been formulated in terms of industry standards, and the question you're asking gives attention to this and how it affects curriculum. Something must be working be cause the girl is talented, but 170 bucks for a kids program is steep where I come from. there's adult programs that can't get away with charging that much in Hawaii.

Our club doesn't have any intermediary belts between white to blue. No stripes. You're a white belt when you walk in, and you stay that way until our instructor decideds you are performing at a 10PJJ Blue belt level. That can take years by itself for some people.

Bruce, try to help her understand that there should be no rush to get the next belt level. It's more about skill level, and she is definitely on the right path as far as that's concerned!

Eric: no there is no extra charge for belt testing...but I have heard about that, my friend put his kids in tai kwondo and every time they have a belt testing, it cost him extra money on top of the monthly fee.

Laakea: how you pronounce your name bro?? LOL anyways for the $170 its for all access 6 days a week training and for the black belt club. On sat is Judo, but we hardly ever go there cus its just too much for me to drive there and she mostly want to sleep in on Sat. But in the black belt club, they have more sparring time. THat is why I want her to join, I can always teach her all the techniques, but if she doesn't have the sparring time, she will not know how to use those techniques. Even though she spar with me at home everyday, its just not the same since I'm too fat...LOL $170 is the price we pay since we been in it for 2 years now, but its actually higher for the new black belt club kids. Also if you watched all her vids the ones in the cage, you notice that she only spar with one boy. Well the coaches know that that boy and Cora is very dedicated so they get special previleges after class to go into the cage and spar. The boy is great at wrestling and been doing BJJ for about 5 years now, so every chance we get, I want Cora to spar with him. The only reason why Cora has improved so much is because we practice the techniques at home and she use them in the gym. Also I record EVERY one of her sparring match so that when we get home, I can show her what she is doing wrong and what she's doing right. Yes, I basically train her like a real pro fighter...LOL Like yesterday we practice for 2 hours and her cousins came over to take her to the mall, but we weren't finish yet, so I made her promise me another hour of practice when she gets back. But I myself went to play bball and got so tired when I get back that I can't practice with her so I end up letting her watched all her sparring matches again. Doing all this make her the most improved kid in the gym. But I don't think other parents are doing what I'm doing so they don't improve that much.

Kurzy: yes you're right, its about the skill level and for the most part all of the coaches at the gym know that her skill is far above her belt level. One of her other coach is only 18 years old and he's a seasoned blue belt, he's very good, one of the best in the nation. So at every tournament he and Cora have a bet on how many tap out they get and from what techniques. Its funny because for the most part, they get almost the same amount of tap out and almost from the same exact techniques. Things like this make me feel that she is truly happy and enjoy this sport. When she run out of kids to compete with, she compete with her coach...:):) And when her and her coach roll, its a sight to see, they both flow like water from one moves to another. She can't do that with the other kids as their transitions are not as smooth as her coach.

AN E-MAIL FROM A BJJ BLACK BELT I JUST RECEIVED ON THIS SUBJECT:::
I got an email question this week and immediately
thought it deserved an article onto itself:

"We had belt testing this weekend and some of my
fellow bjj'ers received stripes some their blue,
purple etc. how do you deal or advise some of
these white belt bjj'er that think they should
have more stripes or moved up a color? i will
admit the mats this week have been violent and
pecking order is being reset...lol. i enjoy
watching the young guns gun for each other. i'm
just a 40yr old with the passion and love of the
art. this is just entertainment to me but i do have
a lot of them voicing their disappointment to me.
it must be my calm yoda like jiujitsu you have
been covering."

This brings up a very, very common phenomenon in
BJJ: rank promotions.

I have written about some of the pitfalls of
ego-driven attitudes, and many of the subtle ways
they can manifest in individuals as well as in
cliques within schools. Hand-in-hand with common
problems like keeping score (who taps who) is
where the student believes he or she should be
with respect to rank.

I've seen a lot of this over the years.

And I do understand that some instructors frankly
have some weird, inconsistent standards, play
favorites, etc., and in some cases it's
understandable that these can lead to students
being frustrated.

For me, however, I have to be 100% clear. When it
comes to belt promotions, it is not a democracy. I
have a clear criteria for what I'm looking for and
do not compromise on those standards, period.

But no matter how explicit you make these
criteria, there will be some whose egos and
insecurities will get in the way. Often to the
tune of "But I can tap that [higher rank] out,
so I should be [that rank]."

Not necessarily. It all comes down to technical
performance.

Just because, for example, a white belt can submit
a blue belt sometimes, or is superior in one aspect
of the game, such as a killer guard, does NOT make
him a blue belt...

To be a blue belt, they have to have a technical
blue belt game, meaning: blue belt guard, blue
belt passing, blue belt defense and escapes, etc.

Another self-deception is how students will
represent their use or non-use of attributes. I've
known some guys who were tough rolls, competed
well, etc. and always boasted about how they used
no strength, when it was very clear that their "A
game" depended on just that. Or on the other end
of the spectrum, you'll see some physically weaker
individuals accuse anyone who stuffs their game as
using too much strength, sometimes justified but
often not. One of the biggest reality checks is
when getting shut down by someone with a wrestling
background (wrestling + BJJ is a great combination
when the athlete is willing to embrace both on a
technical level). I always find it amusing when this
happens, and hear post training gripe about how
someone is just using strength and no technique, when
in this case the opponent in question is a technical
wrestler who has a great base and tight positioning
that just feels strong.

The next thing you know, the student who was
complaining will be avoiding rolling with wrestler
and coming up with all kinds of justifications for it.
And sometimes these people will move on to greener
pastures to another instructor who grades on different
criteria, and who will put up with such nonsense (which,
by the way, is not good for the learning environment as
a whole).

An HONEST focus on technical performance as the
standard eliminates all of this.

Now I do not expect that a 50 year old who's had two
knee surgeries and a bum shoulder will have the
same pace as the 25 year old "stud." In fact the 25
year old may ultimately tap him every time. But if that
50 year old can play the game technically (meaning, without
over-reliance on factors like strength and explosive speed)
with the 25 year- olds of that rank, then he is that rank.

And as a side note, match-ups must always be
considered in these evaluations as well. Fact is,
everyone has at least a style or two that, when
they encounter it, is like a kind of kryptonite.
There are degrees to this, but the point is that
just because Student A can easily beat Student B,
and Student B can easily beat Student C, this does
not mean that Student A will easily beat Student C.
In the logic of Jiu-Jitsu, Student C could very well
give Student A a hell of a run!

Part of the process for creating a healthy culture
is to make sure everyone realizes - and appreciates -
the ranking criteria, and more importantly, why it
is in their best interests to have these standards.

At my school, it's a big deal when someone gets a
belt promotion, even a blue belt. But the big deal
isn't in the status the new belt carries, it's in
the real, material technical ability that the belt
color signifies!

Thank you Greg. THat was a very well written article.

I think different schools have different rules. Where I train you are given a sheet at one of your first classes that shows all the techniques you need to master to become a blue belt. This is divided into 4 sections (with a stripe earned at each section). The first stripe is basic positional drills (keeping the mount, guard pass etc). The second stripe is sweeps and chokes, the third armbars & armlocks and the fourth is escapes. Just because you know these techniques does not mean you will earn a stripe. We have formal gradings twice a year and you are selected to grade by our teacher. His criteria to grade is based on class attendance, participation and demonstrated knowledge of techniques during rolling. The grading itself is very formal with each student having to demonstrate each technique three times. To pass you must get each technique correct at least 2 out of 3 times. When grading for each stripe you must also demonstrate techniques from previous stripes i.e. when you go for your second stripe you must also complete the first stripe grading.

Belt promotion is solely based on your class participation and how you are rolling. Once you have your fourth stripe it can still take time to become a blue belt. Knowing the techniques is not enough to earn promotion, you must display technical proficiency when rolling. Regardless of your level or ability you will not be automatically promoted, you must still attend classes regularly, help others, and complete the grading process.

Sorry forgot to add Bruce that in the scheme of things stripes and belt colours are not the be all and end all. The journey to black belt is just that - a journey. Lessons learnt along the way and the fun had whilst doing so mean more than the colour of a belt (particularly important for kids IMO). I've watched a couple of your youtube clips and your daughters rolling ability is amazing. Encourage her to keep learning and having fun with BJJ and to enjoy the journey.

Thanks Marty for the info and those kind words. I will relay that to Cora in the morning as she is sound asleep now. She worked hard today at practice. She was rolling with her friend who is about 40 lbs heavier than her. They had a good battle.

You know I came here as a refugee with just my mom and sister. My dad had passed during the war, so I never knew him as I was so young. I never had a dad to teach me anything. I learn things on my own. But I want to change that with my daughter and my son. I want to find something that we really enjoy doing together so that years down the line we can sit back and remember their wonder years. What you see Cora doing now took alot of work. For those who know the sport, they know she have to put in alot of work to get to this level of performance, especially when it usually take kids 4-5 years, it took Cora 2 years. She truly put out blood, sweat, and tears. She had a busted nose during sparring. At one point, she had both her elbows bruised up due to too many armbars. Every practice session, her gi will be soaked in sweat. ANd yes..the tears....that comes often as I do push her kind of hard, harder than most I guess. But that is because I know she doesn't even know what she is capable of doing. But just like with everything else, she would cry and we hug and kisses and everything become good again and we continue to practice. Sometimes pressure bust pipes...but sometimes we need that pressure to move things.... I as her dad / coach, have to find the balance in between.

Jiu Jitsu has saved the lives of so many people who have found it. Make sure you keep it a positive thing for her. I know what you're saying and there is nothing wrong with pushing her to reach her fullest potential but in the end, as a kid, it has to be fun.

I'm not saying that you are pushing her too hard or in the wrong ways or anything, I am just saying that as she progresses and moves up, you want to keep grips on reality. Don't let yourself turn into some obsessive hockey-parent that wants to fight all the refs, etc.

OH no not me....i'm not ever fighting the refs, cus I know all those refs at the tournaments are like purple belt and up and I don't want to get choked out.....lol I understand where you are coming from. I do find ways in my coaching to make it fun for her. ANd remember, this is my own daughter, so sometimes when we spar, I would steal a hug and kisses here and there...:):)

Cora: I was a white belt for 3.5 years and trained twice a day 5 times a week the whole time. I think you’re doing great ;)

To all the instructors on this thread: cool stuff guys, interesting read. I clicked here to comment but learned a lot about instructors perspectives on ranking :)

Brian: I would love to go and watch you and the adults compete, but we just found out that my sister who lives in Plano is throwing Cora a surprise birthday party when we get there. Cora turns 10 on the 17th, a day after the tournament. If I leave here early enough, we can swing by there and watch a few matches and have Cora weigh in also. Then we go to Plano.....if this plan works out, we will look for you. Bruce

And btw, you are an awesome father and role model, thank you for being yourself and a 10th PJJ advocate. I've always valued quality over quantity, so it's great to know we got people like you raising women like her :)

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Originally Posted by Kurzy

Jiu Jitsu has saved the lives of so many people who have found it. Make sure you keep it a positive thing for her. I know what you're saying and there is nothing wrong with pushing her to reach her fullest potential but in the end, as a kid, it has to be fun.

I'm not saying that you are pushing her too hard or in the wrong ways or anything, I am just saying that as she progresses and moves up, you want to keep grips on reality. Don't let yourself turn into some obsessive hockey-parent that wants to fight all the refs, etc.

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Those hockey- parents are the fucking worst.
And CORA keep up the good work! I know I can speak for everybody when I say we are excited to see your jiu jitsu game grow as you continue to practice.

Not sure what a hockey parent is, but I do have an idea because we have a dad that goes off on his kid in the gym all the time. The kid started training at the same time as Cora, for a whole year and half, they were evenly skilled. When they roll, it would be like a roster fight with no one really winning. Everytime he spar with Cora, his dad always shout out instructions and frustrations at the kid. Meanwhile I'm sitting there quiet and thinking "OMG!!!!". Needless to say the kid didn't enjoy being screamed at all the time. And it make everyone there even the coach feel uncomfortable even though the kid wasn't loosing to her. However, when this past summer started, I started Cora on that intensive training at home everyday for 2-3 hours a day. Little by little, her skill improve and she starts tapping him out, which make it worst for the boy. By mid summer, he was no match for Cora as she got stronger and stronger with her legs and squeezing power. When the dad realize that his son is no match for Cora, he put him on their own intensive training. He told me that he made the boy ran 2 miles and then do this monkey bar training in the hot texas heat. The poor boy come to the gym with blisters all over his palms. I feel so bad for him. I don't do that to Cora, all we do is work on techniques and she use me as a practice dummy so she can learn to squeeze. I don't believe in extra conditioning or strength training as she get plenty of that at the gym already and I'm afraid that might stun her growth like it did to me. So anyways by the time the kid get to the gym, he's so tired and blistered up that most time he get tapped out in seconds, which infuriate the dad even more. ANd the crazy cycle starts again. He is basically why I put music over all the gym noise so you good people don't have to hear all that nonsense. Now what makes it worst is that we found the Rubber Guard system and that even drive him even more crazy because all summer he's been trying to teach his kid the Gogoplata, but the kid is not understanding it or is being taugh the wrong way. I told him, he need to teach the basic technique first, if his son can't do a proper armbar or triangle, why teach him the gogoplata?? He didn't listen. So when Cora pull the Gogoplata on the boy.... you can guess what the gym sound like.... sometimes I feel so bad for the boy that I ask Cora to take it easy on the boy and let him win once or twice to make him look good for his dad. But Cora is also stubborn, she been battling with him for over a year and she just will not ever let him beat her...ever.... she wants him to learn how to win just like she did. What can I say to that???

here is a vid of them sparring.... from day 1 of her Rubber Guard to 6 wks later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFeYjQiSqkk

As you can see even though she have him in an armbar all stretched out, he just won't tap because he is scared of his dad. But I always tell Cora not to pull on the armbar because she already hurt him more than once already because he refuse to tap. So now I dont even want her to go against him. ANd if they do go against each other, she have to get the coach to come over to make him tap because she doesn't want to hurt him again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cora Sek

Not sure what a hockey parent is

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They are assholes that lay too much pressure on their kids and take all the fun out of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEY5FwanaB4

lol lol this dude remind me so much of how this boy's dad is.... but he would be screaming...." what the hell you doing fool??" "use our head FOOL!!!" " this boy ain't got no brain!!!!" "GOGOPLATA....GOGOPLATA....EWWWW EWWWW GOGO FOOL!!!" "CUM ON MANG....!!!!!!"

and when his son do something right... he would say .... "where you been all month??"

tomorrow i'm going to sit next to the dad and when i'm recording Cora's match, you will hear this boy's dad screaming in the background.... after it get annoying, it become hellarious.....LOL