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