POLL: Am I being too tough on affiliates??

[Danny Stolfi]

I roll with everyone that comes thru HQ, EVERYONE

Thats how Marcelo does it too, everyone should. Unfortunately not everyone does.

[Jesse Bell]

Plus... It hurts losing to a Nibiru Warrior ranked lower than you in an absolute finals match. I'm in no rush to be a black belt. I'm only in a rush to submit my opponents in under five minutes. There is no other way.

[FRANK BARCA]

Should I start giving out brown belts at seminars to instructors who won't compete and won't travel to Cali to test themselves against HQ purples, browns and blacks?

Should I?

What yalls think?

I will if most of you think i should.

No f#$%^ way! I have no problem flying 10000 miles TWICE PER YEAR, not this year ( OCT/NOV I WILL BE THERE) as I have been way too busy with the affiliate and raising kids, training fighters, doing seminars around Oz, MMA commentary for AFC, EYETV MMA web show, MMA radio ect.. but other than that I am proud of my effort and only feel that I SHOULD be this dedicated to have the honour of repping this system as I am.

I fucking kill myself training hard every damn day just like Louis Ho stated, and for the same reasons too, to have the necessary skills to mix it with the gang at HQ, AND ANYONE ELSE AT MY RANK IN MY STATE/COUNTRY.

Eddie Bravo has graded me and for the reasons he has stated initially in this thread.

THANK GOD HE DID, I WOULDN'T WANT IT ANY OTHER WAY!

Sorry if I sound a little passionate and enthusiastic/emotional about this topic, but my value of currency is legit at my rank, cos it came from the source, and it is unique and hard earnt. And so it should!

You want the glory, spill blood son! I have seen way too many people, just in my affiliate alone, who seemed to have the balls to take it to the top only to fall short because their work ethic and dedication wavered thinking that it was going to be easy, and that the rules didn't apply to them. Well they do! And so they should.

It keeps the quality in and the truth always comes out in the end under pressure testing circumstances! You can never hold a rank in this system and not expect to DEFEND IT! You must! Its an unwritten rule for me. Call me old school whatever. I live by these values. We have everything to prove, everything if we are to take this incredible system of submission grappling to the heights that it deserves.

Keep it as it should be Eddie Bravo.

I love being completely dedicated and know what its like to have to find another way to win! I wake up every fricken day and try to figure out a better way to pass or sweep or finish if I couldn't the night before. How I can promote the system another way. How I can get the 10th Planet JJ system into other areas toexpose it better for all to see. I believe in it. I love having to be accountable/responsible for my actions and performance as a teacher and a student. I love the feeling deep in my gut I get when I know I am going to compete to represent the 10th Planet JJ Family, and I also love competing along side my students as a team who are loyal and honest about their hard work preparing and repping the system cos we love it and will do everything to keep it at its best and keep the quality in.

I truly believe that you have it down perfectly Eddie. Compete or get your ass' to HQ and hang with the beasts!

No other way! Ever!

[Christopher Piper]

Thank you guys for the feedback.

I feel that I am being pretty damn fair here.

No one will ever question your promotion when you are competing and posting your matches on this forum for all to see, like Red, Yockel, Valdez, Dewitt etc.

Also, no one will question your promotion if you come to HQ and hang with guys at the belt level you are trying to reach, plus you will be rolling with me a bunch as well so I can personally see where you're at, I roll with everyone that comes thru HQ, EVERYONE

You roll on weekends? :-P

[john botello]

It's totally a fair way to get promoted. If you can't make the trip, then compete. I wish more instructors would compete. It would be great to see. I'm proud to compete and rep the system. Things might not always turn out the way I envisioned, but I always feel the improvement and find the lesson learned. The only way to smash haters is with success. Either way you're gonna have show what you got on one stage or another.. You never lose, you learn

[Omar Ocasio]

I agree ....keep it the way it is.....i rather it be tough so that way the quality stays good

[NelsonLucca]

Perfectly fair Maestro. Don't change a thing.

[Josh Passini]

I think it should stay the way it is. My blue from Eddie holds more valor than a brown from a lot of the schools around here. Everyone knows that the work has been put in to earn that belt. Also from all the dudes I have rolled with from other Moons all of them are killers. I hold my own against black/browns and wreck purples and blues from other non 10p schools. But that is not the case against 10th Planet dudes. I think the quality standards are exactly how it should be. It is tough to build the gym up and raise my daughter and see my wife but the sacrifices make the rewards that much sweeter. I hopefully will be making the trip out to HQ this December to learn as much as I can. But I and my guys are getting out to Springfield for the Seminars and training trips as much as we can. Also its all about the journey as much as it is about the destination. Dont change anything.

[Mike Dewitt Jr]

Thank you guys for the feedback.

I feel that I am being pretty damn fair here.

No one will ever question your promotion when you are competing and posting your matches on this forum for all to see, like Red, Yockel, Valdez, Dewitt etc.

Also, no one will question your promotion if you come to HQ and hang with guys at the belt level you are trying to reach, plus you will be rolling with me a bunch as well so I can personally see where you're at, I roll with everyone that comes thru HQ, EVERYONE

Thanks for the recognition Eddie, it is greatly appreciated. I feel like a promotion, any promotion is a privilege not a right and how they are given is completely up to the instructor no matter how easy or impossible the requirements are you must meet their expectations. You could change the requirements so a person can pay a certain amount and get a bunch of celebs and high level MMA fighters to come through and get "black belts" but who wants that? Who wants someone to only strive to MEET the requirements, I want to excel past any requirements for a promotion.

[John Roderick]

Ok, I've been holding off for a bit on this, but I decided to put my two cents in on this. First and foremost: THE MASTER OR CREATOR OF A SYSTEM MAKES THE RULES. End of story. If anyone doesn't like, or can't abide by the rules, then they need to make their own decision. Every man and woman is responsible ONLY for themselves and what they believe. It's up to the individual to decide what's good for them. Regardless of whether people are ok with the rules is irrelevant: if you decide to be a part of a system or organization, you are bound by the rules. That, or bow out gracefully. Period.
Additionally, I would say that everyone's situation is very different. It's easy for some to say "just go to HQ" if they don't share the same level or sorts of responsibilities as others. Same with competing. Easy to say for some, not so practical for others. All I can say is that if you are young, single, have no kids, and don't have a day job/career with a lot of demands, that fact is; it's much more of a simple equation. When I was in my 20's and only had the obligation to work and train, I travelled everywhere I could to get whatever training I could. Now, 20 some odd years later, it's not so simple. A career in the medical industry with deliverables, projects, and responsibilities, not to mention something called a Family, makes it impractical to do much of what I WANT to do.
It's also necessary to understand what's important to you as an individual. For me, at this point, being promoted isn't that much of a priority right now. Watching my kids grow up, teaching when I'm able, and improving myself are. When the time is right, and when I feel ready, I'll make the trip to HQ. It will require planning, and won't happen often, but when it's the right time it will happen.
Again, it's all an individual thing. If someone makes the trip to HQ, or asks Eddie to truncate a seminar to roll for evaluation, that's up to them. When the leader of a system determines that a person is ready-that's when it's time. Otherwise, if you feel you're worthy-go out and qualify for a major grappling tourney. Get in the UFC. Do something to demonstrate that you are worthy. Me, I'm just content where I am and with what I can do. There are no belts in life after all, and if that's how we judge a person, then I'm pretty confident that's the only thing that matters.
I also leave you with this from Arjarn Kru Phil Nurse : "The only belt that matters, is the one you get in the ring".