This topic has been on my mind a lot lately. Everyone wants to be promoted and no one really knows how they go about it. Here's the secret:
For real. Just be here.
What would your reaction be if your instructor told you, without provocation, "If you want to be promoted, go somewhere else."
Dafuq did he just say?!?! Seriously??
I am still confused by this statement. (yes this really was stated) I'm not sure if it was meant as a backhanded compliment or a kick in the balls to his own gym. Either way, seriously? You have a group of students with a goal to become the best that they can be and they are told that they will not be promoted. The physical representation of getting better IS THE PROMOTION! If you are unable & unwilling to promote in an art that you instruct, find yourself a new hobby. These students are being held back for selfish reasons, and shows that their technical abilities are not worth your time and effort.
No one gets into a martial art thinking, "Oh man, I'm gonna rock this white belt FOREVER!" Hell no. Everyone wants to reach the pinnacle! Not everyone will make the sacrifices necessary to achieve this. Most, in fact, will deny themselves the opportunities of ever reaching it and will lose the desire to reach their full potential. It is the job of the instructor to continue refining techniques, keeping the student interested in their work and believing in the curriculum that is presented to them.
Now, not everyone has what it takes to become a black belt. On a different side of that same coin, not every instructor has what it takes to instruct a student from white belt to black belt. I am grateful for these instructors. The inability to prune & refine techniques makes a worthy instructor that much more valuable and the promotion behind the work much more satisfying. Knowing that you can go ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD and not have a doubt about your ranking when training at other schools is PRICELESS and a great confidence boost. There are schools that will BAN YOU, FUCKING BAN YOU, from their gym because you trained elsewhere. Why? What are you hiding? A grown ass man can't train elsewhere because of your inability to develop them correctly? Get outta here with that BS!
Wait, I can't train there? What do they have that you don't?
Getting promoted in BJJ is difficult but, not impossible. It is, in most cases, a very informal structure and usually up to the instructors "feeling" and opinion. Some instructors have insanely difficult guidelines for each belt. Some are very lax. Others, are unable to do so without the permission of their Professor and some, just don't know what the hell they are looking for when promoting a student. Creating a strange and nonuniform coarse for their students to follow.
There is a MASSIVE difference between a gym and an academy. An academy is run by a dedicated professional that has spent countless hours on curriculum to ensure the path to each belt is clear. He has spent days breaking down the imperfections and solid positions of each student and lost hours of sleep over them. His students know that he loves being with them and sharing new information and tiny details of each technique. He is selflessly dedicated to their success.
This is what we do here.
In his first year and a half of BJJ, Caleb Mendes captures a juvenile IBJJF World Championship and receives his blue belt. Odessa, Texas' only Brazilian Jiu Jitsu champion.
I hold my students to a high standard. I have trained with some of the best BJJ players and MMA fighters on the planet. I want my students to feel as comfortable with their rank as I have with each of mine when swimming with sharks.
If you want it, go get it.
Oss.