Twitter Updates
Monday, July 11, 2011
Promotion... When?
"The first and most important criteria for promotion is performance. Can you successfully apply your moves in live training in the gym against people in the belt category above yours? Or, for those who like to compete, have you consistently excelled in local compeitions within your current rank? To this fundamental demand I add some other considerations. There may be some handicaps that a student has that soften my demand for performance. The age of the student, for example. I don't expect a 55 year old blue belt student to tap out 22 year old purple belts. I also look at the breadth and precision of the student's technique. If he consistently wins in class with only a few sloppy moves from a limited number of positions due mostly to advantages in strength and size, I will be reluctant to promote him until he improves his technical repertoire. In general I am fairly easy in giving out belts as I do not attach great importance to them. If you make jiu jitsu a lifetime study (as I hope all my students do), the vast majority of your training years will be at black belt level and beyond, so the amount of time taken to acquire the various early belts is not a significant issue. In all truth, you do most of your learning over a life time post-black belt. Accordingly I see people growing into their belts over time, so I don't like to hold people back in rank forever. " - John Danaher
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Lakeland Man Witnesses Carjacking, Nabs Suspect
Man trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu uses the "Lion Killer" move to subdue suspect police say took keys from 75-year-old.
The 21-year-old is accused of attempting two carjackings Friday evening, the second on an elderly man. He might have gotten away if not for an observant passerby trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Josh Hagan was driving home from work when he noticed McCoy and dropped him to the ground in a move some call the "Lion Killer," he said.
He held McCoy until police arrived.
"I just wasn't going to stand for that," said Hagan, 35. "I knew what I was going to do right away and didn't even think twice about it."
A police report says McCoy accosted a couple just before 5 p.m. at the 7-Eleven gas station at 2010 E. Edgewood Drive.
Pamela Pedone, 25, was waiting in the car while her husband, Andrew Stevens, 27, pumped gas. Their three children, ages 2, 4 and 6, were in the back seat.
McCoy calmly asked for their car, Pedone said. They thought he was joking until he lunged inside and tried to grab the keys from Pedone's hand.
"I was more concerned about my children," she said.
Her husband grabbed McCoy and they struggled, the report says. McCoy stopped and picked his sunglasses from the ground. Then he pointed at Stevens.
"You messed with the wrong person," said McCoy, the report says. He headed to a nearby Winn-Dixie grocery store.
Hagan, who had witnessed the incident at the 7-Eleven, followed McCoy and pulled into the parking lot and watched as McCoy tried to enter other vehicles, the police report said.
The report says McCoy approached John Teaff, 75, and grabbed the keys from his pocket.
Hagan got out of his car and ran full speed at McCoy. He put him in a move similar to a sleeper hold, threading his forearms around McCoy's neck.
"I just blitzkrieged him from behind," Hagan said.
McCoy struggled intensely and passed out for about 30 seconds, Hagan said. Police arrived about five minutes later.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu eschews punches and kicks for take-downs and holds. Hagan, a carpenter by trade, began training five years ago with local instructor Fabio Novaes. Hagan thanked his teacher after the incident.
"It was really easy to take him down," Hagan said Saturday by phone from an Orlando jiu-jitsu tournament.
Pedone never got to thank Hagan personally. She was happy to know McCoy was caught.
"I wish there were more people like that," she said.
McCoy, of 2604 Crystal Lake Acres Drive, in Lakeland, was booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of battery and two counts of carjacking.
Hagan got out of his car and ran full speed at McCoy. He put him in a move similar to a sleeper hold, threading his forearms around McCoy's neck.
"I just blitzkrieged him from behind," Hagan said.
McCoy struggled intensely and passed out for about 30 seconds, Hagan said. Police arrived about five minutes later.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu eschews punches and kicks for take-downs and holds. Hagan, a carpenter by trade, began training five years ago with local instructor Fabio Novaes. Hagan thanked his teacher after the incident.
"It was really easy to take him down," Hagan said Saturday by phone from an Orlando jiu-jitsu tournament.
Pedone never got to thank Hagan personally. She was happy to know McCoy was caught.
"I wish there were more people like that," she said.
McCoy, of 2604 Crystal Lake Acres Drive, in Lakeland, was booked into the Polk County Jail on charges of battery and two counts of carjacking.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Are you in a hurry? It took this guy 16 years to reach Black Belt.
I hope everyone's goal is to reach black belt. It may not be your first goal, but it should be something you want to reach none the less. I started training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu when I was 36, I thought a realistic goal would be to reach black belt by the time I turned 50. That gives me 14 years and I think I'm right on schedule. However, I see some of my BJJ friends and classmates already clambering for their next belt. I recognize that BJJ can be competitive. But the real competition is with yourself. It can be frustrating to see a new student come in and pick up Jiu-Jitsu quicker than you did. Their first day you were schooling them on the mat, a few weeks later they’re harder to sweep, a month later you can only catch them with your best submissions, and then suddenly you can’t submit them at all. And then you come to realize that they have surpassed you in skill. Am I doing something wrong? No. That guy (or girl) has half the mat time that I do, but is already better than me! Maybe. The fact is we’re all on a different path to black belt. Some people’s path is longer than others. So if you accept that as the truth, what’s the rush? What makes more sense? For YOU to go your instructor and ask to be promoted or your instructor coming to you and telling you that it’s time for you to be promoted. The last thing you want is a belt that doesn’t fit. That’s one of the things that makes BJJ different. Anyone can wear a colored belt around their waist, but you want yours to mean something. So if it takes you 3 years, 10 years, or 16 years to reach your goal, You want it to be legitimate.
That’s one of the best things about Jiu-Jitsu is that we can all start on this path at different times of our lives and still make it to the goal. Ed O'Neil is 65 years old, he said it took him 16 years to make it to black belt, so that means he started training around 48 or 49 years old. You’re never too old to start and we’ll all get there if we just keep going.
The crazy part is that black belt is just the beginning…….
Monday, May 30, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ranking system
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ranking system awards a practitioner different colored belts to signify increasing levels of technical knowledge and practical skill. While the system’s structure shares its origins with the Judo ranking system and the origins of all colored belts, it now contains many of its own unique aspects and themes. Some of these differences are relatively minor, such as the division between youth and adult belts and the stripe/degree system. Others are quite distinct and have become synonymous with the art, such as a marked informality in promotional criteria, including as a focus on a competitive demonstration of skill, and a conservative approach to promotion in general.
Common usage
Adult belt colors (16 and over)
White
Blue
Purple
Brown
Black
Black/red
Red
Youth belt colors (15 and under)
White
Yellow
Orange
Green
The most commonly used belt system is the graduation system as designated by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) and used in all international tournaments. It largely resembles the ranking system currently used by most officiating bodies of Judo, but with some major differences.
One prominent difference being that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (with the notable exception of the white belt, which is used by beginners of all ages) generally awards the first few belts (yellow, orange, and green) exclusively as youth belts. That is, for those 15 and under.
The remaining belts (blue, purple, brown, black, and above) are awarded only to adults, with various age and time-in-grade restrictions for each.
While this is certainly the most prevalent system it is not exclusive, a prominent exception is the system used by American Top Team, which awards green belts to adults as a rank between the IBJJF white and blue belts.
History
In 1907, Kanō Jigorō, the founder of Judo and the individual who would later dispatch Mitsuyo Maeda on the trip to Brazil that resulted in the development of BJJ, introduced the first use of belts (obi) and gi (judogi) within the art of Judo, replacing the practice of training in formal kimonos.
At the time however, Kanō implemented only the use of white and black belts, with white representing the beginner, as a color of purity and simplicity, and black being the opposite, representing one who is filled up with knowledge. Mikonosuke Kawaishi is believed by many to have been the first to introduce additional colored belts. He originated this practice in 1935 when he began teaching Judo in Paris, France. Kawaishi felt that structured system of colored belts would provide the western student with visible rewards to show progress, increasing motivation and retention.
Kawaishi's adoption of colored belts came only 10 years after Carlos Gracie opened his academy in Brazil. Since then, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and many other martial arts have adopted the use of colored belts as a way to denote a students increasing progress.
Individual adult belt ranks
The following sections are provided as brief synopsis regarding the general themes surrounding each individual belt rank.
White belt
White belt is the beginning rank for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu students.
White belt is the lowest ranking belt within Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is the rank held by any practitioner new to the art and does not require any special prerequisites to obtain. It is the rank immediately preceding the blue belt. Some instructors and other high-level practitioners feel that white belt is the rank where most of the student’s training emphasis should be placed on escaping and defensive positioning, as it can be argued that a white belt will do much of his or her fighting from inferior positions (especially when training with higher belts).
While this may be largely true, and forms a solid training base for belts to come, most academies will require a prospective blue belt to show a well-rounded skill-set, with a knowledge of not only survival techniques, but basic offensive moves, such as common submissions and guard passes.
Blue belt
A general estimate of the time required to obtain a blue belt in most academies is 1 to 2 years.
Blue belt is the second lowest adult rank within the most commonly accepted Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grading system, bridging the way between the beginner rank of white belt and the intermediate rank of purple belt.
To progress to a purple belt, a blue belt level student must acquire a vast technical knowledge regarding all aspects of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and hundreds of hours of mat-time to know how to implement these moves efficiently. Perhaps because of this, blue belt is often known as a rank where a student collects a large number of techniques.
The IBJJF requires that a practitioner be at least 16 years old to receive a blue belt (thereby officially entering into the adult belt system).
Purple belt
A general estimate of the time required to progress from blue belt to purple belt in most academies is 3 to 4 years.
Purple belt is the intermediate adult ranking within the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, coming after the rank of blue belt and before brown belt. It is often considered one of the longer held ranks, and typically takes at least 4-5 years of dedicated training to achieve.
Even as an “intermediate” rank, the purple belt level practitioner holds a formidable amount of knowledge, and purple belts are generally considered qualified to instruct lower belts in other arts students with a similar amount of time and effort invested would often be ranked as a black (instructor) level belt.
The IBJJF requires that a student be at least 16 years old and have spent a minimum of 2 years ranked as a blue belt to be eligible to receive a purple belt (with slightly different requirements for those transitioning straight from the youth belts).
Brown belt
A general estimate of the time required to progress from purple belt to brown belt in most academies is 2 to 3 years.
Aside from the exceptional belts awarded at the highest levels, brown belt is the highest “color” belt rank within the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, providing a transition between the intermediate purple belt rank and the elite black belt. Brown belt is arguably the beginning of the elite ranks in and of itself, typically taking at least 5-6 years of dedicated training to achieve. As a transitional rank, it is often thought of as a time for refining rather than accumulation, where a practitioner hones already acquired technical and practical skills until they reach a black belt level.
The IBJJF requires that a student be at least 18 years old and have spent a minimum of 1.5 years ranked as a purple belt to be eligible to receive a brown belt.
Black belt
A general estimate of the time required to progress from brown belt to black belt in most academies is 2 to 3 years.
As with many other martial arts, the black belt is the highest common belt within the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, denoting an expert level of technical and practical skill. Estimates vary on the time required to achieve the rank, with 10 years total (or more) an often heard estimate. No matter how many actual years are required, every Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt will have undoubtedly invested thousands of hours of mat time (randori) into the art and hold a skill-set that demonstrably reflects such.
The IBJJF requires that a student be at least 19 years old and have spent a minimum of 1 year ranked as a brown belt to be eligible to receive a black belt.
Black and red belt
Current IBJJF regulations places the time it takes to progress from a 6th degree black belt to 7th degree black-and-red belt at 7 years.
When a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt reaches the 7th and 8th degree, the practitioner is awarded an alternating red-and-black belt (Similar to the alternating red and white belt earned at the 6th degree in Judo). Black-and-red belt holders are very experienced practitioners, most of whom have made a large impact on the overall art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Some notable current black-and-red belt holders are Carlos Gracie Jr., Rickson Gracie, Relson Gracie, and Pedro Sauer.
Red belt
Current IBJJF regulations places the time it takes to progress from a 8th degree red-and-black belt to 9th degree red belt at 10 years.
In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the red belt is reserved “for those whose influence and fame takes them to the pinnacle of the art”.
It is awarded in lieu of a 9th and 10th degree black belt (identical to the art of Judo). Assuming that someone received his or her black belt at 19 years old (the minimum age to receive a black belt under the IBJJF's graduation system) the earliest they could expect to receive a 9th degree red belt would be at the age of 67.
The 10th degree red belt is permanently reserved to the founders of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Carlos, Oswaldo, George, Gastão and Hélio Gracie.
Promotion criteria
There have been few published guidelines or standards that determine when a practitioner is ready for promotion, with the criterion generally determined on an individual instructor and/or academy basis. Even the IBJJF, while maintaining an extensive graduation system that takes into account time-in-grade and membership standing, makes no mention of specific performance or skill requirements. When instructors or academies do comment on the criteria needed to achieve the next belt, the most widely accepted measures are:
• The amount of technical and conceptual knowledge a practitioner can demonstrate, and;
• Performance in grappling (randori) within the academy and/or competition.
Technical and conceptual knowledge is judged by the number of techniques a student can perform, and the level of skill with which they are performed in live grappling. This allows for smaller and older practitioners to be recognized for their knowledge though they may not be the strongest fighters in the school. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a distinctly individual sport, and practitioners are encouraged to adapt the techniques to make them work for their body type, strategic preferences, and level of athleticism. The ultimate criterion for promotion is the ability to execute the techniques successfully, rather than strict stylistic compliance.
Informal verses formalized testing
As noted above, the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu historically has had an informal approach to belt promotions, with one or more instructors subjectively agreeing that a given student is ready for the next rank. In recent years however, some academies have moved toward a more systematic, formalized testing approach. This is especially true for the lower ranks, where the decision to promote is arguably the least contentious.
One of the first instructors to publicly publish some of this formalized testing criterion was Roy Harris, who has formalized promotion tests, up to and including black belt. Formalized tests are generally based around the same elements as a normal promotion, that is, technical/conceptual knowledge and the ability to apply those techniques against a resisting opponent. Some tests however, take other aspects into account, such as a student's personal character or a basic knowledge regarding the history of the art.
Formalized testing may also contain conditions more familiar to traditional martial arts, such as testing fees and a required amount of pre-testing private lessons with the instructor.
Competitions
Students are generally encouraged to compete, as it can play an important and often times accelerating role in a practitioner's growth and overall speed of promotion. Competition allows an instructor to gauge a student's abilities while grappling with a fully resisting opponent, and it is not uncommon for a promotion to follow shortly after a good competition performance. In most academies it is not an essential prerequisite for promotion, but there are exceptions to this and in a minority of schools, competing is not only endorsed but required.
Stripes/degrees
A blue belt with three stripes.
In addition to the belt system, many academies award "stripes" as a form of intra-belt recognition of progress and skill. The cumulative amount of stripes earned serves as a rough indication of a practitioners skill level relative to others within the same belt rank (i.e. a blue-belt level practitioner with four stripes would be more adept then blue-belt practitioner with one, but not a purple belt with one.)
Stripes can be as formal as small pieces of cloth sewn onto the sleeve of the belt, or as informal as pieces of electrical tape applied to the same general area. Although the exact application (such as the amount of stripes allowed for each belt) varies from school to school, the IBJJF sets out a general system where 4 stripes can be added before the student should be considered for promotion to the next belt.
Stripes are only used for ranks prior to black belt, after black belt is achieved, the markings are known as "degrees" and are only formally awarded (with time-in-grade being as significant a factor as skill level). Unlike the belt system, stripes are not used in every academy and, where they are used, they may not always be applied consistently.
Extra-promotional customs
One long-standing tradition practiced in many Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools immediately following a promotion, is a custom known as "running the gauntlet" ("passar no corredor" in portuguese)
Said to have originated in Brazil, the gauntlet can come in many forms, but generally follows two basic patterns:
• The newly-promoted student is hit on their back with belts—once by each of their fellow practitioners—as they walk or run past;
• The newly-promoted student thrown by his instructors, and sometimes also by each of the students with equal or higher grade in the academy.
In recent years some have criticized the practice, citing philosophical and even legal reasons, and it is no longer part of some prominent academies. Advocates for the custom argue that "running the gauntlet" serves as a method of team building and reinforces camaraderie between classmates.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Jiu-Jitsu_ranking_system
The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ranking system awards a practitioner different colored belts to signify increasing levels of technical knowledge and practical skill. While the system’s structure shares its origins with the Judo ranking system and the origins of all colored belts, it now contains many of its own unique aspects and themes. Some of these differences are relatively minor, such as the division between youth and adult belts and the stripe/degree system. Others are quite distinct and have become synonymous with the art, such as a marked informality in promotional criteria, including as a focus on a competitive demonstration of skill, and a conservative approach to promotion in general.
Common usage
Adult belt colors (16 and over)
White
Blue
Purple
Brown
Black
Black/red
Red
Youth belt colors (15 and under)
White
Yellow
Orange
Green
The most commonly used belt system is the graduation system as designated by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) and used in all international tournaments. It largely resembles the ranking system currently used by most officiating bodies of Judo, but with some major differences.
One prominent difference being that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (with the notable exception of the white belt, which is used by beginners of all ages) generally awards the first few belts (yellow, orange, and green) exclusively as youth belts. That is, for those 15 and under.
The remaining belts (blue, purple, brown, black, and above) are awarded only to adults, with various age and time-in-grade restrictions for each.
While this is certainly the most prevalent system it is not exclusive, a prominent exception is the system used by American Top Team, which awards green belts to adults as a rank between the IBJJF white and blue belts.
History
In 1907, Kanō Jigorō, the founder of Judo and the individual who would later dispatch Mitsuyo Maeda on the trip to Brazil that resulted in the development of BJJ, introduced the first use of belts (obi) and gi (judogi) within the art of Judo, replacing the practice of training in formal kimonos.
At the time however, Kanō implemented only the use of white and black belts, with white representing the beginner, as a color of purity and simplicity, and black being the opposite, representing one who is filled up with knowledge. Mikonosuke Kawaishi is believed by many to have been the first to introduce additional colored belts. He originated this practice in 1935 when he began teaching Judo in Paris, France. Kawaishi felt that structured system of colored belts would provide the western student with visible rewards to show progress, increasing motivation and retention.
Kawaishi's adoption of colored belts came only 10 years after Carlos Gracie opened his academy in Brazil. Since then, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and many other martial arts have adopted the use of colored belts as a way to denote a students increasing progress.
Individual adult belt ranks
The following sections are provided as brief synopsis regarding the general themes surrounding each individual belt rank.
White belt
White belt is the beginning rank for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu students.
White belt is the lowest ranking belt within Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is the rank held by any practitioner new to the art and does not require any special prerequisites to obtain. It is the rank immediately preceding the blue belt. Some instructors and other high-level practitioners feel that white belt is the rank where most of the student’s training emphasis should be placed on escaping and defensive positioning, as it can be argued that a white belt will do much of his or her fighting from inferior positions (especially when training with higher belts).
While this may be largely true, and forms a solid training base for belts to come, most academies will require a prospective blue belt to show a well-rounded skill-set, with a knowledge of not only survival techniques, but basic offensive moves, such as common submissions and guard passes.
Blue belt
A general estimate of the time required to obtain a blue belt in most academies is 1 to 2 years.
Blue belt is the second lowest adult rank within the most commonly accepted Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grading system, bridging the way between the beginner rank of white belt and the intermediate rank of purple belt.
To progress to a purple belt, a blue belt level student must acquire a vast technical knowledge regarding all aspects of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and hundreds of hours of mat-time to know how to implement these moves efficiently. Perhaps because of this, blue belt is often known as a rank where a student collects a large number of techniques.
The IBJJF requires that a practitioner be at least 16 years old to receive a blue belt (thereby officially entering into the adult belt system).
Purple belt
A general estimate of the time required to progress from blue belt to purple belt in most academies is 3 to 4 years.
Purple belt is the intermediate adult ranking within the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, coming after the rank of blue belt and before brown belt. It is often considered one of the longer held ranks, and typically takes at least 4-5 years of dedicated training to achieve.
Even as an “intermediate” rank, the purple belt level practitioner holds a formidable amount of knowledge, and purple belts are generally considered qualified to instruct lower belts in other arts students with a similar amount of time and effort invested would often be ranked as a black (instructor) level belt.
The IBJJF requires that a student be at least 16 years old and have spent a minimum of 2 years ranked as a blue belt to be eligible to receive a purple belt (with slightly different requirements for those transitioning straight from the youth belts).
Brown belt
A general estimate of the time required to progress from purple belt to brown belt in most academies is 2 to 3 years.
Aside from the exceptional belts awarded at the highest levels, brown belt is the highest “color” belt rank within the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, providing a transition between the intermediate purple belt rank and the elite black belt. Brown belt is arguably the beginning of the elite ranks in and of itself, typically taking at least 5-6 years of dedicated training to achieve. As a transitional rank, it is often thought of as a time for refining rather than accumulation, where a practitioner hones already acquired technical and practical skills until they reach a black belt level.
The IBJJF requires that a student be at least 18 years old and have spent a minimum of 1.5 years ranked as a purple belt to be eligible to receive a brown belt.
Black belt
A general estimate of the time required to progress from brown belt to black belt in most academies is 2 to 3 years.
As with many other martial arts, the black belt is the highest common belt within the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, denoting an expert level of technical and practical skill. Estimates vary on the time required to achieve the rank, with 10 years total (or more) an often heard estimate. No matter how many actual years are required, every Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt will have undoubtedly invested thousands of hours of mat time (randori) into the art and hold a skill-set that demonstrably reflects such.
The IBJJF requires that a student be at least 19 years old and have spent a minimum of 1 year ranked as a brown belt to be eligible to receive a black belt.
Black and red belt
Current IBJJF regulations places the time it takes to progress from a 6th degree black belt to 7th degree black-and-red belt at 7 years.
When a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt reaches the 7th and 8th degree, the practitioner is awarded an alternating red-and-black belt (Similar to the alternating red and white belt earned at the 6th degree in Judo). Black-and-red belt holders are very experienced practitioners, most of whom have made a large impact on the overall art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Some notable current black-and-red belt holders are Carlos Gracie Jr., Rickson Gracie, Relson Gracie, and Pedro Sauer.
Red belt
Current IBJJF regulations places the time it takes to progress from a 8th degree red-and-black belt to 9th degree red belt at 10 years.
In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the red belt is reserved “for those whose influence and fame takes them to the pinnacle of the art”.
It is awarded in lieu of a 9th and 10th degree black belt (identical to the art of Judo). Assuming that someone received his or her black belt at 19 years old (the minimum age to receive a black belt under the IBJJF's graduation system) the earliest they could expect to receive a 9th degree red belt would be at the age of 67.
The 10th degree red belt is permanently reserved to the founders of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Carlos, Oswaldo, George, Gastão and Hélio Gracie.
Promotion criteria
There have been few published guidelines or standards that determine when a practitioner is ready for promotion, with the criterion generally determined on an individual instructor and/or academy basis. Even the IBJJF, while maintaining an extensive graduation system that takes into account time-in-grade and membership standing, makes no mention of specific performance or skill requirements. When instructors or academies do comment on the criteria needed to achieve the next belt, the most widely accepted measures are:
• The amount of technical and conceptual knowledge a practitioner can demonstrate, and;
• Performance in grappling (randori) within the academy and/or competition.
Technical and conceptual knowledge is judged by the number of techniques a student can perform, and the level of skill with which they are performed in live grappling. This allows for smaller and older practitioners to be recognized for their knowledge though they may not be the strongest fighters in the school. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a distinctly individual sport, and practitioners are encouraged to adapt the techniques to make them work for their body type, strategic preferences, and level of athleticism. The ultimate criterion for promotion is the ability to execute the techniques successfully, rather than strict stylistic compliance.
Informal verses formalized testing
As noted above, the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu historically has had an informal approach to belt promotions, with one or more instructors subjectively agreeing that a given student is ready for the next rank. In recent years however, some academies have moved toward a more systematic, formalized testing approach. This is especially true for the lower ranks, where the decision to promote is arguably the least contentious.
One of the first instructors to publicly publish some of this formalized testing criterion was Roy Harris, who has formalized promotion tests, up to and including black belt. Formalized tests are generally based around the same elements as a normal promotion, that is, technical/conceptual knowledge and the ability to apply those techniques against a resisting opponent. Some tests however, take other aspects into account, such as a student's personal character or a basic knowledge regarding the history of the art.
Formalized testing may also contain conditions more familiar to traditional martial arts, such as testing fees and a required amount of pre-testing private lessons with the instructor.
Competitions
Students are generally encouraged to compete, as it can play an important and often times accelerating role in a practitioner's growth and overall speed of promotion. Competition allows an instructor to gauge a student's abilities while grappling with a fully resisting opponent, and it is not uncommon for a promotion to follow shortly after a good competition performance. In most academies it is not an essential prerequisite for promotion, but there are exceptions to this and in a minority of schools, competing is not only endorsed but required.
Stripes/degrees
A blue belt with three stripes.
In addition to the belt system, many academies award "stripes" as a form of intra-belt recognition of progress and skill. The cumulative amount of stripes earned serves as a rough indication of a practitioners skill level relative to others within the same belt rank (i.e. a blue-belt level practitioner with four stripes would be more adept then blue-belt practitioner with one, but not a purple belt with one.)
Stripes can be as formal as small pieces of cloth sewn onto the sleeve of the belt, or as informal as pieces of electrical tape applied to the same general area. Although the exact application (such as the amount of stripes allowed for each belt) varies from school to school, the IBJJF sets out a general system where 4 stripes can be added before the student should be considered for promotion to the next belt.
Stripes are only used for ranks prior to black belt, after black belt is achieved, the markings are known as "degrees" and are only formally awarded (with time-in-grade being as significant a factor as skill level). Unlike the belt system, stripes are not used in every academy and, where they are used, they may not always be applied consistently.
Extra-promotional customs
One long-standing tradition practiced in many Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools immediately following a promotion, is a custom known as "running the gauntlet" ("passar no corredor" in portuguese)
Said to have originated in Brazil, the gauntlet can come in many forms, but generally follows two basic patterns:
• The newly-promoted student is hit on their back with belts—once by each of their fellow practitioners—as they walk or run past;
• The newly-promoted student thrown by his instructors, and sometimes also by each of the students with equal or higher grade in the academy.
In recent years some have criticized the practice, citing philosophical and even legal reasons, and it is no longer part of some prominent academies. Advocates for the custom argue that "running the gauntlet" serves as a method of team building and reinforces camaraderie between classmates.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Jiu-Jitsu_ranking_system
Abraham Lincoln: The toughest of our Presidents?
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the U.S., was such an accomplished wrestler that once, after disposing of an opponent with a single toss, he stepped to the center of the mob that had gathered and shouted, "Any of you want to try it, come on and whet your horns!" No one stepped forward.
Which is not surprising, because the self-taught scholar who wrote the ringing Gettysburg Address was also one of the American frontier's fiercest grapplers during the early 1830s. "He can outrun, outlift, outwrestle and throw down any man in Sangamon County," said Bill Green, a store clerk in New Salem, Ill., as he watched the 22-year-old Lincoln whip all comers one day in 1831.
Lincoln's wrestling supremacy, however, was challenged often. Gangly and awkward as a child, he grew into a tall, muscular man with broad shoulders. But at 6' 4" and 185 pounds, Lincoln was a tempting target for any newcomer to the frontier eager to make a name for himself.
"He sure was the big buck of this lick," said another New Salem resident who saw Lincoln give the notorious county wrestling champion Jack Armstrong the worst thrashing of his life one hot September day more than 163 years ago. That was the future president's most celebrated victory. Frustrated from the start by Lincoln's tremendous reach, Armstrong began stomping on his opponent's feet. Lincoln lost his temper. And a few tosses later Armstrong lost consciousness.
"We can only find one recorded defeat of Lincoln in 12 years," says Bob Dellinger, director emeritus of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla., where Lincoln is enshrined in the Hall of Outstanding Americans. "He was undoubtedly the roughest and toughest of all the wrestling presidents."
There were nine, actually, who were accomplished grapplers. At 18, George Washington was the school champion at the Reverend James Maury's Academy in Fredericksburg, Va. Washington was a master of the British style known as collar and elbow—named for wrestlers' hand placements in the face-to-face starting position. This was a disciplined sport in which success depended on tactical expertise. Later in life, as the commander of the Continental armies, Washington, then 47, used his superior wrestling skills to defeat seven consecutive challengers from the Massachusetts Volunteers.
Other commanders in chief who were successful wrestlers include Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, Ulysses S. Grant and Chester A. Arthur. At 225 pounds William Taft was twice crowned undergraduate champion at Yale after he mastered a wicked move called the Flying Marc with which he would savagely flip an opponent to the ground. And Theodore Roosevelt kept fit with regular wrestling workouts during his term as governor of New York.
On the American frontier the sportsmanlike collar and elbow gave way to a catch-as-catch-can style that required less skill and more brute strength. The matches were decided when an opponent was thrown off his feet. In the name of civic pride (and, of course, some friendly wagering) champions from each county were pitted against each other. Lincoln progressed swiftly in this rougher style of wrestling—though he often helped conquered opponents to their feet or gave them water after matches. He was a proud competitor but a humble sportsman. And when his wrestling skills diminished, Lincoln's leadership qualities emerged.
In his service with the Illinois 'Volunteers during the Black Hawk Indian uprising of 1832, Lincoln was one match away from a regimental championship. Wrestling for the Sangamon County Volunteers, he had disposed of seven opponents before facing Hank Thompson, a fellow soldier. The two men locked up and strained for advantage before Lincoln broke away and declared Thompson "the most powerful man I ever had hold of." Honest Abe wasn't lying. Upon resuming the match Thompson secured his place in history by becoming the only man ever to throw Lincoln. And he did it twice.
With their hero defeated, Sangamon's troops cried foul and prepared for the brawl that often followed wrestling matches. Lincoln, showing the poise and character that would sustain him later as president, held up his hands and halted the hostilities. "Boys, give up your bets," he commanded. "If this man hasn't thrown me fairly, he could."
The preceding was taken from an article written by David Fleming titled the Civil Warrior for Sports Illustrated.
It can be found at: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1141550/1/index.htm
The preceding was taken from an article written by David Fleming titled the Civil Warrior for Sports Illustrated.
It can be found at: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1141550/1/index.htm
Saturday, April 17, 2010
'The Science of Wrestling & the Art of Jiu Jitsu'
Here's an excerpt from a book from 1923 titled 'The Science of Wrestling & the Art of Jiu Jitsu'. Remember that Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was established in 1925, so this is from a couple of years prior to that.
Here it is:
"In modern wrestling bouts the strangle hold is usually barred, owing to the danger of it. This also applies to a great number of the Jiu Jitsu holds, for considerable damage would be done if some of these holds were permitted. There is hardly a wrestlter who does not have some knowledge of Jiu Jitsu, and the reader will find it advantageous to combine Jiu Jitsu in wrestling, even though the former may not be used completely, for there may come occasions where such combined knowledge will help you out of considerable difficulty.
As a protection in self defense, Jiu Jitsu and wrestling combined is the most perfect combination that anyone could adopt. The writer has demonstrated that he can better any fighter by using the combined knowledge of Catch-as-Catch-Can wrestling and Jiu Jitsu and make the fighter disabled in an exceedingly short period of time. Having considerable experience both in boxing and wrestling, I have no doubts as to which is the quicker method of disabling anyone."
Here it is:
"In modern wrestling bouts the strangle hold is usually barred, owing to the danger of it. This also applies to a great number of the Jiu Jitsu holds, for considerable damage would be done if some of these holds were permitted. There is hardly a wrestlter who does not have some knowledge of Jiu Jitsu, and the reader will find it advantageous to combine Jiu Jitsu in wrestling, even though the former may not be used completely, for there may come occasions where such combined knowledge will help you out of considerable difficulty.
As a protection in self defense, Jiu Jitsu and wrestling combined is the most perfect combination that anyone could adopt. The writer has demonstrated that he can better any fighter by using the combined knowledge of Catch-as-Catch-Can wrestling and Jiu Jitsu and make the fighter disabled in an exceedingly short period of time. Having considerable experience both in boxing and wrestling, I have no doubts as to which is the quicker method of disabling anyone."
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