• About
  • Gi Help
  • Jiu-Jitsu Events
    • Past Events
  • Female Black Belts
    • North America
    • Europe
    • South America
    • Australia/New Zealand
    • Middle East/Asia
    • Unknow Location
  • Resources
  • Media
  • Photos

BJJ For Women

~ Women's BJJ Blog: Interviews, Jiu- Jitsu Events and All Things Fenom

BJJ For Women

Tag Archives: belt promotions

The Green-Eyed Monster of Belt Envy

16 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by fenomkimonos in Women's BJJ

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

belt envy, belt promotions, white to black belt

Rigan Machado promoting Ashton Kutcher to purple belt last month has created quite a buzz. Some people think it was too fast, and that he is getting a preferential treatment because he is a celebrity. Some people feel that they are qualified to criticize the legendary instructor, and that only serious competitors should be promoted so rapidly.

Most people questioning his promotion have probably never trained with him, and have no idea how good he is. It is selfish to think that only your time on each belt level is appropriate, and everyone must follow your promotion schedule. Is it possible that some people learn, and advance faster, and are just more gifted than you? Should you question the instructor who has been training, and teaching longer than most of us have been alive?

Slow promotions hardly ever get the same reaction. People clap, and congratulate; holler good job, well deserved! People assume that this person must be really, really good. But you don’t know how lazy he has been; perhaps that individual was barely doing warm-ups; skipped the rolls with the most challenging partners, and turned on the teaching mode as soon as he was in a bad position. He gets praised because he stayed on that belt for a long time, and time equals to being good.

What is worse? Being super talented, and moving up fast or being unexceptional, and getting through the ranks with barely doing the minimum, and being promoted according to the “schedule”? If you question fast promotions, you should also question the other end of the spectrum.

Most black belts agree that we should not focus on the color of the belt but rather on our personal development. It is natural to try to compare our own progress to our team mates’ because it makes us feel better about ourselves. We want to know that we are good. Heck, we want to be better than mediocre. We want to know that we are not the worst in class. And comparison gives the immediate reward of feeling good even on a terrible day. It’s a constant balancing act of not getting overly caught up in the ranks, and staying focused on the personal goals of improvement. Find the balance, and you will enjoy training for years!

FrancisBacon_B

Enter your email address to follow this women's jiu- jitsu blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Facebook

Facebook

Instagram

Simplicity. This is how we start 2021. #newbeginnings #backtobasics

Popular Posts

  • North America
    North America
  • Let's Talk About Gi Pants Part I
    Let's Talk About Gi Pants Part I
  • Past Events
    Past Events
  • A0 Tall Size Gis
    A0 Tall Size Gis
  • Female BJJ Black Belts
    Female BJJ Black Belts
  • Gi Weaves 102: Single Weave Gi and Double Weave Gi Mystery
    Gi Weaves 102: Single Weave Gi and Double Weave Gi Mystery
  • Gi Weaves 101
    Gi Weaves 101
  • Unicorn and Donuts Gi in White Pearl Weave Plus
    Unicorn and Donuts Gi in White Pearl Weave Plus
  • BJJ Memes
    BJJ Memes
  • Gray Pearl Weave Gis
    Gray Pearl Weave Gis

Tags

affordable australian girls in gi beatriz mesquita bjj bjj bffs black friday brazil 021 brazilian jiu jitsu competition cotton drill crystal weave curvy pants emily kwok female black belt fenom gi raffle fenom kimonos gi giveaway girl's bjj girl's brazilian jiu jitsu girls' jiu-jitsu girls in gis gis for girls gis for women gracie humaita hannette staack jill baker jiu-jitsu jocelyn chang leka vieira leticia ribeiro like a girl Love luciana "luka" dias messy hair we don't care michelle nicolini Mother's Day pearl weave pearl weave plus purple belt socal wbjj sophia drysdale strong woman support women's bjj sweaty betties training should be fun white to black belt women's bjj women's brazilian jiu jitsu women's gis women's grappling camp

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • BJJ For Women
    • Join 217 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • BJJ For Women
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar