Don't talk about it
Within BJJ, there are a few unspoken rules. And these have to do with the conversation surrounding rank, other people being promoted and how you gauge yourself against them.
When I started BJJ many years ago, I was either lucky or unlucky to hear this conversation. One of the higher white belts asked the instructor what he had to do to get his blue belt. I can’t remember the answer that was given, but what I can remember is one of the senior belts saying, “you never ask when or how you are going to get your next belt, you get it when you deserve it.” That is exactly how it happens where I train – there are no gradings; you get the rank when you deserve it. From my perspective this has always worked well.
However, what I found as a white belt is that the only way of separating you from the other white belts was a simple blue stripe on the end of your belt. There are 4 stripes on the white belt, and you get this roughly every 6 – 12 months. When you get your first stripe, there is no way in hell you want to lose to a ‘no stripe’, and it’s easy to become focused on beating the 2 stripe. I was even that guy (I hang my head as I write this) that would submit a higher rank then pop my head up like a meerkat to make sure the instructor got to see it. I laugh at that now, because you could tap anyone, and it doesn’t mean shit – it’s not like you swap belts or experience. However, when someone who is more or less your equal, gets promoted and you don’t, you are happy for them but on the inside, you are a bit disappointed for missing out. Again, I hang my head – there were many times I would roll with those people with the intention of beating them in an attempt to prove a point. Which in hindsight, was an absolute dick move.
The great thing about BJJ is that you know within every round who won and who didn’t. If you get tapped out 4 times, you lost, but if you got a tap and controlled them, you win. Now, it must be said that not every round of every night is a competition, but there are those people on the mat that you give your best and use as your measuring stick. When you are not against these people, you are working other skills and so on. The people that are your measuring stick is how you gauge your progression. Your measuring stick is someone about your size and usually just a bit better, as that gives you something to chase. You may not feel like rolling with that person every session, but the success of the session can come down to that one roll against them. If you do well, then you feel you’ve had a good night, if it doesn’t go well, then you go home with your tail between your legs.
If people are honest, they could line up everyone in the club who has the same coloured belt, and then put them in order of ability and you’d likely put yourself somewhere in that line. If the people above you get promoted, then everything is good, however, if the people below you get promoted then it can be confusing. This is a silly little game that gets played throughout your BJJ life. The people around you go from white to blue, as do you, then before you know it, you’re wearing purple belts. By now, the people you have started with have dwindled, and only a couple of you get to brown and maybe get to black. But one thing is for sure – when you get promoted to the next belt, you do not want to tap to any of the people who did not get promoted.
Even though I’m now removed from how it all works, the club I got my belts from has been very good with who gets promoted. Even if at the time it stings, after a few minutes, you think, “hell yeah they deserve it.” The other good thing is that everyone congratulates them and it’s a cool thing to part of.
The only conversation I have had about rank is with people from other clubs – mostly comprising of conversations regarding what cannot be discussed at their own club. For a while there, I just thought this was all in my head and everyone else just didn’t seem to mind about ranks. But then I have never seen anyone disappointed when they get a shiny new belt, nor should they. The belt shows they are progressing and that is something to be celebrated. As people who do martial arts can be competitive, they will always want to improve and progress through the ranks. All we have to measure ourselves against is other people on the mat, so it is only natural to want to keep up with the people who are around your level. The thing is though, we must keep it in perspective – there are always going to be people better and people worse. Whatever happens to the colour of the material around our waist, we should not let it impact our enjoyment of the sport as it’s all just part of the process.
Gareth Lewis
Head MMA Instructor