Belts Matter

The other night in BJJ class, when we were doing lines, my friend turned around and looked at the three stripes on my white belt. My friend said, "So when are you getting your blue belt?"

"Never, I guess," was my joking answer.

"Yeah, me too," came the reply.

I know some people in my BJJ family to whom belts just really don't matter. And I believe that, to those few, belts really don't. And I can remember that before my belt tests, they didn't matter to me, either. Hell, I never thought I'd ever get invited to a belt test. I can't tell you how emotional that moment was for me when I got my first invitation. I knew that even if I never got invited, I'd still train. I just loved the sport that much.

But belts DO matter, let's don't lie. If they didn't, why would we be belt tested? Why would we talk about them? Why would so many people accept the invitation to test? Because . . . they matter. They just do.

I can't begin to think that I understand the formula by which our coaches deem us ready to test. And I am a little afraid to ask about it. It just seems . . . sacred, I guess. The coaches have been there, they have the belt, they know the deal. But I do wonder. How can I not wonder? Is there a grid, a rubric, a standard of readiness? If so, what is it? What's the guideline? And is it subjective from gym to gym or coach to coach? I just wonder.

For instance, I am planning a trip to LA this summer. I will visit some of my friends, who also happen to train BJJ. We are talking about the training we will do at their gym, and I wonder how I will measure up with my friends' teammates. How do they train? In other words, is a white belt with three stripes at Elite the same as a white belt with three stripes at my friends' gym in LA? What is the criteria, and is it the same across the board?

I know some people who train at other gyms. Their system for getting belts is different in some ways. Some gyms do it by mat time, and some have "promotion nights" instead of belt tests. I like the way our gym does it. I like belt testing. It's a big deal, and it's a celebration. It's always a good day. But knowing the different systems makes me wonder about the guidelines. I also watch at competitions, and some competitors are more aggressive and (I hate to say it, but I have to), seem to fight dirty. We are never taught to fight dirty at Elite, so I wonder . . . what makes a blue belt or a purple belt at a gym like that? And . . . am I ready and aggressive enough to compete against that kind of blue belt?

I don't feel bad for asking these questions. I talk about these things with my teammates. I think most people involved in BJJ have talked about these things. My friend in LA has even asked me if I'm a blue belt yet. I don't think it's a bad thing to talk and wonder, especially since it all seems like such a mystery.

When I set my four-year goal for cage fighting, my coaches seemed happy. One of my coaches even said, "By then, she'll be a purple belt, and who wants to be in the cage with Miss Amy as a purple belt?"

Which tells me . . . belts do matter.

Don't they?

I want to progress. And I do progress, and I will progress. I have not belt tested in awhile, but it hasn't surprised me. My coaches will know when I am ready. I have had to miss quite a bit since summer. But I am coming back, and I am strong, and I am committed to three days a week. I want to be certain that I am a blue belt before I am one, if that makes sense. Because at competitions, I will have to compete against other blue belts when I am one. That's kind of scary.

I admit, and I have heard other teammates express, that it's sometimes surprising and hurtful to see others progress faster than me, but others also don't have the obligations that I do. If I move at a snail's pace, then I do, and I just have to trust my coaches to be fair. That's all I can do, and that's all I can know. I am not going to stop working for what I want. My coaches love me, I do know that, and they want the best for me. Otherwise, they would not encourage me to keep on keeping on. They wouldn't have listened to my cage dreams and taken me seriously.

One of my favorite things to tell my students is: "Trust the system." So that's what I will do, too, even if I don't understand it. But it is an interesting system to think about. And I think it is only natural to have questions about it once you start to progress.