When talking about integrity, black belts are a hot topic. A recent article online highlighted the top five achievements that don't really mean anything. Number 5……. A black belt in Martial Art. There are many misconceptions about marital arts and what it means to be a black belt, but let's talk about El Dorado Hills Jiu-Jitsu and how our program contrasts to the article.
At EDH BJJ there is no such thing as buying a black belt, let along at belt. As a matter of fact, you might have a hard time finding a jiujitsu school that offers a compromised belt program where belts are bought. In fact, student are not eligible to receive a black belt until the age of 19, which is a contrast to many other programs. The concept of a jiujitsu black belt is not only in master of understanding the curriculum, but also in mastery of implementation. There are many that would say a black belt in jiujitsu is comparable to a Ph.D. because it takes the average person 10 to 15 years of consistent training on the mat to achieve. I don't necessarily agree with this analogy (after going through a graduate program myself), but the analogy does exist.
Recently, the kids belt system has been modified to better motivate the students. Kids belts used to start with white, gray, yellow, orange, and green, until they were 15 and eligible for a blue belt. That means a child who started at the age of 5 would average 2 years at each belt until they were ready for the next belt. This was clearly a problem when it came to kids participating in tournaments, feeling motivated with the belt system supporting their improvements. As a result a belt with a white stripe was added to the belt color as a novice (insert color here) belt and a black stripe as a experienced (insert color here) belt. This immediately added 8 more belts to the kids system. This is the system we currently use at El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
A few things to think about when finding your Jiu-Jitsu school. Yes every black belt has accumulated an immense amount of knowledge. Just like someone with a Ph.D. has shown great mastery of their subject area. However, that doesn't mean they know how to teach. They might not have any coursework in pedagogy, teaching theory, practicum, or coursework design. Therefore we always recommend doing a trial lesson. The trial lesson should be relatively close to free and give you a good idea of what the school is about, how the classes are organized, if the teacher is someone you get along with, and if you enjoy the atmosphere. If there is something that rubs you the wrong way. Consider trying the school that is a little farther or little more expensive. It might be the better option. If you would like to learn jiujitsu or wrestling in the El Dorado Hills, Folsom, Cameron Park, and in general the greater Sacramento area, mention this article and get a five day trial for FREE. Visit our website www.edhbjj.com for more information or give us a call 916.595.4064 for any questions. See you on the mat!
Martial Arts in El Dorado Hills
916.595.4064
We are a part of The 100. Method, an international martial arts teaching and education think tank made up of martial arts teacher of all styles who are pledged to continuing education, transparent and ethical business practices, and taking their work "out of the dojo and into the world." To read about The 100. Method, visit www.the100.us
#5. A Black Belt in a Martial Art
Our audience research shows that only about 60 percent of our readers are expert martial artists. If you're not one of those, you still know enough to realize that if a dude tells you he's a black belt in some fighting style, you shouldn't mess with him. Popular culture has taught you that this is somebody who has spent a lifetime mastering an art that will let him break wooden beams and human skulls with his bare fists.
GettyThat's, like, 10 faces worth of board he's breaking right now.
After all, they don't hand those black belts out to just anybody. There is a sacred and probably ancient standard that only the most dedicated students can meet. Right? Well, not exactly ...
The Process:
Here's the most important thing to remember about accredited black belts: There is no such thing as an accredited black belt. It's not a college degree; it's a piece of clothing awarded to you by your teacher according to his own subjective criteria, which could be anything from hard work and crazy skills to having a lot of money. Hey, did we mention that any random dude off the street can become a martial arts instructor?
And as it turns out, the belt color system ranks among such other "ancient" wonders as driving and flying; it was invented barely a century ago. The first belt system was devised at the turn of the 20th century and was implemented for students of judo -- a style famous for literally not allowingthe kicking of asses. Ever since, the black belt has served as an effective means of both showing off and making instructors' wages.
But it still means you can kick ass, doesn't it? It's not like any kid can get a black belt just for showing up and paying monthly fees, right? Wrong. Many schools now advertise black belts in a guaranteed time. You pay, then a year or two later you walk out with a black belt, regardless of how often or how well you trained. This happens so frequently that the martial arts community has come to call the schools "McDojos." Ask nicely and they'll tell you all about their birthday party packages while you're there.
"Free toy with every yellow belt!"
Here's one story of a guy who paid cash up front after being guaranteed a black belt in two years. Sure enough, two years later he walked out with his belt without having to spar with a single opponent. It wasn't long before he and his friends realized they were little more than kung-fu break dancers -- it turned out that their teacher had left his own master at blue belt and started his own dojo. Wrong? Sure. Illegal? Not at all.
Getty"For our first lesson, you'll learn how to con suburban parents out of hundreds of dollars."
Source: http://www.cracked.com/article_19883_5-epic-achievements-that-arent-as-impressive-as-you-think.html
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