Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
People sure do like to judge others. Especially people they don't know, people whose shoes they have never walked in, people whom they frankly have no right to judge.It is BJJ point of view but I think it relates to all martial arts:
Because of newly diagnosed hernia I have more time to watch YT
You have a black belt in school A. You go to school B and wear white belt. During sparring, you beat up a black belt in school B. Will that look bad for school B?when we go to another school, we really want to wear our belt from our previous school.
Not really. He’s a well respected BJJ instructor responding to questions from aging BJJ black belts who don’t feel confident about their status on the mats anymore.I haven’t watched the video. I don’t know who the guy is who made the video. Maybe I am jumping the gun and making assumptions that I should not make. But videos like this one strike me as pure click-bate designed to attract traffic to his website or YouTube channel by putting up “shocking” or “controversial” topics. Most likely they should be ignored.
I watched the video, and do think that you're making assumptions on this particular video. I'll bullet point his points and why I don't think that's the case.I haven’t watched the video. I don’t know who the guy is who made the video. Maybe I am jumping the gun and making assumptions that I should not make. But videos like this one strike me as pure click-bate designed to attract traffic to his website or YouTube channel by putting up “shocking” or “controversial” topics. Most likely they should be ignored.
Agree with you 100% there.Retired doctors are still addressed as "Doctor."
I guess I honestly did not believe the controversy was genuine. It felt manufactured to me, hence my assumption that it was click-bate and my reluctance to spend any time watching it.Not really. He’s a well respected BJJ instructor responding to questions from aging BJJ black belts who don’t feel confident about their status on the mats anymore.
It’s a side effect of one aspect of BJJ culture where rank is widely held to reflect one’s ability on the mat. Some of these practitioners earned their black belts in their late 20s/early 30s when they were in their physical prime and as they get into their 40s they discover that they can struggle against lower ranked practitioners who are 20 years younger. That shouldn’t really be a surprise, but BJJ is a relatively young art in the States. For some of them, their whole experience with BJJ black belts has been high level competitive athletes. Realizing that they aren’t high level competitive athletes anymore messes with their self image.
In his video, Chewie gives sensible advice. He points out that the knowledge and skill is still there and that a 40 or 50 year old black belt doesn’t need to feel bad if they lose sometimes to a 20 year old purple belt.
This, BTW, is the majority view in the BJJ community and has been said before by other highly regarded instructors. It just needs to be repeated occasionally for the benefit of those who bought into the notion that BJJ rank equals fighting ability a little too simplistically.
Yeah, I think most BJJ practitioners understand the situation. But there is still a significant minority of the community who have primarily experienced the art as an activity for young competitive athletes with a distinct pecking order of fighting ability clearly delineated by belt ranks. I imagine that will change over the coming decades as we get more and more practitioners who are my age or older and still on the mats.I guess I honestly did not believe the controversy was genuine. It felt manufactured to me, hence my assumption that it was click-bate and my reluctance to spend any time watching it.
Of course I agree with what you are saying about aging martial artists and the knowledge they continue to hold even when they are well past their physical prime. It comes as a real surprise to me that there would be a strong enough culture to the contrary within BJJ circles that it would be necessary to create a video blog to specifically address it. I had assumed that any aging black belt with 20 or more years in the practice would not have needs that explained, but I suppose some young and inexperienced folks might need the lesson.
This is just par-for-the-course in the circles in which I run, so I am simply caught by surprise that it would be needed.
When an entire art is based around being able to beat other people in the art, and that's the primary criteria for grading, it can cause some insecurities when they can't meet that criteria anymore (or the opposite where people don't understand why they can beat a 60 year old black belt, but he has the black belt not them).I guess I honestly did not believe the controversy was genuine. It felt manufactured to me, hence my assumption that it was click-bate and my reluctance to spend any time watching it.
Of course I agree with what you are saying about aging martial artists and the knowledge they continue to hold even when they are well past their physical prime. It comes as a real surprise to me that there would be a strong enough culture to the contrary within BJJ circles that it would be necessary to create a video blog to specifically address it. I had assumed that any aging black belt with 20 or more years in the practice would not have needs that explained, but I suppose some young and inexperienced folks might need the lesson.
This is just par-for-the-course in the circles in which I run, so I am simply caught by surprise that it would be needed.
Question. DO gold medallist in the Olympic have to return their gold medal when it is obvious they can no longer compete and win against younger competitors? Should Super bowl winners return the ring when they are old? And now that they are older, and can no longer run the 9.58 in the 100, they should also not be coaches?It is BJJ point of view but I think it relates to all martial arts:
Because of newly diagnosed hernia I have more time to watch YT
I can appreciate that perspective.Yeah, I think most BJJ practitioners understand the situation. But there is still a significant minority of the community who have primarily experienced the art as an activity for young competitive athletes with a distinct pecking order of fighting ability clearly delineated by belt ranks. I imagine that will change over the coming decades as we get more and more practitioners who are my age or older and still on the mats.
Even for those who intellectually understand the inevitable march of time, there's probably some emotional adjustments to make as they transition from being able to effortlessly tap out everybody in class one after the other to struggling against a single lower ranked younger opponent. It's been easier on me because I didn't get my BJJ black belt until age 50 and I was never a top athlete, so I didn't have that lofty peak of fighting ability to descend from. Even so, I still get imposter syndrome from time to time. In my case, it's less about my ability (or lack thereof) to dominate guys who have half my age and three times my athletic attributes. It's more about the fact that BJJ is continually evolving technically. So that 20 year old competitive purple belt who has the stamina to train 7 days per week may have learned the latest technical refinements of a leg lock or the intricacies of a new guard system that I haven't had a chance to absorb yet.
You bet your sweet bippy.