Proper response when receiving new belt

[Zoltan97]

Man, I hope none of my students read this forum. They might do that just to see what I say. Did I mention my classes are kind of informal?

Good way to nip that in the bud is choke out the first person who says it... or give them a good paddling with their new belt.

 

[kuniggety]

I told my wife I wanted to have the promoted student attack with a weapon, use the belt in my defense, and just drop it on them after they hit the ground. "Nice attack. Now go change your belt." She was not amused.

I'd do it, haha. Make it fun and memorable.

Edit: just realized this gives me my MT black belt. If only a BJJ one were this easy.

 

[jks9199]

I have definitely heard of Sensei throwing a belt at a student and saying "Put this on, I'm sick of looking at the other one."

Not quite that bad...

But I've certainly been known to announce to the class that someone is out of uniform, and have them step forward to be corrected...

Generally, we're not very formal about it. Sometimes, we'll test them and, if so, award the belt if they complete the testing properly. Often as not, we handling it at the beginning of class, noting that so-and-so has done well, etc. and award the belt. The student is not expected to do anything but receive the belt, return to line, and continue to train hard.

 

[Midnight-shadow]

I'm not jumping the gun and assuming I made orange belt after testing. If anything I should be demoted (no belt!) for how bad I did. Honestly I screwed up o goshi...

Anyway, when someone does get promoted, what is the typical response when you get called up to your sensei? We've only had a handful of promotions since I joined and I can't remember what they did.

Since it's your first promotion, your instructor should tell you the expected etiquette when receiving your new belt.

 

[Dirty Dog]

Here's how we do it:
We read the first persons certificate ("Since the Members of the Committee of Promotions have agreed to promote [Your Name Here] to [Your New Rank Here], I hereby award them this certificate"). They come up, Shake hands with the instructors, remove their old belt, we strap on the new one, there's applause, and they go back.
Repeat as needed.
Now get back to work.

Frankly, it's nothing to worry about. It's not like they're going to strip you of your new rank if you fumble a bow or something.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

Proper response is to strut in front of the class with your new belt and announce "That's right! About time! Any of you losers want to mess with me now that I'm wearing this bad boy? I didn't think so!"

Trust me, your instructor will be very impressed that you were familiar with the correct etiquette.

More seriously, in most of the schools I've been to, the student just gets called up, congratulated, and handed their rank certificate if there is one. The student says thank you, shakes the instructor's hand, and goes back to their place in line. When I got my BJJ black belt, all the other black belts got to throw me as part of the congratulations, but that's not a universal practice.

 

[drop bear]

pretty sure you just fight your instructor for his belt.

 

[ShortBridge]

I usually tear my shirt off, flex, and shout "Yeah! How do you like me now?"

 

[JR 137]

Last time I was called up for a new belt went exactly like this...

 

[Ironbear24]

For us it's pass test which is usually integrated into the rest of the class. He calls out techniques that the whole class does as well some self defense drills. For the higher belts I have seen sparring as a test, we usually say nothing upon receiving the belt, we bow while on our knees as the belt is presented. Then the one who earned the belt gets punched as customary at the end of every class. Then all the other students congradulate the person who got it.