skribs
Grandmaster
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2013
- Messages
- 7,748
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I want to be clear up front. I am not complaining about promotion times, or making any reference to someone getting promoted early or late. I'm just curious how black belts figure out the criteria for who should be promoted and when.
When I get a stripe, I don't know what the difference is between the day I got it, and the days before. I don't know what it is that my professor finally said, "Skribs is ready." Same for the other students. I am not aware of the decision-making process. I see that they are improving, and at some point in that improvement, they get a stripe. I've even had a friend complain to me, "I don't know what to work on to get my next stripe." It's generally considered taboo to ask about your own promotion status. It's even more out of line to ask about someone else.
Compare this with my experience in Taekwondo. It's very easy to learn who is ready for the next belt. You have a list of curriculum items that will be on the test. If the student can demonstrate those items, they're ready to test. I have tons of experience as an instructor, using this method to recommend to my Master who is ready to test, and then participating as a judge during the test. As a student, I was aware of this going on. I had my printout of what was going to be on the test, and I could check each item off as I memorized it.
How is it that black belts in BJJ go from the student that does not know when or why promotions are given out, to knowing when someone is ready?
When I get a stripe, I don't know what the difference is between the day I got it, and the days before. I don't know what it is that my professor finally said, "Skribs is ready." Same for the other students. I am not aware of the decision-making process. I see that they are improving, and at some point in that improvement, they get a stripe. I've even had a friend complain to me, "I don't know what to work on to get my next stripe." It's generally considered taboo to ask about your own promotion status. It's even more out of line to ask about someone else.
Compare this with my experience in Taekwondo. It's very easy to learn who is ready for the next belt. You have a list of curriculum items that will be on the test. If the student can demonstrate those items, they're ready to test. I have tons of experience as an instructor, using this method to recommend to my Master who is ready to test, and then participating as a judge during the test. As a student, I was aware of this going on. I had my printout of what was going to be on the test, and I could check each item off as I memorized it.
How is it that black belts in BJJ go from the student that does not know when or why promotions are given out, to knowing when someone is ready?