said, you must not have trained…or cared…or you’re just lying. There usually isn’t a middle ground…unless you don’t have that competitiveness that self motivates you to go 110%. Many people quit or become much better at this stage.
But it was because Blue Belts are probably tested more than any other. 8 year Blue Belt! I went through my Blue Belt so quickly, and brutally, it’s the most worn out looking belt I have. Also, I’m a Purple Belt (& I actually have 4 stripes), and it didn’t take me near that long to reach. I agree…I have trained in 5 disciplines (Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai, Wrestling, and BJJ), and the only one that even has a belt system is BJJ. How many stripes do you have on your belt? Does every stripe feel like an achievement? Or do you value the work put in to get that stripe over the stripe itself? Personally I view stripes and belts as meaningful on the individual level but because of their arbitrary nature, how can we really attest to their significance? The stripe is a reassurance that you are heading in the right direction. It can be frustrating to roll with higher level competitors who have more time to train than you. Belts take a long time to earn in jiu jitsu and stripes are small victories that can keep practitioners who may not feel very confident in the game. I’ve also trained at schools that don’t offer stripes at all, because they view it as a cheapening of the belt itself.Īt the end of the day, stripes keep people interested. I’ve seen some of the very best competitors not get stripes added to their belts for a long time, and I’ve seen guys who practice casually get striped up quickly. What is the qualification for a stripe on a purple belt? Is it the working understanding of 5 more moves than prior to the stripe? 6? Is it 2 tournament wins? There are no universal qualifications for it therefore it is arbitrary. My stripe, your stripe, any individual’s specific stripe can mean a whole lot. The way I see it is that the stripe doesn’t matter. I won’t criticize the striping or belting process, but I am very interested in the broad terms with which we are often judged.
Just to be clear: I think the stripe can be a very valuable coaching tool, and it definitely has its place in our world.
Stripes meaning how to#
They also can serve as an indicator of how to roll with a person (a one stripe or no stripe guy may not be as good as someone with 3 or 4 stripes.) Some schools require a certain number of stripes on a white belt in order to even roll.
They give instructors a way to provide their students with tangible sort of feedback. One stripe is much further from the next belt than four stripes. Stripes are an indication of a person’s progression through their belt rank. Let’s take a look at why stripes exist, what their potential value is, and what their potential drawbacks are. Like belts, stripes can be relatively arbitrary, however stripes have an even deeper level arbitrariness (yes, that’s a word) as they do not have any bearing on competition. This is done by putting a little tape “stripe” on the bar of the belt of the person being promoted. Many academies have a system in place by which they promote between promotions.