Photo: Moses Keith Diaz
The belt ego is a real thing. No blue belt minds tapping to a purple belt, but god help them if that blue belt ever taps them. When it does happen, the reactions can go several ways, most of them not so good. It can ruin the vibe of the class quickly, causing underlining tension and extreme self doubt. So if and when you do get tapped by a lower belt, what is the most effective and proper way to deal with it?
First of all, there are many factors to consider when taking into account why you got tapped out. Size, strength, reaction timing, endurance, power, speed, mindset, and age all play a role in who has the advantage. Technique and strategy are not the only factors in combat, otherwise 55 year olds would be winning the UFC belts and ADCC titles every year. In a perfect world, the belt color around your waist would guarantee your results and with your ego it kind of does, but in reality, besides death and taxes, nothing is a guarantee.
The popular BJJ black belt Tom DeBlass who has competed at the highest level, UFC, ADCC & IBJFF Worlds, also taps in training to his lower belt students. The way he deals with it tells us a lot about adopting the right attitude:
It’s funny, I got reverse triangle by my purple belt tonight. Guess what, I didn’t feel embarrassed one bit. If I am able to get submitted in training by a purple belt, when I’ve competed on the biggest no gi stages and been a black belt for 9 years, and care less about it, why are so many of you getting bent out of shape about bad training?
Training is where we improve. Toughen up, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and live to kick ass tomorrow. THE ONLY ONES THAT NEVER GET TAPPED ARE THE ONES WHO NEVER TRAIN!
We all have an ego, it serves a purpose, but also hinders our progress in life and on the mats. We train to improve ourselves and if we have a training partner that is able to expose a weakness, be thankful and not defensive regardless of the belt color. It happens now and then for a variety of reasons. Enjoy your training, get over yourself and leave the ego at the door.
