BJJ black belt and eco approach to training BJJ advocate Greg Souders has offered a controversial perspective on the role of belt promotion in the modern world.
In a discussion on The Mayn Idea Podcast, Souders argued that the current focus on belts is misguided.
Specifically speaking, Souders believes the belt system has become increasingly arbitrary and subjective – with promotions varying widely across different schools:
If I go out there in the world and beat somebody who is a certain rank, I’m probably of that same caliber, so here’s your belt.
But honestly, it’s arbitrary.
This lack of consistency, he suggests, diminishes the value of what a belt truly signifies.
And undermines the significance of each promotion.
Souders also criticized the way belts are often used as marketing tools by schools to retain students.
In other words, the promise of steady promotions – akin to handing out gold stars in kindergarten and elementary school – keeps practitioners engaged…
But doesn’t necessarily reflect their skill level nor true progress in the art:
We’re adults, we shouldn’t still be worried about the gold star.
At his school, students must prove their abilities in live sparring against higher-ranked opponents before being considered for promotion:
If you’re not performing (desirable) outcomes against other white belts, then I’m never going to belt you.
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