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Many people join a martial arts program with aspirations of becoming a black belt. Some may even achieve their goal by the time they’re twelve or thirteen years old. I remember having a couple of classmates in middle school who claimed to be black belts in Taekwondo or Karate. They didn’t look any tougher than I did and I couldn’t imagine their “black belt” status helping them in combat. In hindsight, of course I realize that those kids likely had no real ability, but had been misguided into a sense of false confidence.
So what does it mean to be a black belt? Is it as simple as breaking a few boards or memorizing sequences of movement? Can one become a black belt purely by paying a membership? Unfortunately in some cases it is as simple as paying for ranking or breaking boards. One of the reasons why Brazilian Jiu-Jistu is so highly regarded for self defense is that belts must be earned through effort, consistency and true understanding of the art. For reference, the order of belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is white, blue, purple, brown, black. Nobody under sixteen years old is allowed to be promoted to blue belt level. This ensures that a child cannot hold a meaningful rank in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu because they are unlikely to be able to defend themselves against meaningful resistance. Adults training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu aren’t given an easy path to new belts either. A student must train multiple times per week and show true effort in class, drilling sequences daily and trying out new moves against resisting partners. It takes patience and persistence, the ability to make mistakes and get up to try again. It almost always takes literal blood, sweat and tears to rank up to a new belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
On average, it takes 10-12 years to earn a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This is one of the reasons why black belts are not a common occurrence. At Precision Boxing and MMA, we’re proud to have multiple black belts on our mats. Head coach Brian McLaughlin is currently a 3rd degree black belt and coach Karl Nemeth is about to earn his 2nd degree black belt. We also have black belts Dave Karchmer and Jon Garcia coaching throughout the week, happy to answer questions and provide insight to growing martial artists. Additionally we have a few brown belts on our mats, one of which is going to be joining the black belt club shortly. One of our long time students Erik Bengston is up for promotion and will become the fifth black belt on the Precision mats. Many schools are taught by purple or brown belts, some just have one black belt. We’re very thankful to have five black belts available to help our student body and elevate the level of the whole room.
Want to get started on your journey to black belt? Come train at the Hudson Valley’s premiere mixed martial arts academy. Call Precision Boxing and MMA at (845)392-8495 to click HERE to schedule your free one on one lesson!
About the Author
Oliver Swanson is a lifelong Hudson Valley resident and avid martial arts practitioner. Teaching kids and adult boxing classes throughout the week at Precision, Oliver is passionate about learning and developing his skills, as well as helping any newcomers who he shares the mats with.
