Why have promotions?
Simply put, promotions are a form of measurement. It's like getting a letter grade in school. Some teachers give out the grades based on a high standard of moral objectivity - therefore making the grade credible. Other teachers hand out promotions like candy - as a sign of favoritism and manipulation - not based on real achievement.
For many people, the idea of getting a promotion creates an incentive to strive for improvement. One creates goals and maps out a plan on how to achieve those goals. That's all good, but in this day and age people want things sooner than later.
Many times desiring that black belt or whatever promotion becomes a trap. The goal becomes the only thing that matters and "the love of the game" that garnered that achievement is ignored. I know from first hand experience. I fell into that trap myself many times over the past 25 years.
One loses the fun of just "doing it." And if you don't enjoy what you are doing, then I suggest you stop wasting your time and find something you do enjoy - life is too short to waste on a "power trips" and "ego trips."
Promotions are not the "be all, end all" of your path. Randy Couture, Quinton Jackson, and Dan Henderson don't have black belts in any martial art - but that doesn't prevent them from being World Champions in MMA.
Now, we do want to recognize people whose games have "ramped up." So we thought about passing a toy WWE belt around and post the person's picture on the internet. We always work stand-up, clinch, and ground so the criteria for someone being recognized as “ramping up” means improvement in all 3 areas. It may seem like a funny put-down on traditional martial arts or belt rankings, but it's not. The promotions are an honest recognition of one's hard work and achievement.
Only difference is, we all agree on each other's promotions (explaining why), we share one belt, pass it around, and then forget about it.
Tim is a great young man who has ramped up 1 time (especially in his clinch and ground work). He used to come to me for privates in boxing, but when Al opened the gym, I told Tim he should try all three (stand-up, clinch, and ground). He ramped up last Friday, so I apologize for not getting this recognition to him sooner.
Al is co-founder of the gym. This guy has ramped up 2 times. Like me, he's had great coaches in the past, but this promotion recognizes improvement based solely on his performance since we opened the Gym. Al is a great coach with valuable lessons to share. He is also a true friend who gives from his heart and not his ego.
Luka is another great young man that I am truly blessed to work with. Luka has ramped up 3 times since the gym has opened and he is our most improved person. That's no surprise to anyone at the gym - day in and day out, he is always there training - like a true professional. Luka is presently our only professional fighter and it works out great since he gets our utmost attention preparing for his fights.
Stanley has ramped up 1 time due to his training experience in the mainland. Stanley recently stuck his neck out to see what it was like to train in a US gym affiliated with a popular MMA Champion. Day one, they had Stan go against the top guy in their gym. The next day they stuck Stan with the Assistant Instructor. Long story short, Stan dominated both of them. Stan validated our unique training method and proved that just because your gym is part of a big organization, it doesn't mean that you're getting the best attention needed to get good at MMA.
Yours truly. I have ramped up 1 time since the gym opened. Being close to 39 years old, it's hard to see improvement since I'm not what I used to be. I think my clinch has improved as well as my ground technically. My striking is alright, but not like it was when I was in my mid twenties.
So There! Sim Sala Bim! Voila!
We do promotions this way so that we never lose sight that the main goal of the gym is to HAVE FUN! Enjoy your journey in the martial arts and don't worry about where you'll end up. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not here... All we have is NOW!
Get your game to ramp-up, let go of the attachment, and move on. It's okay to want that recognition and validation if you've spent years working hard on your game. It's just that being unrecognized and unvalidated should be the least of your worries if you're just starting out. Our gym has only been around for 5 months, so getting a new belt promotion is the last thing on our minds.
The incentive to strive to become a better fighter should never overshadow the enjoyment of playing the game. Enjoy yourself. Thank God you have the health and ability to enjoy your training. Forget about who wins or loses or the color of canvas around your waist.
Just think, the time wasted collecting clothing, plastering cars with logos, getting tattoos, and generally acting like a tough guy could have been better spent working on a crisp right cross/left hook combo.
So train hard, be dedicated, and work on your game. If you’re too lazy to do that, then quit and find something REAL to do. Go spear fishing or something... Life is too valuable to waste on juvenile fantasies of being a powerful badass... You'll probably end up in jail for it!
If you are concerned about defending your family, go buy a gun.
