If Karate adopted the BJJ way of promoting

[bushido_man96]

Honestly, I wouldn't get too worked up over the idea that an instructor promotes when he sees fit. I do believe that is how the majority of BJJ schools have done it, and I really don't believe being socially awkward is going to hinder your ability to achieve rank, unless you choose to avoid working with partners altogether, which would be an obvious concern.

Another thing to keep in mind is that horror stories are usually just that; an event that someone heard about, and may not have experienced, that happens outside of what we would view as the "norm," and then it gets focused on and almost sensationalized to the point that it is foremost in our minds, and therefore we think of that rare event as "the norm," or at the very least, as a common occurrence, which it is not.

[DarthPenguin]

I'm interested in BJJ. I really am. I want to get my black belt in karate first, and I'm also looking to start Judo real soon. I'm looking to have that "triple threat" of eight-point striking, stand-up grappling, and ground grappling.

However, of the two USJA schools in my area, I've only visited one. On the USJA website, it says there's supposed to be testing. But the one I've visited doesn't appear to have them. The instructor simply promotes you when he feels you deserve it.

So what am I doing? Heading right on over to the other dojo soon to see if they test at regular intervals. And if they do, then that's where I'm going.

I freely admit that I'm a bit socially awkward and may therefore not be able to draw enough of the instructor's attention to myself for whatever I'm doing to be noticed and rewarded.

I'm also hearing horror stories in BJJ about people who are doing everything correctly and are performing better than others that got promoted, but the reason they were passed over was because of their "attitude" or some other nonsense like that. So then, I suppose I need to figure out the funk I need to start faking in order to get promoted.

...yeah, I don't have time for any of that mess.

The only way I'd do BJJ is if a school exists that doesn't have belt ranks AT ALL.

I wouldn't get too worried about this : the only time i have ever heard anyone at a bjj school be worried about attitude is making sure people are respectful to their training partners and don't hurt needlessly. Tbh attitude seems to matter more at karate (from my experience). At every grading we do the examiner comments on the students attitude and it is quite obvious that a good attitude can outweigh the odd mistake

Regarding some people seeming to get promoted faster it can be down to a tonne of things : maybe the one being promoted slower is really into competition - no point promoting them too quickly and into a division that is beyond their ability. Maybe the person who 'looks like' they are so much better really arent - they might be muscling everything, using only one of two techniques, just not 'get it'.

Tbh the path to a bjj black belt is so long that you will have plenty of time to make adjustments or changes if you need to en route. It will take you a decade at least (unless you are an amazing competitor at world level!). So do it if you think you will enjoy it. I wouldn't personally do it as a belt hunt though as it takes too long and there is no guarantee at all that you will ever get it.

[Sailor Sindbad]

Tbh the path to a bjj black belt is so long that you will have plenty of time to make adjustments or changes if you need to en route. It will take you a decade at least (unless you are an amazing competitor at world level!). So do it if you think you will enjoy it. I wouldn't personally do it as a belt hunt though as it takes too long and there is no guarantee at all that you will ever get it.

IF I ever get into BJJ, it won't be until after I get my karate black belt, but I do intend to start judo by the end of this summer.

I think it would be easier for me to disregard belts if I've already got a black belt (or two) from elsewhere.

[DarthPenguin]

Tbh the path to a bjj black belt is so long that you will have plenty of time to make adjustments or changes if you need to en route. It will take you a decade at least (unless you are an amazing competitor at world level!). So do it if you think you will enjoy it. I wouldn't personally do it as a belt hunt though as it takes too long and there is no guarantee at all that you will ever get it.

IF I ever get into BJJ, it won't be until after I get my karate black belt, but I do intend to start judo by the end of this summer.

I think it would be easier for me to disregard belts if I've already got a black belt (or two) from elsewhere.

Best of luck then! Judo is a lot of fun but i have had to put it on the backburner for now. two young mini people means not much time to train, so i do bjj at work lunchtimes and karate is in evening. Judo is pretty hard on the body though so factor that in when deciding what to start when!