Black Belt on the Mats, Black Spot on the Sport

Does having a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt tied around your waist equate to all walks of life? You’d be an absolute moron if you believe this is so. This would be the equivalent of asking the best car mechanic you know to perform cardiac surgery on you because your body’s “engine” is out of whack. Not only does being a genius in a complex martial art not mean you’re a genius in other areas, it also does not translate to your morality of a person either. While earning a black belt is an incredible and admirable achievement, and often times rightfully-so garners respect, is not at all equitable to respect as a person. A belt is a piece of material that keeps your gi closed, it is not indicative of what a genuinely “good” person you are. In fact, there are a number of reprehensible people in the Jiu Jitsu community that have achieved said rank of black belt, and there are people across all ranks of the sport who I would not only want to associate with, I’d be inclined to make sure they weren’t allowed training within my academy.

Stories crop up all the time about black belts, instructors, and sometimes even world renowned athletes who have committed disgusting acts of violence, sexual assault, derisive and disgusting behavior, or else turned a blind eye to any of the above aforementioned dilemmas. In fact, the New York Times recently featured an entire story dedicated to this ‘black spot’ on the Jiu Jitsu community. Sure, it takes determination, ambition, and discipline to ultimately receive your Jiu Jitsu blackbelt, but this doesn’t exclude you from being a shitty person in other aspects of life. It’s unfortunate that some people will darken and stain the sport many of us hold near and dear to our hearts, but we can’t allow these cancerous people to poison the sport as a whole. Instead, we must cut out the toxicity of these individuals and keep removing the rotten parts to not allow them to infect everything we have strived so hard to built.

Be careful who you choose as your leaders and your mentors and be wary of idolization and hero worship. There are many disingenuous people who thrive off of power and control, and use it to exert their authority over naive students who have willingly put their trust and their faith in these upper belts. Of course, there are plenty of black belts and instructors who are exemplary human beings, the two are not mutually exclusive. But there are people that exist that seek out positions of power to exert their influence over impressionable young minds. Aging brings a lot of detriment to the sport when it comes to deterioration of the body and requiring more recovery time to bounce back from grueling training sessions, but it does bring with it life’s wisdom to know when the wool is being pulled over your eyes. It’s just unfortunate that experiencing people’s ulterior motives is what wises you up to being more readily prepared for the future.

To elaborate further on the above, there are plenty of leaders and teachers in the community that not only are excellent at their respective art, they possess a moral compass of grit and value that should be respected and renowned by all who know them. If you are lucky enough to have these kind of mentors in your life, treasure them whilst you can, because so many others will never be quite as fortunate. There are so many instructors who go above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to Jiu Jitsu, and many will regard these people as a paternal-type of person and adult figurehead they can look to for encouragement, advice, and leadership. The head professor at my academy has gone out of his way to travel to coach for every type of tournament and fight imaginable just so his students would never feel alone or abandoned. He is always there to provide words of wisdom and coaching to all who step into his academy, and he always says it is something he has learned from his professor, as gym culture and leadership trickles from the top down. It is why it is important that the top starts out with the highest degree and caliber of a human, so it never deteriorates along the way.

To all the black belts out there, whether you chose to be a role model or instructor or leader or what have you, know that many will regard you as one simply for the color of your cloth. If you seek out personal vendettas against other gyms, tournaments, or affiliations, your students and teammates may follow suit, even if you are in the wrong. The things you do will ultimately influence the lower-ranks around you, so for the integrity of the sport, choose your words wisely and your actions even more carefully. Being a vitriolic individual will only tarnish your reputation and those who associate with you, wittingly or not. Being a leader may not be something you ever ask for, but if you are ever appointed with such a title or role, wear it proudly and distinguish it honorably. No matter what you may think, there will be people watching how you think, act, and conduct yourself. And while not everyone may be a fan of you as a coach or competition, the content of your character and morality as a human should never come into question. Be that black belt on the mats, and in life.