A Black Belt Should Mean You Can Defend Yourself
I love jiu-jitsu.
I love competition.
I love seeing how technical martial arts has become.
But I also believe we have to remember something.
Martial arts came from fighting.
That's why I believe a black belt should eventually mean that person has the ability to defend themselves.
That might be slightly controversial in modern martial arts, especially as different sports become more specialized.
There's nothing wrong with sport.
Sport gives us an incredible way to test ourselves.
There are rules that allow people to compete safely and push techniques to extremely high levels.
But rules also change behavior.
A position might be completely acceptable when punches aren't allowed.
Introduce punches and suddenly your decision-making changes.
Something might work beautifully when your opponent has agreed to participate in jiu-jitsu.
But what happens when that person doesn't care about jiu-jitsu?
They just want to hurt you?
Those are questions I think martial artists should continue asking.
Not because sport is bad.
I competed for most of my life.
I love sport.
But I don't want us to become so specialized that we forget why these skills were developed.
Sometimes in training, simply ask:
Could I protect my head here?
Could I stand up if I needed to?
Would I choose this position if strikes were involved?
What if there were no referee?
That doesn't mean every class needs to become a street fight.
It means understanding context.
I want students at CRANK Martial Arts to enjoy jiu-jitsu, grappling and competition.
But I also want them to understand the bigger picture.
Have fun with the sport.
Develop high-level skills.
But don't forget the art of protecting yourself.