Abraham La Montagne, a John Danaher brown belt, says Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has advanced faster than its belt standards.
On the Jits and Giggles podcast, he argued that most people wearing black belts should probably hold blue or purple instead.
He started by comparing ranks to academic credentials:
Nobody gets upset that they don’t have a PhD. I think you’re literally called a professor when you get a black belt, which is same as having a PhD or teaching at college.
The bar, he said, should rise with the sport:
Maybe back in the day, Helio Gracie time, you got a good half guard, maybe you’re a black belt. But today, jiu-jitsu is moving pretty fast. Leg locks, wrestling, passing…
If you can’t wrestle, if you can’t do leg locks, why are you considering yourself a black belt?
If a blue belt could just heel hook you at will, you’re probably not a black belt.
For La Montagne, the rank measures the ability to teach more than competition results:
The belts are indicative of teaching capability, not competition capability. We don’t call you the dominator when you get a black belt. They call you the professor…
If you can’t conceptualize or break down the ideas, I don’t think you should be a black belt and that should be okay.
You should be completely content with being a purple belt and a purple belt should be considered a very nice rank.
His view is shaped by Danaher’s approach to promotions:
My coach told me I was like the 12th brown belt he’s ever given… It should be like a real rare thing to get an upper belt…
When I got my brown belt from John, I’m like, I must actually deserve this because he doesn’t give it out to anybody.
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