Clear Expectations
A lot of martial arts schools suffer from the “Unclear Expectations” problem. An instructor would walk in, the students wouldn’t know what is being taught that day and where it’s leading them and everything is left up to the whim of the teachers, including belt promotion. We try to avoid that by having clear expectations of our students and a fixed schedule.
Exams
You can read more about the Brazillian Jiu Jitsu ranking system here
In our school each different stripe and belt level have different requirements needed for completion.
Аt the end of every Autumn and Spring semester there is an exam. A minimum of 3 times a week of training will be required to qualify for an exam. However, it ultimately remains up to the discretion of the instructors, who will be allowed to attend a test.
Historically speaking, Brazillian Jiu Jitsu is a martial art that does not have exams since promotion relies heavily on the sparring ability of the student. We want to emphasize that we do believe that this should be the case. No student that does not have the ability to actually use the techniques in a real sparring situation will be allowed to advance forward. Simply attending the classes 3 times a week is not enough. It is usually known by an instructor, who actually deserves to be promoted. Thus for our school, an exam is actually of no baring consequences and is merely a ceremony that signifies the transition of a student to a higher level.
During an exam the students will be required to present all the techniques that they have studied during their respective belt level. What we ultimately look for in a techniques is control, smoothness of execution, understanding of the mechanics of the technique and most importantly - ability to explain and teach the technique.
Note: Due to the similarities of the arts of Judo and Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, Judo black belts compete in the Blue Belt division of BJJ competitions and we do believe that this should be the case. If you do have a belt in Judo, you will be allowed to carry that belt until you have achieved a belt in BJJ. This is merely to signify that you have experience in the grappling arts to other students so that there are no confusions.