We always have a big promotion day at both Bridgeport and Chalfont locations as the year comes to an end. It is the perfect time to take stock of the progress we have made this year on the mats. It is a truly humbling experience as the head instructor and coach to see how far the Hellfish BJJ students have come in the last 365 days.
Without fail, each student that made the consistent effort of getting to class and open mats to the best of their ability made improvements equal to their commitment to training. BJJ is a very unique martial art. There are no real forms or Katas. There are rarely formal standardized tests.
Promotions are based purely on individual merit.
How do you earn a promotion in Jiu Jitsu?
Whether it is a new stripe on an old belt or a whole new belt, the answer is the same. You show up. Put forth your best effort that is possible that day in learning and implementing the techniques you are working on and repeat as often as possible.
No tricks, no favoritism, no cheating or gaming the system just good old fashioned hard work towards the goal of constant improvement at something you find valuable and rewarding. It is the key to getting better at jiu jitsu and the key towards living a more fulfilling life.
Every student comes to the gym at a different starting point. Different levels of athleticism, fitness, mentality, time availability, and different goals and reasons for training. And because of that, your promotion is based not on how many people you can tap out in training, but how far you have come from where you started and how high your ceiling is for getting better.
Everyone is different, but the way forward is always the same. Consistent effort towards improvement to the absolute best of your ability.
This years promotions were special for a couple reasons. I was honored to promote several long time Hellfish BJJ students to higher belts including Steve Wilson becoming the 2nd ever Hellfish Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, and I also got to see the next generation of students learning and growing with the help of the senior students. This process is so cool to see and I cant wait to see what the next year will bring.
Some of the big promotions this year:
Darren Cocca- Blue Belt
Paul Puskar- Blue Belt
Chase Fettes- Blue Belt
Julian Custodia- Purple Belt
Jeremy Vassar- Purple Belt
Josh Vassar- Purple Belt
David Chour- Brown Belt
Peter Ngyuen- Brown Belt
JackieMorgan- Brown Belt
Brian Palakow- Brown Belt
Steve Wilson- Black Belt