r/judo • u/Twenty_Three_Hundred gokyu • Apr 27 '25
Other First belt promotion after 5 years
Before starting judo, I did 5 years of bjj. I had a miserable time because the people I trained with unfortunately were not the best. I accidentally pissed off one of the coaches with a misplaced joke when was about 15 (right when I first started) so he made sure I never got promoted. Not even after winning multiple tournaments in novice and white belt divisions. There weren't any other gyms in my area within a cycleable distance, so I just had to stick it out.
I started judo 3 months ago at a fantastic gym after moving for college. Today, I was promoted to yellow belt. After about 5 and a half years of training martial arts, this is my first ever belt promotion. I cannot even begin to explain how absolutely over the moon I am to have received this belt. I had to physically keep myself from crying while i tied it around my waist because it just felt like my efforts in martial arts we're being recognised for the first time ever.
I know a promotion to yellow belt probably isn't a huge deal, but I just wanted to share a moment that I will remember probably forever. Judo is the best! (Low quality pic for proof lol)
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u/miqv44 Apr 27 '25
Honest congrats man, I'm sorry you had such a terrible BJJ experience.
Promotion to yellow belt is ABSOLUTELY a huge deal! No longer a white belt, this belt means you kinda sorta know something about judo :)
For me the white belt promotion in judo was the most significant since as a natural striker who doesn't feel grappling it was a proof that "I endured".
Yellow belt promotion was nice as I got tired of wearing a white belt, but it was bittersweet as I got a concussion between my yellow belt exam (performance) and getting the yellow belt certificate (literally 3 minutes of newaza sparring between these 2 events and one idiot elbowed me behind my ear).
Still waiting for my orange belt promotion and I had a month of break in judo since my thumb got fractured on 1st April but I hope to be back on Tuesday
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u/Wizzord696 rokkyu Apr 27 '25
Congratulations brother !!
Can't imagine someone's ego stopping them from promoting you that's insane glad you made the move and are happy with what your doing!
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u/Psychological-Will29 sankyu - I like footsies Apr 27 '25
4 months in still white once a week though.....
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u/Baron_De_Bauchery Apr 27 '25
Belts are nice but they don't matter. What matters is that you improve. It's better to be a white belt that fights like a black belt than a black belt that fights like a white belt.
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u/Froggy_Canuck ikkyu Apr 27 '25
Dude, I was a white belt for a year at 2-3 times a week. So are most of the white belts with us. Don't worry about it. A lot of dojos overpromote, and ours actually goes at a slower pace where my sensei feels about a year per belt is appropriate, and I agree with him. So basically, we have really solid belts at all levels in our group.
Just enjoy the ride, I've met shitty black belts and awesome green belts. Belts almots mean nothing in the grand scheme of things, there are so many levels to this sport.
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u/Fluffy_Marionberry54 Apr 27 '25
Don’t worry about how long it takes, you’ll get there. Some clubs grade more often than others, and if you’re unsure ask your coach what you need to do to be ready.
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u/Twenty_Three_Hundred gokyu Apr 27 '25
Oh i definitely feel like i chased the promotion. I've been training 5 times a week every week for 3 months and now that I've got my yellow belt I can start attending the non-beginner classes too so I'll be going 7 days a week and doing randori on 4 of those days! Although I will say I'm blessed to be a University student and therefore have the benefit of youth and time on my side. Most of the people in my gym took anywhere from 7-10 months to get their yellow belts
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u/Psychological-Will29 sankyu - I like footsies Apr 27 '25
Yeah I work mid 30s male so after work I'm damn drained if I did a class it would roll over into the next work day and I need to keep a roof with bills paid. Wish I had done it sooner but better late than never.
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u/ProfessionalPin235 Apr 27 '25 edited Apr 27 '25
Yellow belt is the nicest belt because I like the colour and I miss mixing it with my blue gi
Edit: spelling
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u/pasha_lis nidan Apr 27 '25
Any milestone of learning is a huge deal! congratulations! As for your previous sensei, to be honest, if the joke was bad, it was pretty unprofessional from them to not promote you in 5 years. As senseis we have to leave the bad feelings aside and recognize the growth of the students.
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u/Vergi1ius Apr 27 '25
Are you in the Atlanta area by any chance? I could swear I’ve seen this picture posted on Atlanta Judo Midtown. Congrats in the promotion!!
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u/Shodai-Kurokage Apr 29 '25
Congratulations! And five years of BJJ without a promotion? Sorry to hear that. Hopefully as you continue your martial arts journey you can find another BJJ school along and snag a blue belt.
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u/Many_Librarian9434 Apr 30 '25
That's pretty shitty. You are probably at least green belt in ne waza you will progress quickly I am sure.
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u/Southern_Region_1600 Apr 30 '25
Congrats bro! Being promoted after years of martial arts is a huge thing! Keep going.
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u/No_Cherry2477 May 01 '25
Congratulations! Judo is a fantastic sport that you can continue with for many more years. Don't worry about the color, just think of the accomplishment.
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u/Agile_Rutabaga_343 Apr 27 '25
Oh . Why haven't you ever changed dojos?
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u/Twenty_Three_Hundred gokyu Apr 27 '25
There wasn't anywhere else to train at that time unfortunately. The options were to keep training with them or quit Jiu Jitsu altogether
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u/Ezy_Ryder00 Apr 27 '25
May I ask what was the joke?