r/judo gokyu Apr 27 '25

Other First belt promotion after 5 years

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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/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.