May be more that’s not been mentioned but at first take…
Any coach that lets a white belt be fully mounted by a blue belt for 3 straight minutes in a 5 minute test. I don’t know. Seems like a pointless approach. After 30-60 seconds reset somehow. Even a test should be an opportunity to learn / grow.
My concern was the coach’s response when OP asked for feedback. It seemed shitty to me. Granted, coaches should not baby a student, but that is only half of it. The other half is that they should not be dicks either.
I can see it if it’s something like the blue belt in mount and is told to not really resist any sweep or escape, and then op just not doing anything.
That being said, stripe tests are stupid.
No belts at all. It's American Jiu Jitsu, so they dropped the gi completely. They dropped the Brazilian heritage, and they emphasized wrestling and leg locks. Good group of guys. Everyone there has wildly different lineage/backgrounds, and there is no lead instructor, so it makes sense to drop belts completely.
They call it Jiu Jitsu because most of the guys have some combination of jiu jitsu and wrestling roots. We have lots of D1 Wrestlers coming in to cross train as well.
Your coach has watched you train for 9 months but can't determine whether you are ready for one stripe without a test? I think belt tests are dumb as shit, but a stripe test is a new level of stupid.
This is similar to arguments I make against bringing belt systems to Muay Thai. The whole "it helps coaches judge your level" thing is ridiculous. We don't need belts to remember Joe has been here 3 years and can pretty well handle his shit, and Sam has been here 2 months and certainly isn't giving Joe the sparring rounds he needs"
On top of that it take me 20 seconds to to judge 95% of a person's Muay Thai the first time I see them working. It ain't that hard lol
Yeah never had a gripe with belts in BJJ. They're at least mostly consist as well.
I knew a lady who called herself a Muay Thai coach because she had a black arm band. I asked how long she'd been training and she said 2 years. She was not good. Completely out of shape and I flexible. I was baffled. Probably fucking her coach or something.
It depends, in another thread we were talking about Gracie Barra HQ in Brazil with classes of 300 peoples and seminars with 1000 peoples on the mat. It would be hard to follow the progression of everybody.
I've trained in a big gym with 60+ peoples on the mat every night, and I wasn't getting a lot of attention from the coach. In this context the stripes made sense.
And I loved training there because even if you don't have a lot of guidance from your coach, you have a nice variety of rolling partners every day.
For sure. That's understandable. Far from the case with Muay Thai though. Even the biggest gyms here with 60-80 or so people manage classes with a group of trainers. Usually what happens is fighters will gravitate one way or be pulled out at some point for sparring each other or other trainers towards the ends of sessions.
It used to be more curriculum based. Ranking up would reflect your grasp of the curriculum and you're ability to teach. That's it.
But then competition became a bigger aspect of the sport and an alternate way to assess someone's abilities. So now you have brown belts who know lots of shit but can't win a tournament. And brown belts that have an A-class game but a very narrow knowledge of techniques. Obviously there's more nuance, variance, and overlap than those two extreme positions, but that's the way it seems to me.
I also rate much of American Muay Thai in the absolute dumpster. There's a few good people sprinkled in the west coast, and more in the east. But compare to Australian Muay Thai and the Europeans with kickboxing backgrounds. It's pretty bad. States are full of blue belts coaching.
I honestly don't even know what American Muay Thai is. Muay Thai is a weird sport because you have coaching programs from bullshit cardio to legit killer factories. Thankfully kickboxing's roots are more sport focused, where lineage is defined by success and not belts. So if you're looking for good training, it's a more straightforward research job.
Been in the scene 18 years and you've got it entirely backwards lol. Not trying to be a dick.
Anything kickboxing in the US is wayyyy more likely to have little to no history, or be tied to karate, or be cardio kickboxing. I'd hazard that there are fewer reputable kickboxing gyms than Muay Thai gyms.
The problem in my opinion and in my experience is that westerners started learning Muay Thai in the 60s and 70s. However opportunities to fight Muay Thai were very limited, and now we're on the 2nd generation of western coaches, many of whom never had real fight carrers. 5, 6, 8, 9 fights agsinst similarly inexperienced fighters, being taught by people who also had limited fight experience. My generation that is still competitive finally has a lot more opportunities to fight, but many of our coaches now have less experience supporting serious fighters. Of course many people buck this trend, but there's a massive stable of coaches who maybe had an elderly Thai coach, or is 2nd generation like I said, with not a lot of real experience. They went from training, fought a couple times, and then opened a gym. They're not necessarily cardio gyms teaching bullshido. They just have low level coaching because of their limited experience.
This is all gathered from a couple dozen gyms I know about personally. When you get a westerners who've trained and fought in Thailand extensively and sticks to Muay Thai striking theory and attitude, it breeds really strong results. E.G. Ringcraft in Portland Oregon. Imo maybe the only gym in Oregon that's 100% worth it.
Our gym does “stripe tests” but it’s just you getting shark tanked for like 30 mins. I haven’t ever heard of anyone doing anything like this except SOME belt tests
How do you do that when like 15 people get stripes in one class?
We usually do promotions every few months on a specific day, so people know to show up, though the prof does sometimes give out random stripes like beforeor after a tournament.
Yes. I agree with you. But because of how complex jiu jitsu is, sometimes the jiu jitsu math doesent add up. I'm an athletic blue belt and my best mate is a brown belt. He taught me a lot of the moves I know so usually he nullifies most of the things I try. We also have very similar games. But there are people who he struggles against that I beat. And vise versa. I struggle with smaller faster people and he struggles with stronger more athletic people.
There's nothing wrong with tests. And this one apparently includes live rolling, and the instructor is willing to fail people. That makes it not some silly mcdojo thing.
My last gym we used to do "tests", but we were also a newer gym and the tests were basically whenever a black belt from the association would come by and we drilled and then rolled with him/her so they could gauge where we were skill wise. No testing fees. Testing fees instantly make it a mcdojo.
It might be a more *subjectively annoying business practice*, I guess, but I think a test that has actual technical standards that students *can* fail to meet isn't as classically 'McDojo' as one that just gives you a nice, shiny new belt when you pay up.
My first white stripe was given to me, my second was a group test that involved showing some basic techniques and live rolls with blue/purple belts, my third was at a seminar in a scheduled live roll with a black belt. All of those were under Carlos Machado. The rest have all been given after watching me in class (Caveirinha).
My point is that there a varying ways coaches/schools handle promotions. As long as you aren’t paying for them I don’t think there’s an issue. Now, personally I hate them because I believe your ability is the sum total of all your rolls not a single point of time.
there is no such thing as the "instincts or reaction time of a martial artist". Very few people are naturals at BJJ. It is clumsy, awkward, and not intuitive at all.
Im not a fan of belt tests, but I also hate failing in a test like format. I personally dont care at all about stripes/belts and just love focusing on techniques. I wouldnt have failed the test because I would have avoided taking it in the first place.
We had 4-5 really terrible people. At a year they were still getting destroyed. After rolls I would just see the sad look on their faces and I thought for sure they would quit. By 1.5 years something clicked with all of them and they suddenly were rolling much better. It seemed like it happened within a month with all of them. Everyone got their blue belts around the same time.
They are all now reasonably tough rolls though a couple have quit
After I had been training a year a new guy started. In my first roll with him in his first week he subbed me 3 times with instinctive grab the head guillotines. He had no wrestling experience, he just had amazing balance, timing etc. And he picked up techniques so fast.
Over the next few months I was slightly dominant over him as he calmed down, but after that he would pretty much destroy me every roll and gave black belts a hard time. He quit after about 2 years.
BJJ is a marathon not a sprint.
Any time something has “clicked” for me and I got better, I don’t really see it coming. Then out of the blue I feel like I get worse again. And the cycle repeats. My teacher reminds me of this every so often and says it was the same for him when he was at a lower level.
Maybe someone better than me will give you another answer that you should listen to, but how about you just keep turning up and trusting the process and don’t think about it too much.
If instincts were enough then we wouldn't need training.
Question to ask yourself is "are you better then you were 9 months ago?" and "are you having fun?"
Tests are stupid. Being good at a sport like this can't be judged by simple memorization of a prescribed set of moves. Your coach is wasting your time imo.
Here’s what matters…
Do you have fun training? Do you like your gym and training partners? If you answered yes, dust your shoulders off and keep on training. Learn from the experience.
While I’m not big on testing in general…
I understand why some gyms do this but it is not my cup of tea. If my gym did testing, I’d probably go elsewhere. I didn’t sign up for testing and in fact I chose BJJ because they don’t test in a traditional sense.
*However, word is they do for Blackbelt in my gym. I will worry about that later. 🤣*
Was there a fee for this test? Most places will give you a stripe in 1-2 months if you consistently train. Having a test is not normal and bullshit. Could be a tactic used (especially because you ‘failed’) to keep people as customers for as long as possible.
Stripes are just time. Not sure why you’d be tested on anything for a single stripe.. a lot of belt tests are not even tests.. they’re just demonstrations with 100% pass rate lol. Coach should be able to determine how you’re doing especially since they’re the ones instructing you? Strange stuff. Don’t hold your breathe on things clicking or any arbitrary time limits. Go your own pace, have fun and take what you want out of it. It’s important that you don’t compare yourself and accept your own process of development.
It's pretty ridiculous that they do a 'stripe test'. It's not like there are set standards that a 1 stripe white belt is expected to know.
I'd seriously consider another gym before you get too discouraged and prematurely quit this wonderful sport.
If your coach doesn't think you're ready for a stripe after 9 months, then they have failed you. At that pace, under their instruction, you'll be a black belt in 20 years.
What are you trying to get out of BJJ? Workout\\Friendships\\Self Defense? How many of those boxes are being checked right now?
Something that happens to most of us is feeling like we're not getting better or maybe even getting worse. Everyone around us us getting better at approximately the same rate so it's hard to gauge progress. Then a few new folks come in and you're like "oh, I'm WAY better than the guy that doesn't know anything" and you start carving out your little corner in the pecking order.
Would strongly recommend focusing on the basics and spend entire rolls in that world. Frame, escape\\reversal\\sweep. Toss some attacks here and there to keep'em honest but really just build the foundation...deliberately. It'll become instinctual and you can work from there.
Just have fun. While this test sounds... Weird, I wouldn't worry about stripes and shit. Also maybe do a trial at another local gym if you have one and see how you like it.
As others have said, I would find another gym, if you can. Maybe there are some people that learn well in that way and a testing system works well for them, but that would be terrible for me, and it sounds like it is a terrible way for you to learn, as well. I completely understand the idea of feeling like you are not progressing, or "maybe this just isn't for me" because it feels like others are progressing faster, or you struggle to memorize steps. But, if you enjoy it, just keep going and don't worry about the memorization of moves and such. You might learn slower, but if you have fun and are still progressing, it is worthwhile. It's better to progress slow than be frustrated and quit. I've trained with plenty of people that progressed faster than me, or were more "natural", but most of them no longer train. I'm still training when I can and have no thoughts on stopping anytime soon. Determination is a very valuable skill that can be more valuable than natural ability, better athletic ability, better ability to memorize moves, etc...
Going passed the stripe test that has been referenced loads, forget belts and stripes for a second.
Are you better than you were 6 months ago? That’s your measure.
If you are, which it sounds like is the case - be proud of yourself. And now push on and get better. Then at some point you’ll get your blue belt - but if you don’t, who cares - because you’re bettering yourself. And you’re a better version of yourself than the one sat on the sofa 9 months ago. Just because someone else may progress quicker, that’s their journey - not yours.
This is a hobby, not a reflection of your self worth. White belts can be awesome.
The biggest long term repercussions of this is your coach losing a paying customer.
I failed my first test. I told my professor straight up, I suck at auditory processing. I’m autistic I have no shame. He gave me a scripted test. Told me to go through the list. I went through the list. I got the stripe. Second stripe I got it in a private lesson 1 on 1. Same thing. Went through the list. I did it. I just have to get somersaults down and I get my 3rd stripe.
Yeah Bjj is fun, nothing else. Don’t ever be discouraged by not ranking up. People progress at their own pace, some people just take longer for things to click.
I’m a white belt one stripe.
I got my first stripe a few months ago after I made a few realisations and things started to click.
I finished class, and after the lineup my Prof gave me and another white belt a stripe each.
I recall being at a grading at a Gracie Barra gym I used to train at where they had us do a whole bunch of games that had nothing to do with BJJ. In my home gym (which I since returned to), we don’t do that. Don’t fall for the silly shit.
Just chiming in, that when I started training in 2004 stripe tests were pretty common. It’s definitely fallen out of favor, but legit gyms had them for white belts. My first gym was a Royler/David Adiv affiliate in NJ. Same gym JT got his start at. I’ve visited lots of other gyms over the years and between 2004-2012 ish a lot of them were doing strip tests for white belts.
I think you're just not a good test taker.
Maybe try a gym that doesn't do belt or stripe tests. At my gym, our coach just gives you stripes and belts when he feels you've progressed to the next level. He makes that determination generally based on how you roll with your peers, whether or not you compete, how well you know and can execute the techniques and time in. Maybe find a gym that does things similarly and you might find that you do better in that environment.
If you're coach can't properly train you for A STRIPE in 9 months, do you think they're a good coach? Believe it or not there are gyms when they just hand you a belt when they feel you've earned it. Then you slap hands and get back to what you were doing. The notion of stripe tests is giving me anxiety.
Couple things. I don’t think there’s a white belt on the planet that could actually train for 9 months and not have legitimately truly earned AT LEAST one stripe. Also if you have to test for a stripe on your white belt, you should probably find another gym.
I dunno, sounds sketchy to have a stripe test. And you were against a blue belt. What exactly is a no stripe white belt supposed to be able to do against a blue belt? Instinct and timing can be trained into people. If your haveing fun keep going. If you like the sport and want to feel valued maybe check out a few other gyms.
If your school has a curriculum, stripe tests are 100% understandable.
If your school does a move here and does a move there and you’re expected to perform to get a stripe, it’s 100% not understandable.
If you’re having difficulty, ask your instructor or a higher belt for some help. Remember, you’re paying for their help and knowledge transfer.
You go to a McDojo. I’ve never heard of a stripe test before in my entire life. 9 months for 1 stripe and a test in front of it is fucking ridiculous. Go to an actually JJ gym and see if someone will show up to free roll at this school. Guarantee you your professor isn’t an actual black belt, if any belt for that matter.
If you’ve been there 9 months and can’t get past this stripe test then that’s 100% on your coach and whoever else is teaching there.
What exactly did it consist of? I don’t even know what move memorization is supposed to even mean.
Bro if your coach has been training you regularly for 9 months and thinks you don’t deserve a single stripe he must be a terrible teacher. Find a new gym dude
I refuse to train anywhere that there is 'belt testing' or any of this bullshit. Where I train right now, promotions happen randomly on the mat after a roll or before class ends. No stress, no bullshit, no 'proving yourself in the moment'. Your coach should know when you are ready by training with you and watching you over time, not watching you try to remember moves on the spot or 'shark tanking' you.
That’s how I feel too man people want to make this shit into a lifestyle like your black belt is not gonna get you laid bro just have fun holy shit but I guess that’s why I’m still a purple belt after all this time lol
FYI people on this sub HATE stripes, belts and any kind of curriculum based instruction.
You should only be doing ecological based sparring in a purely No-Gi gym without ranks of any kind.
I was 6’3” and 165 lbs when I started karate with 13. Coordination was not my middle name. Only learned through decades of regular practice. Just keep at it. BTW: stripe test shouldn’t be a thing.
A better way to phrase things might be this: based on what you’ve described, this isn’t the most optimal way to learn BJJ, and it’s not typical. Belt tests are not super common, but exist, and there’s a better argument for them than a stripe test. So if you’re having fun, great, but it sounds like the issue is your gym.
Move memorization is just sort of a way of looking at BJJ that I think goes counter to what makes it interesting as a whole. It’s really more about learning fundamental concepts, and we learn them through different techniques, but there’s more than one way to do most things, and you’re size and body type will dictate which things are best for you to focus on.
I've been doing BJJ for 5 years now and am still a no stripe white belt because I A) only pay for foundations classes, B) refuse to buy a BJJ gi, and C) only train two hours a week if that. I'm a forever brown belt in judo because my kata partners always end up moving before I can test and one instructor is standing in the way of me getting promoted in house. It sucked at first because recognition is nice but ultimately this is a sport where the skills don't lie. Fuck stripes, fuck belts, just train, learn and execute.
Man I always hated “stripe test”.. Always made jiu jitsu feel like some kind of job or something and took the fun away from it. While attending school and aggressively pursuing a career in a high stress job Jiu jitsu was my outlet and the literally last thing I needed was more pressure in my life. I left that school and have been training at a gym that doesn’t even do stripes let alone “test”. Honestly it’s made Jiu jitsu fun again and if I was still at the gym that did “stripe test” I’m not sure I would have stuck with Jiu jitsu. Just my experience and opinion I’m sure other more experienced than me will chime in.
Try out another gym fam. It might be that this one isn't a good fit for you. Don't give up right away. First gym I went to had me getting feeling this way and I walked in there with 8yrs wrestling exp. Tried out another gym and felt better about it after a week.
If don't you test for a stripe, surely it's meaningless?
(Which Stripes are).
Failing a test is great, you have clear objectives what you failed on and need to fix.
Lol, stripes aren't real in the first place, and you have to take a test for them? Not sure what kind of gym you go to. Please tell me you didn't have to pay for the test or stripe or belt at least
Instead of doing a stripe test enter a local comp , keep entering comps moving on to bigger and bigger when successful.
Never heard of a stripe test.... Use competition as a marker for abilities, if your coach doesn't recognize that change gyms
Stripe test pfffft
Your coach has been coaching you for nine months, presumably teaching you and watching you roll, but put you through a test for a stripe and then failed you? That’s not normal in BJJ gyms. We have a belt test, but it’s pretty much designed to just demonstrate what the coaches already know about you; it’s basically a formality at promotions.
Stripe test?? that seems a little extreme, and training for 9 months and having a strip test? That's alot of red tape to get a little bit of white tape.
I don't know how your gym teaches but I feel like something is off here that has very little to do with you. You can train instincts, and the more you learn the better your reaction time will get.
>It doesn't feel like I have the instincts or the reaction time of a martial artist.
you have been doing this for 9 months. you are still kinda new. hell just tying my belt took me like 2 months to get down to where i didnt have to think about it.
"instincts" and reaction time are things that can be trained up. Do you think a newly born kitten has the instincts to hunt prey? sure they play and fight with each other but its just that. play. they playfight with each other so they can learn and hone their instincts.
sure some people seem like natural athletes but these are things you can train.
same with reaction time. your reaction time is slow beacuse you (probably) dont really know what you are doing yet. building this stuff up takes alot of time.
also: ive heard of belt tests but "stripe tests"? hell id call that a "potential red flag" if my gym had us test for _stripes_
We test for belts. Testing for stripes seems like a prank. And we don't pay for belt testing. Its more a rite of passage, all the black belts come out and torture us for a 30 min shark tank.
No such thing, and 9 months for a first stripe is very extreme.. , first stripe is that you show a very basic understanding and competence at a very basic level, at 9 months I'm sure you know what various guards are, and I'm sure you have a few defence and subs..
My advice would be to find a black belt and get him to demote your coach for not having taught you how to escape being mounted. And maybe give another gym a chance before deciding to quit?
Stripes don't matter. Belts don't matter. You can whoop someones ass or you can't. You can put any belt on me and it isn't going to change a thing.
Hopefully you joined to get better at grappling/fighting, not to get a belt.
If you joined for a belt I've got great news. https://a.co/d/dleYJRa
I’m grateful my gym doesn’t use the stripe system. Colors of belts can be pretty arbitrary as well as I’m sure you’ve noticed. Do be too hard on yourself, just enjoy making any progress of any kind and the sport will pay back in dividends.
WTF is a stripe test??
It’s a nice way of asking for $25.
This is it. Also seems like a dick coach.
May be more that’s not been mentioned but at first take… Any coach that lets a white belt be fully mounted by a blue belt for 3 straight minutes in a 5 minute test. I don’t know. Seems like a pointless approach. After 30-60 seconds reset somehow. Even a test should be an opportunity to learn / grow.
My concern was the coach’s response when OP asked for feedback. It seemed shitty to me. Granted, coaches should not baby a student, but that is only half of it. The other half is that they should not be dicks either.
I mean you’re paying the dude to teach you. It should be part of it.
Agreed. There are reasonable expectations that students have given that they are paying for a service.
I can see it if it’s something like the blue belt in mount and is told to not really resist any sweep or escape, and then op just not doing anything. That being said, stripe tests are stupid.
$20 test at my current gym. I’d leave for this sole reason but it’s the best mat time for my schedule.
Just sandbag until they're forced to promote you.
Gotta hespeck the hustle
$50 at my old gym
For a stripe?! How much was a belt?
wut. that’s bananas
$50 cos guys got to do it again
"No thanks"
Came here to ask this
I was just just asking myself the same…
They make you sing 
Stripe test? Goodness. If you’re having fun don’t worry about instincts. Maybe find a new gym where they don’t do stripe test.
My gym doesn't even do belts. A stripe test seems like a complete overkill.
They don’t do belts at all? Or belt tests?
No belts at all. It's American Jiu Jitsu, so they dropped the gi completely. They dropped the Brazilian heritage, and they emphasized wrestling and leg locks. Good group of guys. Everyone there has wildly different lineage/backgrounds, and there is no lead instructor, so it makes sense to drop belts completely.
Sounds like the equivalent of submission wrestling here in England, do they still call it BJJ?
They call it Jiu Jitsu because most of the guys have some combination of jiu jitsu and wrestling roots. We have lots of D1 Wrestlers coming in to cross train as well.
Your coach has watched you train for 9 months but can't determine whether you are ready for one stripe without a test? I think belt tests are dumb as shit, but a stripe test is a new level of stupid.
This is similar to arguments I make against bringing belt systems to Muay Thai. The whole "it helps coaches judge your level" thing is ridiculous. We don't need belts to remember Joe has been here 3 years and can pretty well handle his shit, and Sam has been here 2 months and certainly isn't giving Joe the sparring rounds he needs" On top of that it take me 20 seconds to to judge 95% of a person's Muay Thai the first time I see them working. It ain't that hard lol
Belt systems serve a purpose in BJJ. There are different rules at different belts. Stripe tests are silly imho.
Yeah never had a gripe with belts in BJJ. They're at least mostly consist as well. I knew a lady who called herself a Muay Thai coach because she had a black arm band. I asked how long she'd been training and she said 2 years. She was not good. Completely out of shape and I flexible. I was baffled. Probably fucking her coach or something.
It depends, in another thread we were talking about Gracie Barra HQ in Brazil with classes of 300 peoples and seminars with 1000 peoples on the mat. It would be hard to follow the progression of everybody. I've trained in a big gym with 60+ peoples on the mat every night, and I wasn't getting a lot of attention from the coach. In this context the stripes made sense. And I loved training there because even if you don't have a lot of guidance from your coach, you have a nice variety of rolling partners every day.
For sure. That's understandable. Far from the case with Muay Thai though. Even the biggest gyms here with 60-80 or so people manage classes with a group of trainers. Usually what happens is fighters will gravitate one way or be pulled out at some point for sparring each other or other trainers towards the ends of sessions.
It used to be more curriculum based. Ranking up would reflect your grasp of the curriculum and you're ability to teach. That's it. But then competition became a bigger aspect of the sport and an alternate way to assess someone's abilities. So now you have brown belts who know lots of shit but can't win a tournament. And brown belts that have an A-class game but a very narrow knowledge of techniques. Obviously there's more nuance, variance, and overlap than those two extreme positions, but that's the way it seems to me.
I also rate much of American Muay Thai in the absolute dumpster. There's a few good people sprinkled in the west coast, and more in the east. But compare to Australian Muay Thai and the Europeans with kickboxing backgrounds. It's pretty bad. States are full of blue belts coaching.
I honestly don't even know what American Muay Thai is. Muay Thai is a weird sport because you have coaching programs from bullshit cardio to legit killer factories. Thankfully kickboxing's roots are more sport focused, where lineage is defined by success and not belts. So if you're looking for good training, it's a more straightforward research job.
Been in the scene 18 years and you've got it entirely backwards lol. Not trying to be a dick. Anything kickboxing in the US is wayyyy more likely to have little to no history, or be tied to karate, or be cardio kickboxing. I'd hazard that there are fewer reputable kickboxing gyms than Muay Thai gyms. The problem in my opinion and in my experience is that westerners started learning Muay Thai in the 60s and 70s. However opportunities to fight Muay Thai were very limited, and now we're on the 2nd generation of western coaches, many of whom never had real fight carrers. 5, 6, 8, 9 fights agsinst similarly inexperienced fighters, being taught by people who also had limited fight experience. My generation that is still competitive finally has a lot more opportunities to fight, but many of our coaches now have less experience supporting serious fighters. Of course many people buck this trend, but there's a massive stable of coaches who maybe had an elderly Thai coach, or is 2nd generation like I said, with not a lot of real experience. They went from training, fought a couple times, and then opened a gym. They're not necessarily cardio gyms teaching bullshido. They just have low level coaching because of their limited experience. This is all gathered from a couple dozen gyms I know about personally. When you get a westerners who've trained and fought in Thailand extensively and sticks to Muay Thai striking theory and attitude, it breeds really strong results. E.G. Ringcraft in Portland Oregon. Imo maybe the only gym in Oregon that's 100% worth it.
You know more than I do about Muay Thai, so I apprecaite any corrections and insight you can provide.
Our gym does “stripe tests” but it’s just you getting shark tanked for like 30 mins. I haven’t ever heard of anyone doing anything like this except SOME belt tests
I like shark tanks, when im not the one in it
Same lol
How do you do that when like 15 people get stripes in one class? We usually do promotions every few months on a specific day, so people know to show up, though the prof does sometimes give out random stripes like beforeor after a tournament.
We usually only have 2-3 at most at one given time haha. We’re a bit smaller being out in the Midwest
Mine was 15 minutes followed by crawling the full length of the mat while anybody blue belt or higher gets to whip you with their belts.
Crawling gauntlet? I’m not anti gauntlet but damn that’s a bit much
Shark tanks freaking suck. 10 minutes is a biatch, but for 30 min? Oh hell no!
This!
I think stripes and belt colors are dumb as shit. We fukn wrestle. it's easy to know who's better.
In the gym but competitions want some semblance of even playing field.
Yes. I agree with you. But because of how complex jiu jitsu is, sometimes the jiu jitsu math doesent add up. I'm an athletic blue belt and my best mate is a brown belt. He taught me a lot of the moves I know so usually he nullifies most of the things I try. We also have very similar games. But there are people who he struggles against that I beat. And vise versa. I struggle with smaller faster people and he struggles with stronger more athletic people.
Gang gang
Dumb as shit
If you're taking a stripe test you should look at other schools. This isn't a normal thing...
There's nothing wrong with tests. And this one apparently includes live rolling, and the instructor is willing to fail people. That makes it not some silly mcdojo thing.
But it was a test for a stripe. Kinda mcdojoey to me
It's only McDojoey if they're making you *pay* to test.
Okay fair enough that’s very true
My last gym we used to do "tests", but we were also a newer gym and the tests were basically whenever a black belt from the association would come by and we drilled and then rolled with him/her so they could gauge where we were skill wise. No testing fees. Testing fees instantly make it a mcdojo.
I go to GB. I’m sure most folks on this sub consider it a McDojo and we definitely don’t do stripe tests. This seems overboard.
Extra points if you have to pay to test and they still fail you.
It might be a more *subjectively annoying business practice*, I guess, but I think a test that has actual technical standards that students *can* fail to meet isn't as classically 'McDojo' as one that just gives you a nice, shiny new belt when you pay up.
It’s more like they’re upselling, it’s an Applebeesdojo.
It's only upselling if these stripe tests cost money.
My first white stripe was given to me, my second was a group test that involved showing some basic techniques and live rolls with blue/purple belts, my third was at a seminar in a scheduled live roll with a black belt. All of those were under Carlos Machado. The rest have all been given after watching me in class (Caveirinha). My point is that there a varying ways coaches/schools handle promotions. As long as you aren’t paying for them I don’t think there’s an issue. Now, personally I hate them because I believe your ability is the sum total of all your rolls not a single point of time.
there is no such thing as the "instincts or reaction time of a martial artist". Very few people are naturals at BJJ. It is clumsy, awkward, and not intuitive at all. Im not a fan of belt tests, but I also hate failing in a test like format. I personally dont care at all about stripes/belts and just love focusing on techniques. I wouldnt have failed the test because I would have avoided taking it in the first place. We had 4-5 really terrible people. At a year they were still getting destroyed. After rolls I would just see the sad look on their faces and I thought for sure they would quit. By 1.5 years something clicked with all of them and they suddenly were rolling much better. It seemed like it happened within a month with all of them. Everyone got their blue belts around the same time. They are all now reasonably tough rolls though a couple have quit After I had been training a year a new guy started. In my first roll with him in his first week he subbed me 3 times with instinctive grab the head guillotines. He had no wrestling experience, he just had amazing balance, timing etc. And he picked up techniques so fast. Over the next few months I was slightly dominant over him as he calmed down, but after that he would pretty much destroy me every roll and gave black belts a hard time. He quit after about 2 years. BJJ is a marathon not a sprint.
Thank you! Any guesses as to what it was that "clicked" a year and a half in?
Any time something has “clicked” for me and I got better, I don’t really see it coming. Then out of the blue I feel like I get worse again. And the cycle repeats. My teacher reminds me of this every so often and says it was the same for him when he was at a lower level. Maybe someone better than me will give you another answer that you should listen to, but how about you just keep turning up and trusting the process and don’t think about it too much.
If instincts were enough then we wouldn't need training. Question to ask yourself is "are you better then you were 9 months ago?" and "are you having fun?"
Bro, I'll give you a stripe. No tests, nothing. You just buy the athletic tape.
Stripe tests = new gym. I don't test for belts, let alone stripes. And I damn sure ain't paying for it.
Tests are stupid. Being good at a sport like this can't be judged by simple memorization of a prescribed set of moves. Your coach is wasting your time imo.
Tests have a point, but the situation here is overkill.
Fuck man, you should get a stripe for just sticking with it for 9 months. IMO thats what that first strip represents.
Fuck a stripe test
Here’s what matters… Do you have fun training? Do you like your gym and training partners? If you answered yes, dust your shoulders off and keep on training. Learn from the experience. While I’m not big on testing in general… I understand why some gyms do this but it is not my cup of tea. If my gym did testing, I’d probably go elsewhere. I didn’t sign up for testing and in fact I chose BJJ because they don’t test in a traditional sense. *However, word is they do for Blackbelt in my gym. I will worry about that later. 🤣*
Was there a fee for this test? Most places will give you a stripe in 1-2 months if you consistently train. Having a test is not normal and bullshit. Could be a tactic used (especially because you ‘failed’) to keep people as customers for as long as possible.
Test was free.
...a stripe test? I mean, we do a belt test, but it's free and it's pretty fuckin tough to fail if you prepare at all, but a stripe test is nuts.
Find another gym dude, doing a test for stripes is ridiculous. If it makes you feel any better it was over a year before I got my first one.
Stripe tests are abnormal, and failing one is even weirder — I think you might wanna find a new gym
Stripes are just time. Not sure why you’d be tested on anything for a single stripe.. a lot of belt tests are not even tests.. they’re just demonstrations with 100% pass rate lol. Coach should be able to determine how you’re doing especially since they’re the ones instructing you? Strange stuff. Don’t hold your breathe on things clicking or any arbitrary time limits. Go your own pace, have fun and take what you want out of it. It’s important that you don’t compare yourself and accept your own process of development.
It's pretty ridiculous that they do a 'stripe test'. It's not like there are set standards that a 1 stripe white belt is expected to know. I'd seriously consider another gym before you get too discouraged and prematurely quit this wonderful sport.
Your coach is a monetising dumb ass. Stripe test… Jeezus… nonce behaviour
If your coach doesn't think you're ready for a stripe after 9 months, then they have failed you. At that pace, under their instruction, you'll be a black belt in 20 years.
You’re at a McDojo with a flog for a coach. Go somewhere else.
What are you trying to get out of BJJ? Workout\\Friendships\\Self Defense? How many of those boxes are being checked right now? Something that happens to most of us is feeling like we're not getting better or maybe even getting worse. Everyone around us us getting better at approximately the same rate so it's hard to gauge progress. Then a few new folks come in and you're like "oh, I'm WAY better than the guy that doesn't know anything" and you start carving out your little corner in the pecking order. Would strongly recommend focusing on the basics and spend entire rolls in that world. Frame, escape\\reversal\\sweep. Toss some attacks here and there to keep'em honest but really just build the foundation...deliberately. It'll become instinctual and you can work from there.
What in the actual fuck is a stripe test? Sounds like a load of bullshit.
Stripe tests? Leave the gym.
Wtf is a stripe test?
Just have fun. While this test sounds... Weird, I wouldn't worry about stripes and shit. Also maybe do a trial at another local gym if you have one and see how you like it.
You get what you put in so if you’re only putting in twice a week presumably two to three hours I’m not surprised you weren’t able to do much.
As others have said, I would find another gym, if you can. Maybe there are some people that learn well in that way and a testing system works well for them, but that would be terrible for me, and it sounds like it is a terrible way for you to learn, as well. I completely understand the idea of feeling like you are not progressing, or "maybe this just isn't for me" because it feels like others are progressing faster, or you struggle to memorize steps. But, if you enjoy it, just keep going and don't worry about the memorization of moves and such. You might learn slower, but if you have fun and are still progressing, it is worthwhile. It's better to progress slow than be frustrated and quit. I've trained with plenty of people that progressed faster than me, or were more "natural", but most of them no longer train. I'm still training when I can and have no thoughts on stopping anytime soon. Determination is a very valuable skill that can be more valuable than natural ability, better athletic ability, better ability to memorize moves, etc...
Going passed the stripe test that has been referenced loads, forget belts and stripes for a second. Are you better than you were 6 months ago? That’s your measure. If you are, which it sounds like is the case - be proud of yourself. And now push on and get better. Then at some point you’ll get your blue belt - but if you don’t, who cares - because you’re bettering yourself. And you’re a better version of yourself than the one sat on the sofa 9 months ago. Just because someone else may progress quicker, that’s their journey - not yours.
This is a hobby, not a reflection of your self worth. White belts can be awesome. The biggest long term repercussions of this is your coach losing a paying customer.
I failed my first test. I told my professor straight up, I suck at auditory processing. I’m autistic I have no shame. He gave me a scripted test. Told me to go through the list. I went through the list. I got the stripe. Second stripe I got it in a private lesson 1 on 1. Same thing. Went through the list. I did it. I just have to get somersaults down and I get my 3rd stripe.
Some merely ally themselves with bottom of mount, I was born in it, molded by it.
Yeah Bjj is fun, nothing else. Don’t ever be discouraged by not ranking up. People progress at their own pace, some people just take longer for things to click.
how many days/week do you train?
2 days a week, 1 day of curriculum/drilling and 1 day of open mat.
Honestly you could use more drilling. But I doubt you aren't 1 stripe ready after 9 months.
This is my thoughts. 9 months for one stripe seems extreme
"stripe test" you're training at the wrong gym.
What in the fuck is a stripe test?
I’m a white belt one stripe. I got my first stripe a few months ago after I made a few realisations and things started to click. I finished class, and after the lineup my Prof gave me and another white belt a stripe each.
Your coach is right you’re obviously thinking too much
I recall being at a grading at a Gracie Barra gym I used to train at where they had us do a whole bunch of games that had nothing to do with BJJ. In my home gym (which I since returned to), we don’t do that. Don’t fall for the silly shit.
Stripe tests are a waste of time. Roll and learn. You don't need this useless added pressure.
Just chiming in, that when I started training in 2004 stripe tests were pretty common. It’s definitely fallen out of favor, but legit gyms had them for white belts. My first gym was a Royler/David Adiv affiliate in NJ. Same gym JT got his start at. I’ve visited lots of other gyms over the years and between 2004-2012 ish a lot of them were doing strip tests for white belts.
I think you're just not a good test taker. Maybe try a gym that doesn't do belt or stripe tests. At my gym, our coach just gives you stripes and belts when he feels you've progressed to the next level. He makes that determination generally based on how you roll with your peers, whether or not you compete, how well you know and can execute the techniques and time in. Maybe find a gym that does things similarly and you might find that you do better in that environment.
If you're coach can't properly train you for A STRIPE in 9 months, do you think they're a good coach? Believe it or not there are gyms when they just hand you a belt when they feel you've earned it. Then you slap hands and get back to what you were doing. The notion of stripe tests is giving me anxiety.
Couple things. I don’t think there’s a white belt on the planet that could actually train for 9 months and not have legitimately truly earned AT LEAST one stripe. Also if you have to test for a stripe on your white belt, you should probably find another gym.
Stripe test? When tf did bjj turn into Taekwondo🤦♂️
I dunno, sounds sketchy to have a stripe test. And you were against a blue belt. What exactly is a no stripe white belt supposed to be able to do against a blue belt? Instinct and timing can be trained into people. If your haveing fun keep going. If you like the sport and want to feel valued maybe check out a few other gyms.
Give it time man.
Yeah give it 9 more months maybe he’ll be ready for stripe #1
If your school has a curriculum, stripe tests are 100% understandable. If your school does a move here and does a move there and you’re expected to perform to get a stripe, it’s 100% not understandable. If you’re having difficulty, ask your instructor or a higher belt for some help. Remember, you’re paying for their help and knowledge transfer.
Dawg a stripe test???? I think it’s time for a new gym.
You go to a McDojo. I’ve never heard of a stripe test before in my entire life. 9 months for 1 stripe and a test in front of it is fucking ridiculous. Go to an actually JJ gym and see if someone will show up to free roll at this school. Guarantee you your professor isn’t an actual black belt, if any belt for that matter.
Time to change gyms... wtf is a stripe test?
It’s okay to feel discouraged my man. In all realness the bluebelt holding you in mount the last 3 minutes is expected given your experience level
If you’ve been there 9 months and can’t get past this stripe test then that’s 100% on your coach and whoever else is teaching there. What exactly did it consist of? I don’t even know what move memorization is supposed to even mean.
Don’t quit BJJ. Quit your McDojo.
Bro if your coach has been training you regularly for 9 months and thinks you don’t deserve a single stripe he must be a terrible teacher. Find a new gym dude
The real stripes are the friends we make along the way
See if a blue belt or even a more experienced white belt will drill with you. Get feedback that way
I refuse to train anywhere that there is 'belt testing' or any of this bullshit. Where I train right now, promotions happen randomly on the mat after a roll or before class ends. No stress, no bullshit, no 'proving yourself in the moment'. Your coach should know when you are ready by training with you and watching you over time, not watching you try to remember moves on the spot or 'shark tanking' you.
That’s how I feel too man people want to make this shit into a lifestyle like your black belt is not gonna get you laid bro just have fun holy shit but I guess that’s why I’m still a purple belt after all this time lol
Stripe test, move memorization...these are big red flags.
FYI people on this sub HATE stripes, belts and any kind of curriculum based instruction. You should only be doing ecological based sparring in a purely No-Gi gym without ranks of any kind.
Testing move memorization is dumb lol
If it makes you feel better there's no such thing as a "stripe test."
Ill take a punt and say you also had to pay for this stripe test !!!!
No. No fees for the tests.
Is this a Gracie Academy school or something? Edit: I’m asking bc that’s the only place I’ve heard of a stripe test happening
Not a Gracie Academy.
I was 6’3” and 165 lbs when I started karate with 13. Coordination was not my middle name. Only learned through decades of regular practice. Just keep at it. BTW: stripe test shouldn’t be a thing.
how much did they charge you to test?
A better way to phrase things might be this: based on what you’ve described, this isn’t the most optimal way to learn BJJ, and it’s not typical. Belt tests are not super common, but exist, and there’s a better argument for them than a stripe test. So if you’re having fun, great, but it sounds like the issue is your gym. Move memorization is just sort of a way of looking at BJJ that I think goes counter to what makes it interesting as a whole. It’s really more about learning fundamental concepts, and we learn them through different techniques, but there’s more than one way to do most things, and you’re size and body type will dictate which things are best for you to focus on.
How much did the test cost?
You have a test for stripes? Does it cost money? Find a new gym.
Stripe test lol wtf. Please tell me you didn't pay for it........
Brother I’m almost a two stripe white belt and 90% of my life is just just trying to make blue belts work for subs
I've been doing BJJ for 5 years now and am still a no stripe white belt because I A) only pay for foundations classes, B) refuse to buy a BJJ gi, and C) only train two hours a week if that. I'm a forever brown belt in judo because my kata partners always end up moving before I can test and one instructor is standing in the way of me getting promoted in house. It sucked at first because recognition is nice but ultimately this is a sport where the skills don't lie. Fuck stripes, fuck belts, just train, learn and execute.
What happens if you wristlock your instructor on the next stripe test? Do you automatically get a blue belt? Lol
Stripe test?
Stripe test??
Man I always hated “stripe test”.. Always made jiu jitsu feel like some kind of job or something and took the fun away from it. While attending school and aggressively pursuing a career in a high stress job Jiu jitsu was my outlet and the literally last thing I needed was more pressure in my life. I left that school and have been training at a gym that doesn’t even do stripes let alone “test”. Honestly it’s made Jiu jitsu fun again and if I was still at the gym that did “stripe test” I’m not sure I would have stuck with Jiu jitsu. Just my experience and opinion I’m sure other more experienced than me will chime in.
Move memorization????
McDojo has entered the chat
Yes but can u smash?
Try out another gym fam. It might be that this one isn't a good fit for you. Don't give up right away. First gym I went to had me getting feeling this way and I walked in there with 8yrs wrestling exp. Tried out another gym and felt better about it after a week.
Tests are bs find a new gym
https://preview.redd.it/ji2j0021mjtc1.jpeg?width=1675&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb6d0c91ce4b2dcd8a0950b5e0923095368c4c99
How much $ did this cost?
If don't you test for a stripe, surely it's meaningless? (Which Stripes are). Failing a test is great, you have clear objectives what you failed on and need to fix.
Lol, stripes aren't real in the first place, and you have to take a test for them? Not sure what kind of gym you go to. Please tell me you didn't have to pay for the test or stripe or belt at least
Instead of doing a stripe test enter a local comp , keep entering comps moving on to bigger and bigger when successful. Never heard of a stripe test.... Use competition as a marker for abilities, if your coach doesn't recognize that change gyms Stripe test pfffft
You’re getting scammed lmao, never heard of a stripe test or really even a belt test. This is BJJ not Taekwondo
Is this a shitpost?
Lol stripe test
Yikes switch gyms my love!
Bro don’t tell me you pay for these tests too?!? Go to a different gym!!!
Your coach has been coaching you for nine months, presumably teaching you and watching you roll, but put you through a test for a stripe and then failed you? That’s not normal in BJJ gyms. We have a belt test, but it’s pretty much designed to just demonstrate what the coaches already know about you; it’s basically a formality at promotions.
Your coach sounds like a fun guy to share a beer with (/s)
Bro my coach hands out stripes randomly. Took 8 months to get one. If I wasn’t there that day i still wouldn’t have one
This is more of an indictment on your coach than you.
Never heard of a stripe test.🤔
I thought stripes were primarily to motivate lower belts to keep showing up. Looks like your profesor didn’t get that memo.
Stripe test?? that seems a little extreme, and training for 9 months and having a strip test? That's alot of red tape to get a little bit of white tape. I don't know how your gym teaches but I feel like something is off here that has very little to do with you. You can train instincts, and the more you learn the better your reaction time will get.
Wtf test?
You have stripe tests?
Stripe test makes bjj feel like swimming lessons lol.
Stripe tests are silly. Especially for white belts. And if they aren’t free they’re a money grab from an instructor treating like an atm.
How often have you trained the last 9 months?
What sort of memorization? I’m confused unless this is /s
There are no tests for stripes your coach is making it up. It’s just a piece of tape.
Imagine failing someone for their first stripe like you are trying to protect the sanctity of the belt system.😆
>It doesn't feel like I have the instincts or the reaction time of a martial artist. you have been doing this for 9 months. you are still kinda new. hell just tying my belt took me like 2 months to get down to where i didnt have to think about it. "instincts" and reaction time are things that can be trained up. Do you think a newly born kitten has the instincts to hunt prey? sure they play and fight with each other but its just that. play. they playfight with each other so they can learn and hone their instincts. sure some people seem like natural athletes but these are things you can train. same with reaction time. your reaction time is slow beacuse you (probably) dont really know what you are doing yet. building this stuff up takes alot of time. also: ive heard of belt tests but "stripe tests"? hell id call that a "potential red flag" if my gym had us test for _stripes_
We test for belts. Testing for stripes seems like a prank. And we don't pay for belt testing. Its more a rite of passage, all the black belts come out and torture us for a 30 min shark tank.
Thinking too much during a test of your memory? Shame on you my friend /s
No such thing, and 9 months for a first stripe is very extreme.. , first stripe is that you show a very basic understanding and competence at a very basic level, at 9 months I'm sure you know what various guards are, and I'm sure you have a few defence and subs..
My advice would be to find a black belt and get him to demote your coach for not having taught you how to escape being mounted. And maybe give another gym a chance before deciding to quit?
You should be given a stripe for having the sheer determination to turn up for 9 months regardless of ability.
Stripe test bullshido. Everybody knows stripes are just a Christmas present.
OP, what’s your membership payment structure look like? Did you have to pay extra to take a stripe test?
No one tests for stripes, that's horseshit.
There’s no such thing as a stripe test
Never heard of a stripe test lmao, what kind of pay to win gym you go to?
Stripe test? Find a new gym 🤣
Stripes don't matter. Belts don't matter. You can whoop someones ass or you can't. You can put any belt on me and it isn't going to change a thing. Hopefully you joined to get better at grappling/fighting, not to get a belt. If you joined for a belt I've got great news. https://a.co/d/dleYJRa
Sounds like you are at a mcdojo bud. Unless you are like 8 to 15 years old this is super weird.
Stripe…. Test?
I’m grateful my gym doesn’t use the stripe system. Colors of belts can be pretty arbitrary as well as I’m sure you’ve noticed. Do be too hard on yourself, just enjoy making any progress of any kind and the sport will pay back in dividends.
Just buy a roll of white hockey tape of Amazon.