Belt Promotions
Jiu-jitsu takes time.
There’s a lot of mat time and getting beat up involved so you can level up.
When I first started my gym, I didn’t understand why gyms do belt promotions based on attendance.
Everyone learns so differently. Everyone’s a different athlete.
Some people can pick it up after being told once. Other people won’t understand even after being told 50-100 times.
But I get it because if you have 500+ students, it’s hard to keep track of everyone.
I also notice a lot of gyms rush belt promotions. Sometimes they give someone a blue belt after 3-4 months so the person stays motivated and keeps paying money.
To me, you’re doing that student a disservice. What if life takes them to another gym and now they have to train at a blue belt level?
But because they got promoted so fast, now white belts with one stripe are whooping their ass.
It’s important to not rush promotions just because you like the person.
Like I said, it takes time. It takes consistency and showing up. There will be good practices and bad practices.
At the end of the day, the color of the belt doesn’t matter.
Your skills matter.
I’d rather have a gym full of beastly 3-4 stripe white belts than a gym full of 2 year purple belts.
But you could get a student who’s a very good athlete.
A 20 year old D1 wrestler can probably beat a 50 year old brown belt. Age does matter.
It also depends on the student’s goals.
Some guys are hobbyists and training for fun. Some other guys are competitors.
There are some guys at my gym who I know are purple belts. They can go into any gym and compete with purple belts in gi or no-gi.
But I asked these handful of guys what their goals are.
They all want to be world champions.
Ok great. Let’s see if I can help you guys become world champions on a blue belt level first.
No need to rush. The belts are gonna come.
The only way you’re not gonna be a black belt is if you quit. So enjoy the journey.
Don’t focus on the belt, focus on your skills.
Tough Love
I’m very thankful I had a father who spanked me and belted me when I was a kid.
When I disrespected my mom or did something dumb, I got a little whooping. And it was all for the better.
Little boys do dumb shit and they’re wild.
There are some kids at my gym that I don’t think you can get respect from without spanking them a little bit.
Like I said, I was spanked heavily and very thankful for it. Because now I have respect for people.
When a mom tells a little boy no and he does it anyway and disrespects the mom – Dad is gonna have to set an example when he comes home.
Now the little kid knows not to disrespect Mom or else he’s gonna get his butt beat.
You can tell when kids didn’t have a strong male figure in their life who gave them tough love.
That tough love goes a long way. I can even see it in 20-30 year olds when they act and react.
If you’re able to communicate and have that kid respect you, not out of fear, but in a way where they know why – then you don’t need to spank them as long as they listen to you.
But there are little boys in my academy… they’re little shitheads. I believe you need to spank them.
I know it’s easy for me to say as someone without kids. I’ll probably have a wide awakening when I do.
But a little bit of spanking doesn’t hurt. As long as it’s not something used to control the kid with fear.
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UFC 300
We’re going to Montana this weekend, I got 4 fighters fighting. Then we’re taking a jet to Vegas on Saturday for the big show.
I’m excited. It’s an iconic event.
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt
I feel like this is a toss up fight. Cody can box and wrestle well. Deiveson did take out Rob Font and sat in half-guard.
I don’t know if he’ll be able to do that to Cody. Cody is too explosive so I think it’s gonna come down to a boxing match.
If Cody chooses to sit in the pocket and slug it out, he’s probably in danger of getting KO’d again.
If I had to pick, I’m going to Deiveson, but it’s a toss up.
Bobby Green vs. Jim Miller
I think Bobby gets this done even though he’s coming off a bad KO. He’s gonna be taller than Jim Miller and have a speed advantage. He’s gonna be able to negate the takedowns, so Bobby will probably take this by decision.
Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan
This one was a hard one for me because Charles is so solid everywhere.
But I think Arman is so dangerous right now. He’s in his prime and he’s hungry to get the title shot. Charles has been there and done that.
Still, it’s Charles Oliveira. I’m going with Arman for now.
Calvin Kattar vs. Aljamain Sterling
This might surprise a lot of people. But I think Aljo gets it done at 145. He’s gonna have more juice to him and get the takedowns he wants.
Holly Holm vs. Kayla Harrison
Another one that might surprise you. I’m going with Holly Holm. I think with her boxing and bouncing around side to side, Kayla will have trouble tracking her down.
Bo Nickal vs. Cody Brundage
Going with Bo Nickal. Too physical and too good of an athlete for Cody Brundage. I think Bo submits that kid.
Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway
Picking Justin Gaethje here. I think he’s gonna kick Max’s legs and hit too hard. If you watch some of Max’s fights, he eats punches.
Justin hits too hard and is too sharp right now.
Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill
Going with Alex Pereira here. Jamahal is coming off that Achilles’ surgery. That’s a rough surgery, I know because I’m coming off the same injury.
There are ways for Jamahal Hill to win. He’s explosive, he throws nasty punches, and he has a lot of confidence.
Alex is a big kickboxer with a nasty left hook.
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Red Hawk Academy Patreon
Welcome to all the new Patreon members and shoutouts to all the OGs!
On Patreon, we’ve done a bunch of giveaways, podcasts, and vlogs.
We’ve been going 4 years strong with our Patreon. There are hundreds of videos on there, with new content going up all the time.
You can get exclusive access to technique videos, extra podcasts, and general healthy living videos.
We’re also doing a new show called the Confident Pod exclusive on Patreon every week. We get a little spicy on there and it’s a good time.
I reply to everyone on Patreon, so if you have any questions, hit me up there!
Snapchat
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Posting a lot of behind-the-scenes and rowdy stuff on there.
That ends it for this week’s Red Hawk Essentials.
Hope you enjoyed this one. Give me a like/comment/subscribe below.
If you’re new here, welcome to the fam! We’re dropping gems like this each week.
Luv ya, talk next week.
Tim