The Passing Of Rites - Belt Promotions

Yesterday we had the first ever belt promotion for the Nova Gyms Martial Arts & Fitness Kickboxing and Boxing program at our gym in Oak Creek Wisconsin. The kids did great and it has been alot of fun watching them develop over this last year since we started our kids program March of 2014. These kids mark are our first batch of warriors, so I made sure to mention to them (yesterday at the promotion) how important it is for them to lead by example! After all, they are the first "group" of members that the new children will be looking up to when they step on the mat for their first martial arts class.

It is so very important that each martial arts school have belt testing and promotions for their kids, no matter what martial art they practice.

But how do you rank those kids who are practicing Kickboxing and Boxing?

Luckily, for our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program, there has already been a path laid out for us to follow (below chart from the IBJJF) that ranks our kids according to age and experience level from white belts down to age 4 years old, and green belts that are practicing at 15 years old. Then, when the child reaches 16 years old, they can test for the BJJ blue belt (which typically takes an adult at least 1.5 years to 2 years to obtain).

But wait a second, there is no belt system in American Boxing or even Muay Thai Kickboxing, (from Thailand) which are two of most prevalant art forms that we teach in our kids martial arts program, so WHY would a school promote those kids practicing these stand-up arts?

Initiation rites are a natural and necessary part of a community, these rites are linked to individual and community development.

The topic of belt systems has always been a debate in the world of mixed martial arts, however most schools have already started creating their own belt sytems for those martial arts, and for good reasons. The belt testing and promotion cermeony is a tradition that tribes and communities have been passing down from generation to generation because of it's necessecity for entrance into a new phase of life (manhood, fraternal relationships, marriage, etc) .... in our modern society, tribal communities have been abadoned, along with many of the traditions that strengthened the tribe, like the passing of the rites from childhood to adulthood. In martial arts schools however, the tribe still exists, and the passing of the rites is done through these types of promotions.

When kids are promoted they are recognized for their acomplishments through a new belt, or differnet color ranking, and when you promote one child, it affects the entire tribe. When a child learns to be a leader, a leader emerges, and it makes the entire tribe stronger. Now, the younger members of the group have someone to look up to, and will learn what it takes to make it to the next level. When a child is promoted in martial arts, it also helps that child recognize their own sense of achievement, and it builds his/her confidence, a trickle down effect that strengthens the ethos of the entire tribe as whole.

So, congratulations to our first batch of warriors! Together we will grow continue to grow stronger as a tribe and look forward to seeing your advancement in the martial arts.

#chrism