Martial Arts Achievement - promoted to PURPLE belt!! 😀😀⚡️⚡️⭐️⭐️
A sense of Accomplishment
If you asked me Saturday morning, I would have said I didn’t think I could have been more enthusiastic about jiu-jitsu. But I am now!
October 2023 I was awarded my Brazilian jiu jitsu purple belt. This is a big accomplishment because there are only five ranks in BJJ (white, blue, purple, brown, and of course the top, black). It has taken me years! So many classes, sparring sessions, technique videos, laundry, and recovered from injury.
Along with me, seven other teammates earned promotions. Congratulations to them!
Now I get to ‘retire’ my blue belt and add it to the wooden frame my brother Sam created for me. This is on the wall in my workout studio along with my competition medals and other milestones as a powerful reminder & motivator in my workouts.
I had no idea this was coming so I rolled way too hard in the open mat portion before the promotion 😂 At Impact BJJ they do this gnarly gauntlet where are you basically spar fresh opponents, one after another for 25 minutes. Some of those fresh opponents attacking you by surprise, from behind even! I mean, one moment I scissor sweep my opponent and ended up in mount, and as I postured up, someone grabs my gi and pulled me backwards off of him onto my back!
Since I had no idea that that’s what I was going into today, I actually rolled way too hard before we started lining up for that gauntlet. I thought I was going to be one of the attackers, so I was really surprised when I was pulled out to the center!
I was so surprised because I didn’t even have any stripes my blue belt! And I never competed at blue!! I earned that belt in July 2022. You can see the video here. It’s reassuring how the coaches here say they’re very… ”thoughtfully reluctant” about promoting until they’re really sure you’ve earned it.
I have so much respect for purple belts. Now I’m thinking about myself very self analytically and I’m like oh man you got to do that better if you’re going to be wearing a purple belt. And that… And that… haha so yeah, my mind is whirling!
I’m excited and also reminded that I will do BJJ even if there was no ranks because that’s how much I enjoy it and I plan to do it until I am a withered old man! :)