Thursday, August 08, 2019

Jiu Jitsu Achievement Unlocked

So last night at Jiu-Jitsu I found out I had officially passed my Gracie Combatives test and earned my Gracie Combatives Belt, being awarded it at the end of class.

The Belt is white with a Navy Blue strip across it. Basically, it marks passing the Combatives test and the interim period before earning a blue belt. To earn the blue belt takes a minimum 6 months after getting your combatives belt and learning lots more techniques and regular rolling/sparring and learnign lots of jiu-jitsu vs jiu-jitsu tactics and techniques.

The Combatives test is a rather challenging one.

You have five minutes to do all of the moves and variations in each of the phases: Mount, Guard, Side-mount, and Standing. Time starts when the video begins rolling. Yes, the test is on camera which adds 10 pounds and 100 pounds of pressure as the test is assessed not just by the center instructor but by two other instructors - one at Gracie Headquarters and one at another center to ensure the test quality. For Mount I had 10 seconds left, for Guard 35 seconds and plenty of time remaining for the side-mount and standing techniques. You do get short breaks between each phase. Then, after the 4 phases there is a 4-minute fight sim where the instructor really brings the heat and you have to respond to indicators and defend yourself from punches while executing proper techniques.

Each mistake drops a point from your score and you start at 100 points, and a pass is a 90. Even standing up incorrectly loses a point.

I passed with a 93.

On to master cycle and working towards a blue belt.

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