Jiu Jitsu advances to the next level in style
Yes, Jiu Jitsu is a sport and completely unrelated to the jewish people
Last Saturday saw London host the Jiu Jitsu grading. If competitions are scary, then gradings are a halloween movie marathon with the lights off and the creepy neighbour wearing his Freddy Krueger outfit staring through the window.
A grading is the opportunity for any member of a Jitsu club (from the JiuJitsu Foundation) to level up and get their next belt: novices becoming yellows, yellows becoming oranges, and so on. You can even try to double grade (skip a belt) if you’re very keen. You can graduate every three months up to your purple belt but then it’s at least six month between each belt, and finally more than a year between brown and black belt.
The whole point is to impress the panel of instructors gathered specially for the grading, so they give you that belt you’ve been working so hard for. This year novices were evaluated for more than two hours, and all the higher grades for three hours minimum. I’m not going to lie, it is very hard and very intense (insert innuendo). Jitsukas are examined on their technique and knowledge of the syllabus (the higher you go, the more you need to know) as well as demonstrating all that under pressure, and their attacking on other jitsukas. During the grading there will be times when you can demonstrate the technique in pairs, slowly, and times when you will be put under pressure and have to deal with the attackers quickly.
To recap, in a grading you need to be calm and in control, know your stuff, AND KEEP UP THE INTENSITY! If the main instructor notices any drop in intensity, the participants are going to stay there for a very, very long time… The aim of the instructors is to push everyone to their limits, to see how much they actually know the jitsu they need to know.
Anyway, after the hard stuff comes the fun stuff: after-grading party! Time to let loose and buy a drink for that person from King’s or Queen Mary’s that you punched in the face a bit too hard. Also, time to know if you’ve succeeded and got your new belt or not, then you can celebrate. Or drown in your sorrows. Either way, have fun! Imperial pass rate: 100%
