Nice job with the thoughtful answers over at the choices thread, where you chose between a black belt in BJJ who didn’t speak your language, or a lower belt who did.
Now imagine a good friend of yours. This friend has decided they want to do BJJ. They know zero about it, have never watched MMA, UFC, or any other acronymed events. This friend has a choice between a black belt who can’t speak your friend’s language, or a blue belt who can. Who would you recommend to your friend?
Assume that both can show moves equally well, they will click with your friend, the class size is 12-15, and they both have good teaching style. The big difference is: the black belt clearly comes with more experience and knowledge, but the blue belt can answer questions and explain things.
Who would you choose for your brand newbie white belt friend?
The black belt, hands down. There are a multitude of blue belts, but becoming friends with a black belt who (presumably) is willing to show you moves and who you click with, that’s an added bonus.
I never said “become friends with” – they’d be your friend’s instructor, and they don’t speak a single word of the same language.
I’d still pick the black belt, hands down, for the same reasons.
Black Belt. We are just hierarchically oriented that way.
What if the black belt had large classes and the blue belt was teaching 2-4.
Depends on how long they’re stuck with the blue belt. First five classes? okay, maybe the blue. First year? No thanks.
Also– I’m assuming we’re not getting into whacko hypotheticals where it’s a 12-15 member class and everyone else is at least a blue or purple belt and the friend is the only noob. Because I doubt either the native speaker blue or the Brazilian black will do a good job of teaching my noob friend in that context.
I’m sorry, I feel like you’re wanting to see a bunch of people jump on the “learn from someone who can explain” bandwagon. But I realize now, looking back, that no amount of talking from a blue or purple belt would have helped me as a white or blue belt. I really needed to learn the feel of the moves and develop pattern recognition that only comes with time on the mat. Because I am fortunate now to have a native speaking black belt, who is also insanely good at breaking down everything into simple concepts that constantly reappear in other contexts AND is insanely good at teaching to all levels… I can see that an ordinary purple belt can’t hold a candle and would even likely be explaining things wrongly/poorly. So I start thinking, if I could FEEL the movements properly and have perfect-ish reactions from the blackbelt, even if I couldn’t HEAR his explanations, then I would be getting close to the “pure source.”
You’re right – I started to change the game. HOWEVER, since most people were asking about themselves, I wondered what they would pick for a friend. And the goal should be to have them make a choice, then change their mind. Thanks for reminding me. 🙂
And actually – I am totally not surprised that everyone is picking the black belt – because BJJ tends to be very black belt oriented, to the point where people disdain learning from someone who isn’t a black belt.
It of course depends on their goals, but I would go for the blue for a newbie friend with no concept of jiu jitsu. There are some things that really need to be communicated verbally at white belt level.
I once heard that it takes a better instructor to teach beginners than advanced students and I tend to agree with that. While you didn’t mention who the “better teacher” is, I think the sheer superiority of the blue belt’s communication abilities would equate to superior teaching.
I’d pick the blue belt for me and my friend, for two reasons. But first let me say that your comment about not becoming friends with your instructor is a false dichotomy. If the guy wasn’t someone I wanted to hang-out with and become friends, why would I want to be with him all those hours on the mat?
So, why the blue belt?
First, most people have no ambition to be Mundial champions so they have no need for a black belt coach. The black belt will have survivor’s bias …it makes me think of Suzuki’s quote; “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.”
The most important things in Jiu-Jitsu can’t be taught anyway, that’s why it takes ten years to get a black belt. You have to be on the mat for thousands of hours to get “that feel.” That’s the only measurable different between the blue and black belts anyway. It not how many moves they know, it’s this abstract feel of when to use those moves. Even a native English speaking black belt couldn’t convey that.
Second is price. A blue belt instructor would be significantly cheaper than a black belt. And if this is something I’m committing to for the long-haul, the difference will mean thousands of dollars. And thousands of dollars extra for what? Something that can’t be conveyed, something that can only be experienced?
Talk to any high level player and they’ll all say the same thing. After the first six months on the mat they learned more from their training partners than from their instructors. Knowing this I often wonder why there aren’t more “garage” training groups.
Everything else being equal (facility, location) I’d send my friend to the blue belt …and I’d go with him.
Hmmm perhaps we have a different definition of friend, but overall I’ve found (and I’m 35, so ymmv) that if you really truly don’t share a language with someone that you can be friendly, even share meals, but there’s no emotional sharing, so there is not the same type of friendship as with someone you share a common language with. But, again, that’s been my experience. Do I have people I enjoy seeing at my gym? Yes! Do we speak the same language? No! However, for me, friendship requires sharing and that means language.
I just found your blog and I just love this question. I happen to have just convinced my best friend to try BJJ. Anyway, I’d pick the blue belt who can speak the same language.
I say that partly because that’s almost what happened to me – when I started training the black belt who runs the school was out of town for almost a month so I didn’t even meet him for a while, and there was this blue belt who just happened to be teaching every beginner class I went to. As I really started to appreciate how much I learned from him it felt like “wow, if the blue belts here are this impressive, what does that say about the upper ranks?”
Also, speaking the same language gives two very valuable things. First, words of encouragement. I don’t know if I’d have the heart to continue in BJJ without this and I have trouble seeing how it could be expressed as reliably with a language barrier. Second, humor is an amazing tool – I know I learn better when I’m having fun. The same blue belt instructor I mentioned (who is purple now) makes me laugh every time I roll with him and that’s priceless to me. He can undo an entire night of built up frustration with one comment. I’d like any friend of mine starting BJJ to have that.