Oliver Claffey Instagram – I’m really rubbish at using social media. I’m equally as rubbish at talking about myself — unless I’m allowed to make self-deprecating jokes. Anyway, here we go:
Last month I received my Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Despite doing martial arts from a really young age this is my first black belt in anything. But, over the years, the many, many years, I’ve got to train with a bunch of black belts from different disciplines — BJJ, Judo, Karate, etc. And, after a while, it became apparent that no two are exactly alike, even in the same sport.
So I’ve given the idea of what it means to be a black belt a lot of thought.
There’s a fair amount of rhetoric surrounding it. Give it a Google. You’ll find a ton. They’re all very self-serious. Some are objectively hilarious. And no one person agrees wholeheartedly with another as to their value, symbolic or otherwise, to their chosen art.
To some, it’s an indicator of skill, others, it represents knowledge and experience, and to those budding cult leaders, it’s social rank. (I will be referring to all new people at the gym as “kōhai” moving forward.)
If there is a meaning to it, it’s going to be one discovered by being the thing and not simply talking about it. In the same way that you may understand how an armbar works, but that doesn’t mean you’re hitting it in a fight.
For me, right now, it’s another milestone on the adventure. And it’s one I’m proud of getting to. 🏴☠️ 🥋
#BJJ #BlackBelt #CapnJack | Posted on 01/Jul/2024 23:24:19
