GRADES
At Momentum Martial Arts, we don’t have any grades, No Sifus, Senseis, Gurus etc etc. Everyone is on a level playing field. Coaches are called by their first name, and they lead and guide the group in their training. With the risk of sounding a bit like a hippy, martial arts training is just a long path. A path that never ends. Some people are further down that path than others, but everyone deserves respect for getting on that path. Our coaches will train, spar and wrestle along with everyone else. This is the way it should, and must be.
Why do we not have grades? Well the main aim in gradings is to reach a black belt. Many people start Martial Arts because they want a black belt. If this is you, ask yourself why you want a blackbelt.
Is it because you want to look cool, so you can tell people you have a black belt? If so, where are you going to wear it? To parties?
Is it because you want to learn to fight, so you can defend yourself and your loved ones? Ask Randy Couture (Former light-heavy weight and heavyweight world Ultimate Fighting Champion) what colour belt he has. I guarantee that you would not want to fight this man, and yet he doesn’t have a black belt.
There are many many blackbelts around. Some are drastically better than others. Some are very very poor. You will notice that in the coach bios there are mentions of Blackbelts this is purely to show that we have all been through the same system as everyone else. Bottom line is that Black Belts mean nothing. How you train, your performance, your composure, your discipline and your respect for others are the only true indicators.