BJJ Taboo topics with Tim Sledd

[BJJbrick]

http://bjjbrick.com/epi-118-bjj-taboo-topics-with-tim-sledd-part-1/

Here we go my friends! An episode with Tim Sledd about the taboo topics of BJJ. The interview starts at about the 20min mark. I can’t think of anyone else that I would like to hear from about these controversial topics than Tim. Tim spent countless hours as a hard working successful lawyer, he left this career path to pursue BJJ. Tim’s opinions of these taboo topics are well thought out and he defends them well.

We talk about:

• Washing your belt
• The history of belts in martial arts
• How dirty your belt might be
• Belt whipping and gauntlets
• Hazing students and the law
• Throwing students for a belt promotion
• How to avoid hazing
• What is a creonte
• Why you might leave your BJJ school
• Cross training with different schools
• Signing a contract to train BJJ
• Dating within the gym
• Using the phrase “go to war” for BJJ or MMA

I am curious to hear what you guys think.

 

[bowened]

I listened to the whole podcast while working. I thought your guest spoke intelligently and eloquently on each topic, challenging the way I think about a few of these. Very interesting stuff.

 

[DEPROGRAMMER]

http://bjjbrick.com/epi-118-bjj-taboo-topics-with-tim-sledd-part-1/

Here we go my friends! An episode with Tim Sledd about the taboo topics of BJJ. The interview starts at about the 20min mark. I can’t think of anyone else that I would like to hear from about these controversial topics than Tim. Tim spent countless hours as a hard working successful lawyer, he left this career path to pursue BJJ. Tim’s opinions of these taboo topics are well thought out and he defends them well.

We talk about:

• Washing your belt
• The history of belts in martial arts
• How dirty your belt might be
• Belt whipping and gauntlets
• Hazing students and the law
• Throwing students for a belt promotion
• How to avoid hazing
• What is a creonte
• Why you might leave your BJJ school
• Cross training with different schools
• Signing a contract to train BJJ
• Dating within the gym
• Using the phrase “go to war” for BJJ or MMA

I am curious to hear what you guys think.

I don't know man. If you call what happens at bjj promotions as "hazing" I think this podcast might be a little bit too pussy for me. I will tell my 8 year old niece to listen to it. She likes unicorns.
If you really want to know what hazing is I will tell you about pledging a frat.

 

[Qtip inspector]

Hazing has many levels. Belt whipping in Bjj is pretty minor and I have no problem with it( except white belts being able to whip)
I do have some great hazing stories about dropping into an infantry unit in the Marines tho lol

 

[Allan san]

Hazing is very subjective. I'm in the Navy and we may-or-may-not take part in hazing. We often do it in the open and call it "tradition". Lol.

 

[These Two Hands]

I wouldn't have thought faixade (or however it's spelt) would be considered hazing... What about the "if you buy a new gi you have to let someone choke you out in it" tradition though? Where I train actually got told to stop it by the head of their lineage in Brazil, because it's something that's not done any more or something like that.

I never let anybody choke me out when I bought gi's. Fuck that.

 

[Uchi Mata]

Whipping people with belts is dumb as hell. We inflict enough pain on each other training. The purpose of hazing rituals is to create a shared experience that separates an in-group from an out-group, BJJ rolling itself does that. Unless you roll light all the time, in which case you're doing it wrong.

 

[chunglii]

I like what Profesor Sledd had to say about hazing and belt whipping.

 

[yetanother]

I don't know man. If you call what happens at bjj promotions as "hazing" I think this podcast might be a little bit too pussy for me. I will tell my 8 year old niece to listen to it. She likes unicorns.
If you really want to know what hazing is I will tell you about pledging a frat.

Isn't the main object to belt whipping not really that's it painful (when done while wearing a gi it's not) but that it teaches you that forcing stupid rituals on people is acceptable? That way you are more likely to accept a more dangerous one.

 

[Uchi Mata]

Isn't the main object to belt whipping not really that's it painful (when done while wearing a gi it's not) but that it teaches you that forcing stupid rituals on people is acceptable? That way you are more likely to accept a more dangerous one.

Ritual creates shared experiences and connections. Painful rituals create a bond of suffering/elitism (because you've endured what others haven't). It's one reason people like to go get tattoos together: the pain increases the salience of the shared experience. But for BJJ it just doesn't make any sense, because we have a shared experience of beating the crap out of each all the time. My teammates have put so many whuppings on me we don't need any further hardship to bond. What we do is already harder and more painful than anything most people do on a daily basis.

 

[SUPERGRAPPLER]

The only think I have to say is continue the promotion whippings but only AFTER you've washed your belt.

 

[yetanother]

Ritual creates shared experiences and connections. Painful rituals create a bond of suffering/elitism (because you've endured what others haven't). It's one reason people like to go get tattoos together: the pain increases the salience of the shared experience. But for BJJ it just doesn't make any sense, because we have a shared experience of beating the crap out of each all the time. My teammates have put so many whuppings on me we don't need any further hardship to bond. What we do is already harder and more painful than anything most people do on a daily basis.

There is an bjj affiliation in my country which has especially strict hazing rituals, like for black belt they tie you up and kick, punch and choke you unconscious.
Despite the fact that they mostly have crap jiu jitsu they are all very loyal to the team and they have their mentally retarded looking haircuts etc.

 

[Uchi Mata]

There is an bjj affiliation in my country which has especially strict hazing rituals, like for black belt they tie you up and kick, punch and choke you unconscious.
Despite the fact that they mostly have crap jiu jitsu they are all very loyal to the team and they have their mentally retarded looking haircuts etc.

It seems to me that in the martial arts in general the cultishness and brutality of gyms is inversely proportional to how good they actually are.

 

[beeran1]

It seems to me that in the martial arts in general the cultishness and brutality of gyms is inversely proportional to how good they actually are.

I think that's a really good point.

 

[finalboss]

If you or the school need to get hit with a belt to create solidarity, you're probably in the wrong place. Are there gauntlets for people receiving university degrees? No, because they're smarter than that and are not meatheads.

 

[jr jr]

We are mostly a club of "executives" (old guys). I have no time or tolerance for gauntlet ceremonies. It is not not my cup of tea and I don't like the group think mob mentality.

Yep, I am an old curmudgeon.

 

[Forceof1]

At my old gym, there was whippings. I thought it was stupid. Why should a 2 month white belt get to whip a 5 year vet getting his purple belt who has been through the ringer to get there? I would stand on the side and not whip people.

At my new gym, we don't whip. You do get choked or thrown by the instructor promoting- but I don't have an issue with that.

 

[Thrawn33]

Belt whippings?

Please....

I'd rather take than than being thrown by everyone senior to you (which still did with no regret)

 

[PayPerView]

At my academy once someone gets a new belt, he or she has the option of getting whipped.

The instructor walks away and let's whatever happen happen, he doesn't have anything to do with it and it is completely voluntary.

Many people choose not to get whipped and simply get dressed and leave after their promotion. It is mainly a fun thing, tradition, rite of passage, whatever. I have videos of myself getting whipped that I will show to my kids and keep as memories of happy times. Don't overthink it.

 

[M3t4tr0n]

Whipping people with belts is a real thing?