Question: “Hi, I changed my academy, because I moved in another city. I am a white belt and earned one stripe three months before I moved away.
I have trained several times in the new spot and as it came to rolling I did very hard with the guys without stripes. I do not know if they have tougher requirements for stripes.
So my question is: Should I take off my stripe and start at the new academy from the very beginning? Or leave it like that and learn my lessons?
Thanks for your response.”
Jiu-jitsu Times: Belt rank questions when moving to a new academy are common.
Different academies have different criteria to award belts. Some academies are very competition oriented and some are more recreational.
Students may move to a new academy and discover that their skill level is significantly higher or lower than equivalent ranks at the previous BJJ school.
Competition-oriented schools can be slow on promotions, as they want to win as many medals as possible come tournament day.
I believe that it is a mistake to put too much emphasis on these matters.
If I were a higher belt – purple or brown – and getting steamrollered by white belts in a new academy, I would probably be upset! But when it comes to a single stripe, I would not think too much of it.
A single stripe on your white belt is recognition from your instructor that you are starting to understand the positions and basic techniques of jiu-jitsu. It is not a precise measurement of your abilities – especially in relation to other students!
Jiu-jitsu Times – Your First Stripe in Jiu-Jitsu
My advice is to respect the stripe that your previous instructor awarded you and place most of your concentration on making new friends and training partners at your new academy and improving your jiu-jitsu.
