see a lot of people get confused (and a bit discouraged) around belts and what they’re “supposed” to mean in Jiu-Jitsu. It usually shows up like this: Someone’s been training a long time. They’re a bit older, maybe a bit smaller. They’ve earned a purple belt (or higher). Then they go to a competition, an open mat, or train somewhere new… and they get absolutely worked by a blue belt. And the thought creeps in: “Maybe I’m not as good as I thought.” and "i dont deserve this belt" I want to clear this up, because most of the confusion comes from mixing two completely different systems and expecting them to mean the same thing. Belts and competition are not the same thing. A belt is your progression inside the martial art, as determined by your coach ... the person who sees: - how long you’ve trained - how you train - how you learn - how you apply technique - how you conduct yourself on and off the mat - how you’ve grown over time A belt is contextual and completely SUBJECTIVE. It’s personal. It’s long-term. It’s not a promise that you will beat everyone below you in every possible scenario. Now compare that to competition. Competition is a snapshot. A moment in time. Under a specific rule set. With specific incentives. Age, weight, athleticism, risk tolerance, rule optimisation, and preparation all matter massively here. And yet… we try to use belts as the sorting mechanism for competition. That’s where things break down. If it were up to me… Competition would have three divisions only: - Beginner - Intermediate - Advanced That’s it. Based primarily on time in the sport, not belt colour. Because someone can: - be a blue belt with 8 years of hard competition training - be a purple belt who trains 2–3x a week, avoids injury, and plays a long game - be 22 years old or 42 years old - be explosive or methodical - be optimised for competition or optimised for longevity Trying to pretend those people are “equal” because of belt colour is where the confusion lives.

For its fishing ability

The long game grappler #2

I’m putting together something I’ve wanted to build properly for a long time a program specifically for grapplers over 35 who want to train longer, feel better, and stay injury-free without needing to smash themselves into the ground. Longevity in Jiu-Jitsu has always been a huge passion of mine. Over the years I’ve worked with plenty of people in person, and I’ve already created and run an online version of this with a couple of students as a passion project... not a business play. Seeing how much it helped them made me realise how big the need actually is. So now I’m refining it into a simple 8-week progression designed to help mature grapplers: - train smarter, not harder (as a consequence you train more) - fix recurring injuries (From experience... then prevent new one ones) - build real stability and confidence - actually feel good on the mats again Is anyone here interested in something like this? Either for yourself or someone you know? This isn’t coming from a financial angle it’s something I genuinely love teaching and have been quietly building for years. If enough people put their hand up, I’ll open up a small first group and refine it with you from the inside out. Drop a comment or send me a DM if you’re curious. Always keen to support the older grapplers who still want to move and feel sharp. Shane

I have had a rebrand so no longer Jiu Jitsu Shit Talk we are now Grapple Culture In all these travels I have found that every gym and person that trains in it needs the culture of improvement in them as a person… Shit Talk is more of a personal thing to me so I’m keep it as the name of my podcast YT channel.