We wanted to send out a reminder that our big Summer Belt Promotion and 17 Year Academy Anniversary will be on Saturday, July 25th at the Pleasanton academy. The promotion is for all BJJ students from Pleasanton and Danville.
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Our academies will be cancelled for normally scheduled classes on that day, Saturday, 7/25/26.
Here is the Belt Promotion Schedule:
- 9:00am to 11:00ish am – Kids Belt Promotion (for all kids ages 4-14)
- 11ish to 12:30ish – Team Pictures, Potluck and Game Truck
- 12:30pm Teen and Adult BJJ Promotion + 1 hour of open mat after the graduation
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Here are several common questions and answers regarding the Belt Promotion:
- Should I bring my child to the Belt Promotion?
- We encourage all of the kids in our Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program to attend the Belt Promotions. To earn a belt/stripe is an exciting time, and we love to see the kids supporting each other by being there and cheering each other on.
- What can I expect at the Belt Promotion?
- At this time, we hold all promotion events at the Pleasanton academy so that all of our team can be together. As the academies continue to grow, we will then start separating the promotions.
- You can arrive up to 15 minutes early (but please arrive on time), find a seat and enjoy! Depending on how many kids are present, we call up between 1 and 3 kids at a time to receive their belt/stripes. We always try to limit the time of the Belt Promotions because we know that the kids get tired of sitting after a while. After the kids earn their belts/stripes, we do a team picture.
- We ask you not to leave in the middle of the event as it becomes very distracting to the kids still on the mats.
- Family and friends are always welcome at the Promotion Events.
- All kids are to wear their gis and belts to the Belt Promotions.
- If we don’t go to the Belt Promotion, will I (or my child) still be promoted, if eligible?
- Yes, you will. After the promotion event, it takes some time to reorganize all of the belts, divide them by academies, divide them into classes, divide them into age groups, etc.. Once this is complete, we will email everyone to let you know when belts/stripes will be awarded to those who couldn’t attend. This will be done during normal class times and is usually about 2-3 weeks after the promotion event.
- Will my child receive a belt at the promotion?
- All of the kids are promoted at the Belt Promotions. All kids earn either their new belt or between 1 and 4 stripes for their existing belt. In order to be considered for promotion, your child must be consistently attending classes for at least 4 out of the 6 months between graduations. Please note that many of the belts require more time than that (up to several years), but 4 out of 6 months is the minimum requirements to be considered for a belt. There are other minimum requirements that we also adhere to as we follow the IBJJF Graduation System.
- How do you get promoted?
- This isn’t a clear cut, simple answer. There are a lot of factors involved in determining if someone should receive their next Belt/stripes. We follow the IBJJF Belt Graduation System, which has basic guidelines for belt promotions. In addition, things like consistency in training, attendance, skill development, maturity, focus, coachability, etc. are also factored in. Because we don’t “test” for promotions, our instructors are constantly watching and assessing all of our students. Our instructors get together to talk about progress, things to work on with certain students, and ultimately, their progression path.
Also, for the potluck, please bring an appetizer, dessert, drinks, side dish, etc. for everyone to share. We will provide the main entree. We will have the game truck in the back parking lot, along with tables and chairs for everyone to be able to sit and eat.
We are so excited for the Belt Promotion and hope everyone can join us. Thank you.