Blue belt blues/Injury leads to Sandbagging accusation

3 year(s) ago • 399 views • 22 replies

Brown beltVerified

49 forum posts1845/700

Need some subject matter expert opinions. I got my blue belt in 2006. 2008 I blew out my ACL, received military orders (PCS’d), fell out of love with Jiujitsu and stopped until three years ago when at the ripe “old” age of 41, after I retired from the Marines, post pandemic…I started Jiujitsu again. So I was hoping that my profile reads that. 16 plus year blue belt?!? Mustve gotten hurt, stopped for a long ass time, or just really sucks as a blue belt🤣. Surprise! Combo of all three!!!! Anyways. I got promoted to Purple after three years. I competed at a tournament literally an hr ago, where my opponent’s (one that I lost to) head coach said I was sandbagging because my belt checker profile reads 17years of Jiujitsu, yeah he checked. I am in Germany, no one had a clue what I was talking about when I tried to explain except the score keeper. My coach tried explaining but the opponents coach kept going on about it.

Which leads me to my dilemma. What the hell do I do moving forward? I placed third today btw. 🥉 why the hell does my picture post sideways 🤦🏻‍♂️

Edited 3 year(s) ago

Black belt 2nd degreeVerified

346 forum posts3905/1000

Congratulations on your bronze medal. All pictures on the forum post in landscape format (wide and short) instead of portrait format for some reason. I have had to crop images to make them wide enough that they would appear in the correct orientation.

I’m sorry that you had to go through that mess at the tournament. I am in a similar boat: I spent ten years as a purple belt, but during that time I took several years off for serious injuries (including a spinal injury), my wife’s cancer treatment, having kids, etc. I wonder if Beltchecker might be able to include a “downtime” feature that would let us indicate major training gaps so that our total training time number would be more accurate.

Edited 3 year(s) ago

Brown beltVerified

49 forum posts1845/700

Thanks for your response Coach! I am sorry to hear about your wife’s cancer diagnosis and hope that treatment went well. Life right? Ups downs and straight kicks in the junk. That would be nice for belt checker to do that.

Sebastian Ellinghaus

Black belt 1st degreeVerified

599 forum posts34785/1000

Well I understand the situation a little bit because I was a BB for nearly 20 years before entering the mats in a beginners division BJJ. In my end-30s, last Judo-comp nearly 10 years ago, physically not well trained (has to start in open weight class…) and more than lucky to fight finally for a bronze medal against all these testo-monsters in their best age.
Nevertheless it was quite a similar discussion about sandbagging.
I was lucky, that the guys I could beat were cool with the situation in the end.
-I think if circumstances allow, it is the best way to talk with all the coaches who got fighters in and the refs before the tournament starts (for example during divisions bracketing).

Purple beltVerified

106 forum posts2550/400

I am in similar situation myself. I started grappling in 2009. With an aim of it being for MMA. Did 4.5 years of No Gi and a couple of comps. Stopped in 2012 due to injury and moving with the military. Then 10 years later I started up in the Gi. It didn't take me long to get to grips with the Gi. Got 4 stripes on my belt in the space of 8 months. It's become a running g joke in my club of me being a 14 year white belt. That I should be a blue etc. However in the terms of skill fade. 10 years off the mats will pretty much put you back at the start. As the sport has evolved. I don't see getting my blue belt any time soon. As I only have 1.5 years of Gi grappling under my belt. Even with my years of no gi grappling. But I took BJJ back up again to make friends and meet different people I wouldn't normally see. It's good to see you are back on thr mats!

Brown beltVerified

49 forum posts1845/700

Some of these salty ass coaches dont understand..life, injuries, military obligations. But damn…i lost 2-0 to his guy and says Im sandbagging. It’s not like I am a pan am level judoka hip tossing fools. Thanks for the response friend🤘🏽.

Brown beltVerified

49 forum posts1845/700

I think if circumstances allow, it is the best way to talk with all the coaches who got fighters in and the refs before the tournament starts (for example during divisions bracketing).

Spoken like a true professional

Bobby McMasters

Black belt 1st degreeVerified

1272 forum posts12800/1000

I'm not sure why you would need to do anything different, tbh. Tell them to f*** off, or, in lieu of getting 3rd place in a street fight should they respond unfavorably to your telling them off, just refer them to your coach.

Last time I checked, you can't promote yourself, so it's not really your responsibility if you're sandbagging or not, is it?

Brown beltVerified

49 forum posts1845/700

I'm not sure why you would need to do anything different, tbh. Tell them to f*** off, or, in lieu of getting 3rd place in a street fight should they respond unfavorably to your telling them off, just refer them to your coach. Last time I checked, you can't promote yourself, so it's not really your responsibility if you're sandbagging or not, is it?

Thanks for the advice coach! 🤘🏽

Sebastian Ellinghaus

Black belt 1st degreeVerified

599 forum posts34785/1000

The only important point is, that Your opponent kept cool with it.
In the present case it all leads back to a coach and his fears (or maybe even inferiority complexes cause he is perhaps still a coloured belt himself and not verified by beltchecker?!).
-So be happy that this situation didn‘ t lead to the exit fear mostly leads to: wristlocks….😱😆

Bobby McMasters

Black belt 1st degreeVerified

1272 forum posts12800/1000

Thanks for the advice coach! 🤘🏽

No problem. Just looked at your profile. Seems as though there's a good possibility we trained together at one point: I trained at Gustavo's in VA Beach from '07-'09.

Looking at your pictures, you do look familiar, but might also be my imagination.

Black belt 3rd degreeVerified

1043 forum posts59560/1000

People need to not take this so seriously.

It's not years of training sporadically with life getting in the way. I know so many guys that are 15 year white belts because of moving, life etc. It's not like you went out and tore through the division with a bunch of 30 second submissions. This is supposed to be fun

Mt real question do you feel you were in the appropriate division? Does your coach? That is all that matters

Black belt 2nd degreeVerified

976 forum posts9215/1000

I would put in under blue belt rank description the blue belt life, the time away. All of it.

If you go to my Blue belt and you will see why I was at bluebelt for so long.

If anyone questions point them to your blue belt on belt checker

Edited 3 year(s) ago

Brown beltVerified

573 forum posts3175/700

I honestly don't think there's anything you can do here. It doesn't matter what you do, you're going to hear some excuse. If you've "been a blue belt too long" you're sandbagging. If you've been a blue belt for the normal amount of time and do well against upper belts, then it's because you used to wrestle or did judo. If you're an old guy and you're able to do well against younger guys, then you're on steroids (this one actually happened to me after an open mat).

The answer will never be that maybe the opponents aren't as good as they thought they were.

I'm at the point where I just consider it a complement.

Blue beltVerified

163 forum posts1685/200

You've been a purple belt for less than 4 months and they're still playing the 'sandbagging' card? Even after you placed third?

You've got nothing to worry about. They can go eat rocks. They probably already do.

Black belt 1st degreeVerified

776 forum posts1920/1000

Just compete in ADCC advanced/pro rules. There nobody gives a crap about belts.

Brown beltVerified

23 forum posts2690/700

I wouldn’t give it too much thought. You have legitimate reasonings as to why you were at blue belt for so long before advancement.

I also don’t understand why he was still complaining after you lost to his student. Lmao

Congrats on placing third, and congrats on your purple belt!

Brown beltVerified

573 forum posts3175/700

In all honesty, I think sandbagging is a bit of a lame excuse after White Belt. I mean, yeah, if you're a professional MMA Fighter or a judo Olympian fighting in the white belt division, then That's sandbagging. But from blue belt onwards, I don't think it matters as much because you understand the game. I've seen blue belts beat MMA guys under the BJJ ruleset and I've gone against judo black belts who outweighed me and were training much longer than I had with out any problem at all.

Brown beltVerified

49 forum posts1845/700

I wouldn’t give it too much thought. You have legitimate reasonings as to why you were at blue belt for so long before advancement. I also don’t understand why he was still complaining after you lost to his student. Lmao Congrats on placing third, and congrats on your purple belt!

Thanks coach! And congrats on your most recent promotion as well!

Brown beltVerified

49 forum posts1845/700

In all honesty, I think sandbagging is a bit of a lame excuse after White Belt. I mean, yeah, if you're a professional MMA Fighter or a judo Olympian fighting in the white belt division, then That's sandbagging. But from blue belt onwards, I don't think it matters as much because you understand the game. I've seen blue belts beat MMA guys under the BJJ ruleset and I've gone against judo black belts who outweighed me and were training much longer than I had with out any problem at all.

Completely agree!

Christian Graugart

Black belt 4th degreeVerified

4323 forum posts39315/1000

So basically the conversation was:

Him: "But you've trained for 17 years!?"
You: "No, I had 12 years break in between"
Him: "WHATEVER BRO 17 YEARS"

Not sure you have to worry about that logic, tbh 😂

Brown beltVerified

49 forum posts1845/700

So basically the conversation was: Him: 'But you've trained for 17 years!?' You: 'No, I had 12 years break in between' Him: 'WHATEVER BRO 17 YEARS' Not sure you have to worry about that logic, tbh 😂

HAHAHAHAHA. That is exactly how it went! All the while, him waving his phone around like he’s flagging down an Uber.

Edited 3 year(s) ago

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