Head instructor Scott Ewen and instructor Cosme Hlatky of Coast Martial Arts Jiu-Jitsu studio in Gibsons took their skills to the next level recently by attaining their Gracie Jiu-Jitsu purple belts.
“You have to be recognized by the Gracies to be promoted,” Ewen said. “They have to see you, recognize you and promote you. So it’s kind of cool for us to get promoted.”
The Gracie school of Jiu-Jitsu is a world-renowned academy based out of Torrance, Calif. It was established by Carlos and Hélio Gracie in Brazil in the early 1900s and passed down through generations of the Gracie family. The Gracies are widely accredited with creating Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ).
“Our journey from white to blue typically takes about a year to a year and a half. From blue to purple it typically takes about five years,” Ewen said. “It took me and [Hlatky] seven years because we’re a satellite school.”
Belts start at white and progress through blue, purple, brown and then black.
The promotion from blue to purple is a gruelling 55-minute grappling session where the Jiu-Jitsu student must demonstrate that they can endure fighting past a point of exhaustion.
“You get a couple of breaks to go and vomit, and then come back in and keep going. Really it’s just about pushing through,” Ewen said. “They really want to make sure there is quality assurance, because when we wear those belts we represent the Gracie family. They want to make sure that everybody who wears that belt is actually what they say they are.”
Hlatky received his purple belt from Rener Gracie in California on Oct. 24. Ewen was prevented from testing at the same time due to an injury. He did his test with black belt Marc Marins at North Van BJJ on Oct. 28.
“Having a belt helps, as an instructor, when people come to the gym. The first thing they look at is the person teaching the class,” Ewen said.
Potential new students often make their decision about which studio to train at based on the instructor’s level of certification, Ewen explained. It also raises his credibility with higher-ranking instructors and even members of the Gracie family.
But, he said, the belt itself doesn’t make him a better instructor or student.
“The hard thing about belt rankings is that they don’t always represent the person wearing the belt,” Ewen said. “For instance, only four weeks ago, I was a blue belt. I’m not much of a different grappler today – a little bit – but the belt ranking system I think has its flaws.”
Coast Martial Arts is located at 1050 Venture Way in Gibsons. Schedules and more information are available on their website at www.coastmartialarts.com.
