Yes... last night I tested and passed for my yellow belt. [:D]

The endurance round got off to an interesting start, though, when my instructor jabbed with the Thai pad, and I (like a dummie) didn't parry and he managed to dislodge my contact.  I stuck it in my mouth and proceeded for seven jab-cross-hook-cross-double rear kick combos (I had to do 30 in three minutes... I ended up with 37 on the second try) before I asked him to pause so I could put my contact back in.  

I tried... but I have extremely poor vision and it's incredibly hard to breathe effectively when you're worried about spitting out or swallowing your contact.  ::sheepish grin::

Congrats.
Will you be using your skills as part of your strategy on "Survivor"? [:D]

ARH

Hey, congradulations!  I've lost a contact many a time sparring/competeing.  Usually let's me know I'm being to lax and need to pick it up a bit.  I've tried sparring without them, but I'm so used to the clarity, I prefer it better.  I know it's just psycological because I've lost them in the first round of a fight and continued without flinching for the remainder of the rounds.  Luckily my vision isn't horrible (around 20/75)

isn't that a drink?

[;)]
seriously, good job.

Way to go!!!

Congrats, only six more to go and you will be able to consider yourself a beginner.

*Disclaimer, that is not as harsh as it sounds. Brand new black belts are asked if they are now ready to begin training. The notion being that everything up until black belt is just aquiring the skills necessary to begin to start learning to apply them.

I'm so old,when I was training,they only had green,brown,black.[;)]

I still practice some ryu that only have those 4, and even a few with only white, brown and black.

But you gotta admit, you do get jealous when you see some tae kwon do stylist earn the coveted "camoflauge belt" grade. Almost as cool as "gold belt."

Cool!  now you can dress like the guy from the "street fighter" game.

What do you mean by "now?"  ::feigning confusion::

"Street fighter" is so pret a porter! [:D]

My soon to be teen daughter want's to do some martial arts.
When we get a few bills paid off, we are going to send her to a dojo.
I did some when I was young, it is great. I was the only yellow belt he would allow to break boards using feet.
I use to be good with my feet.

I'm pretty sure Jiu Jitsu just has the four ranks:

White
Blue
Purple
Black

Of course, a "fresh" Blue Belt is about the same time/experience ratio as that of a TaeKwonDo "fresh" Black.  The entire belt-ranking system in most modern martial arts is misleading, and should [b]only[/b] be used to rate yourself in retrospect with other students of the same study and belt rank.

Hey Steyr, isn't there a BROWN in the BJJ?  I keep hearing about it, but I'll be damned if I've ever seen one.  I think the big man himself, Jacaré up in ATL, has one or two, but after taking a trip up there one weekend, I didn't see a single one training under him.

In any case, Kudos MM!

Jew, unsure of the Brazilian grading system. I think you get first rank for being able to fight and second rank for shameless commercialism.

As to Classical Japanese Ju Jutsu Ryu Ha the more or less followed the model of the fencing schools. In the pre Judo days before belts were created Yudansha wore a hakama to note their status. Much as is still done in modern Aikido.

After the creation of Judo by Jigaro Kano and the representation of rank by colored belts, some Ju Jutsu schools adopted this practice. At first only white, brown and black were used. This was symbolic of the belt becoming worn and discolored by wear over time. They would then wear their black belts to a state of such extreme wear that they would become tattered and almost white again completing a symbolic "full circle."

Later green belts were added between white and brown but kept with the natural discoloration symbolism (I guess to represent a grass stain).

Wow!  You guys have Brown???  In Budo Taijutsu (Bujinkan), we have that green belt for sooooo long....  [:)]

Congratulations Miss_Magnum!  Sometimes testing is under less than ideal circumstances.  Due to poor planning before my last rank test, I had to pee [b]so[/b] badly during...  But it worked out ok; I didn't have to resort to Golden Rain Technique.

Edited coz im dum.

Congrats Miss Magnum. There's no better feeling than that of accomplishment. The confidence has to be good too.

Just an FYI... it's not like the old days when guys were intimidated by a woman who could scrap. I personally find women who can fight sexy. You can fight, shoot, now if you only owned a Harley Davidson, you'd be the perfect woman.

[;)]