Derek McMoneyburg, the "3.5-Year Black Belt"

   I must start this piece by saying apparently, Derek Moneyburg, isn’t his real name. While doing some reading on this subject it came up that it is actually Dale Buczkowski. While you may not agree with the rest of this blog, I think we can all agree Derek Moneyburg is a way cooler alias.

   Now that we have that out of the way, we can get to the heart of the matter. Did Mr. Scrooge McMoneyburg earn his BJJ blackbelt in 3.5 years or did he use his giant safe of gold coins that he commonly swims through to buy it?

   The answer is he did both and it is ok. The problem here isn’t him or his money. The problem here is us. The practitioners of the BJJ have a certain expectation of challenge through the ranks that this does not meet. It almost feels like if a guy with a top hat and cane can get his black belt in 3.5 years then that somehow waters down the journey of a practitioner who got their black belt in 16.5 years of training like myself. Additionally, it feels unattainable because most of us practitioners wouldn’t have the money to accomplish 3000 hours of private lessons with the “best in the business”. It is almost like the rich are now taking over our last sanctuary. Let’s breakdown these two challenges we normal BJJ practitioners are having with this guy and explore ways that we can be better.

First, let’s compare his journey vs the normal journey from a time frame perspective. The average black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu takes 10-12 years of consistent training. A fact that makes Black belts in our sport proud. Having the consistency to do something hard for that long is certainly something to be proud of. Mr. Moneyburg, does not have that same perspective. He did not have as many mental fights making himself going to train in rooms that beat up your body. He did not have as many years that he had to continue to choose Jiu Jitsu over bar league softball or taking your kid to soccer practice. He only had to wake up sore for 3.5 years to go train not 12.

   Now, lets all zoom out. Does Mr. McDuck’s experience take away from ours? This seems like a common case of expectation being the thief of joy. We are projecting an expectation of what we had to do. Let’s all ask ourselves if this guy's black belt really impacts the amount we love the sport. Even though his experience was different, it doesn’t mean that ours is the wrong way. Rest assured my fellow BJJ friends, no one can take away your achievements and the value they have brought to you.

   Next, let's talk about the idea that he paid for his black belt. The idea that because he is rich he got to train and do things differently than normal. This idea is crap. We all pay for our belts. We all pay for school, or at least should. Yes he got his faster than almost everybody in history but it also cost him way more than everybody in history. All this is to say so what. It seems like people are mad because this guy has a money bin and a personal “launchpad McQuack” taking him around to some of the best practitioners in the world. Perhaps this is a bit of jealousy on our part that we don’t have the ability to do this…

   The last point that should be made is that it is people and stunts like this that will water down BJJ. This point may be valid, but to it I say so what? Jiu Jitsu isn’t just about having an appearance of being tough or the ability to endure. It is about all sorts of things to all sorts of people. For us at my school, White Lotus in Milwaukee, it is about good people coming together to have fun, blow off steam, and become good at an art that may be helpful if you ever need to use it. White Lotus is a safe place to train and socialize with friends. Jiu Jitsu provides a mutually shared difficult experience that we can all bond around. This cartoon of a situation does not change that. Watering down the rest of Jiu Jitsu doesn’t change our mission.

   Let Mr. Dale McDuck have his black belt in 3.5 years for a billion dollars. It doesn’t change me, the sport I love, or how we at White Lotus practice it.