Imagine this:

You pay to train at a gym with (typically) monthly dues. You pay for the gear. You show up and work your ass off, improving every time you step on the mat.

Your instructor says, “it’s about time for that next belt!”

You get excited until you hear that you now must pay a fee to test.

What. The. Fuck.

After all the time you put on the mat and all you continue pay, they want to say that you have to pay an additional fee for the school to recognize that your blood, sweat, and tears are worthy of a new color around your waist. This is bullshit. 

I don’t know anyone who is happy with the amount of test fees they hear about in other arts like TKD, Karate, or whatever blast-from-the-past art you want to name. There is a fee for everything, and they keep increasing as you go up (typically). It’s also amazing in that they have 500 belts and shades of each yet keep finding ways to have students pay those test fees!

Best part of all of this – typically schools will charge you a test fee for a belt yet have no true structure or curriculum to ensure you learn those things to pass their test.

Imagine learning the test is something stupid like “show me 20 sweeps from guard” despite the fact they don’t have a curriculum that covers 20 sweeps, and they claimed you were “ready to test” based on observation of your skills which didn’t utilize 20 sweeps. Or imagine this other profoundly aggravating test situation where they don’t really care how you do (and sometimes tell you!), it’s just a formality they instituted, yet you still have to pay for it… Sometimes they even have the audacity to make you buy your own belt after taking your money!

Tell me why you are accepting this now in a modern art in modern time?

If you charge test fees for the bullshit like I said above, shame on you. You are hungry for money and we all can see it.

My Recommendation:

If your gym has tests for belts, make sure the gym has a defined curriculum (or at least structure) to prepare you for the test (and you should know what the test is).

If your instructor says you are ready to test and its based on subjective standards (already discussed) and there is a test fee, you should take a hard look at what it entails and ask yourself if this is just them taking your money (likely). If so, make your decision…

If your instructor says you are ready to test and it’s based on objective standards (already discussed) and there is a test fee, you should take a hard look at what it entails, how you were prepared in class, and ask yourself if this event warrants paying for (maybe, maybe not). If not, make your decision….

If your instructor says you are ready to test and it’s based on objective standards, and there is no test fee… chances are you should just do it. It isn’t about making more money off you at that point.

Mathematical Jiu-Jitsu never has and never will have belt test fees.