For the last week or so, I've been watching the BJJ community lose their collective $4!+ over this 16 17-year-old blue belt who is running his own school.

Now, at first I didn't know what to think either. I mean, a kid who's just 17 running his own school, and a blue belt to boot... sounded a little fishy to me.

Of course, I found out about this young man from discussions on Facebook, the new public pillory. If you ever want to see a bunch of misinformed people jump to conclusions about things they know little about, just scroll down your Facebook feed. I guarantee you'll find something of interest.

Well, as it turns out this kid has been training in martial arts since he five years old. He started out in karate and earned a black belt, and then he decided he wanted to run a school someday.

Not only that, but he decided that he wanted to teach Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Only problem was, he was just a pup. So, he sat down with his parents and developed a plan...

At 12 years old the kid starts traveling to Torrence to train at the Gracie Academy. For four years he travels and trains, and finally tests for and earns his blue belt at the Gracie Academy in Torrence. He gets certified to teach the Combatives program, their anti-bullying curriculum, and the women's self-defense program.

And then, and only then, does he open a school in partnership with his parents. 

(Oh, and did I mention that he also graduated high school at 16 years old? Yeah, he's currently in the middle of his first year of school at Tulane University.)

All he teaches is the Gracie Combatives Program, the anti-bully program, and the women's self-defense program. And he only teaches white and blue belts.

But still, people are losing their $4!+ about this guy.

Well, here's some food for thought. I was on my own and supporting myself at 17, because I got kicked out of my house. And I finished high school early as well, albeit by taking the GED, because it turns out finishing high school and working full-time making minimum wage is a tough row to hoe when you're just a kid.

And I made at least part of my living teaching martial arts when I was just a young man. In fact, I started teaching adults when I was just 14 years old. (My instructor basically threw me out on the floor and said, "Here, go teach these white belts." I had a 65-year-old lady in that class. She didn't care about my age - all she cared about was, could I teach. I guess I could.)

Now, here's something else to think about. I remember back in the 90's when there just weren't many BJJ black belts to train with apart from those found on the East and West coasts. So, back then folks would travel to seminars to learn BJJ, then watch instructional videos and train in the interim.

And then they'd start their own classes when they got blue belt. There were a ton of blue and purple belts running their own programs back then. Remember, back then it was a BIG DEAL to be a blue belt or purple belt in BJJ. These folks were like grappling GODS to someone like me (who has never had much skill in grappling anyway, despite training on and off for years).

That's how many (not all, but many) American BJJ black belts got ranked back then. In fact, one of the first guys I trained with was a blue belt who traveled to train with his instructor once a week. And he was phenomenal.

And if you think about it, many of the folks who are complaining about this kid would have never had the opportunity to take a BJJ class if their instructors hadn't had the balls to travel and train and suffer to get their rank. 

In fact, if those early pioneers hadn't had the balls to ignore all the karate and TKD people who gave them hell for teaching as blue and purple belts, a lot of people who are training BJJ today would've never even heard about jiu-jitsu. (And isn't it strange how now it's the BJJ community who is eating their own...)

So, as far as this kid goes, the arguments are invalid in my book. I wish him the best of success, and I think he's going to go far as an instructor. Good for him.

Of course, you're entitled to your opinion... but that is mine. And I'd also like to close by saying that if you're pissed off that a 17-year-old kid is doing better in his school than you are, maybe you need to reevaluate your values and priorities, and focus your energies and efforts a little closer to home.

Who knows? If we all spent less time sticking our noses in other people's business, and we spent more time and energy tending to our own, we might all be more happy and successful.

Imagine that.