AT CHAMPION’S CREED, BELTS ARE NOT JUST ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW.
True, there are moves to be learned and material to be understood. But Champion’s Creed is after a higher goal…
To help create positive, independent, responsible, and caring people.
At Champion’s Creed when the children from the jiu-jitsu program graduate to their next coloured belt (or sometimes when they get their stripes), they have to get their teachers at school to sign off that they’re good students.
When asked what parents think of having their kids evaluated by their teachers, Champion’s Creed co-founder, and the program coordinator for the kids jiu-jitsu program, Sheila Bird explained:
The parents feel that it’s not just about martial arts; it’s about life. Life lessons, core values, and doing what’s right.
– Sheila Bird
Sheila agrees that the teacher sign off is a positive thing.
Having teachers sign off on kids’ belt promotions reinforces that the martial arts are not just a physical practice at the gym, but a way of life that you carry with you everywhere you go.
I feel that we’re teaching kids to be good people. Not just good martial artists and how to defend themselves, but when to do it, and what’s right and what’s wrong.
— Sheila Bird
In other words, martial arts is not just about self-defence; it’s also about helping youth better themselves and their community. Makes sense, right?