Becoming the First Valente Brothers Black Belt in the UK
25th January 2023
By Christopher Charalambous
History of the Black Belt
There are many myths surrounding the history of the black belt one of the most famous is that in the past students started as white belts and through years of study, dedication and hard work the belt would become dirty and turn black. This is a great story it creates the imagery of the hard work and dedication in the pursuit of martial arts that a person needs to achieve a “black” belt, but that’s not how the coloured belt system came into being.
Jigoro Kano who is known as the father of Judo was heavily involved in recreational sports in Japan as well as being part of the Olympic Committee, and it is said that he got the idea of separating advanced students from beginner students because advanced swimmers back in the day traditionally work a black ribbon around there waist.
So in the Kodokan the school that he founded in 1882 once the students had completed a rudamentry curriculum and understood the core techniques and philosophies they were awarded a black belt.
Becoming the First Valente Brothers Black Belt in the UK
Due to everything that has been going on in the world in recent years our Head Instructor and Owner of Sheffield Self Defence Christopher Charalambous has not been able to visit Valente Brothers Headquarters for the last 3 years.
Here at Sheffield Self Defence we pride ourselves on our good relationship with the Valente Brothers and the Headquarters in Miami. Many of our students make the trip to Miami to learn from Pedro, Gui and Joaquim and the student body that exists there.
Chris flew out at the end of 2022 to train and take in the special culture that is Valente Brothers HQ, a culture that he has brought back and developed here at Sheffield Self Defence.
While there, his intentions were to attend regular scheduled Classes, have Privates with the brothers and attend VB Tactical Lessons to learn about correct firearm usage and control.
December is also the time in Miami where the black belt tests occur and although it has evolved since the day of Jigoro Kano the core idea still remains. This is a very strict test that is carried out behind closed doors with all the other VB black belts in attendance
Black belt students can’t talk about what exactly goes on in test but recently the Valente Brothers released a video hinting at what the test entails. It is a very demanding situation, you are with the Valente Brothers, surrounded by your peers and are tested to your limited.
Once your test is done you are let out the room and Christopher said he felt the release of nerves and tension and was sure that he had failed and was gearing himself up for next years exam. When his name was announced at the Winter Belt Ceremony you can see the surprise on Christophers face as he accepts his belt and is congratulated by Joaquim, Gui and Pedro and all the other newly promoted black belts.
Chris has been training for 14 years, so it has been a long journey but Christopher’s dedication and commitment to learning the art of Ju Jutsu both for the betterment of himself and his students has carried him through. But if you ask him now what’s next he would say that the training and learning is just beginning.
Huge congratulations from all the students at Sheffield Self Defence on this amazing achievement to not only Chris but everyone who was promoted.
by
Steve Searle
