According to some, The Gauntlet is a tradition found in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu that is part of the culture. Expanding on this, it can be seen as a fun, team-building way to promote team solidarity. According to others, it is more of a hazing ritual that is dated and can make people feel uncomfortable. Because of this, The Gauntlet can be completely different depending on who you ask.
One thing is for sure though, in modern times it is less and less common in BJJ. For better or for worse, The Gauntlet is a practice that is slowly dying out from gyms. We shall take a deeper look into the meaning of The Gauntlet and what it means to the average BJJ practitioner.
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What is the gauntlet in BJJ?
In literal terms, the phrase derives from ‘running the gaunlet’, which has connotations of a challenge. In BJJ, this particular challenge is done when someone gains a belt promotion. Usually, the biggest promotions are from white to blue, or brown to black. This means a Gauntlet will usually feature at these milestones, albeit it can also happen at any color belt. So, the Gauntlet is when the promoted individual takes their gi and rashguard off and walks from one end of the mat to the other.
They then walk back to their original location to receive their new belt. However, upon their walk they will also get whipped on the back by their teammates. This is done using their belts, so everyone gets two whips, one on the first walk and another on the second.
With this in mind, it’s far better to go through a Gauntlet on a quiet day, compared to a day full of people on the mats. Perhaps a nicer alternative is running The Gauntlet whilst wearing a gi. Obviously, this will absorb the damage significantly compared to doing it shirtless.
In some cases, the whips can be quite tame and gentle. In other scenarios, people will tighten their belt to add slack and power to their whip. Sometimes people will react to this by running fast through the gauntlet, whereas others will embrace the pain and walk slowly, almost inviting the attention. Regardless, the result is that once it’s completed – a new belt isn’t the only thing you will achieve. Alongside your promotion, you will also get a bruised back. Rightly or wrongly, this is The Gauntlet.
Origins of The Belt Gauntlet
Depending on who you speak to, The Gauntlet has different origin stories. In the West, the main culprit is Chris Hauter. He was one of the first non-Brazilian BJJ black belts and is known for his old school ideas. To this day, he still teaches out of his garage and is known for coining the term ‘combat base’.
The other person is supposedly Fabio Gurgel. As the founder of the Alliance organization, Gurgel is arguably even more influential than Hauter. Since its creation, Gurgel has openly spoken out about The Gauntlet, branding it ‘pointless’ and saying it was ‘my biggest mistake’. In the big scheme of things, the history of The Gauntlet isn’t actually that relevant. Having said this, it may serve as a conversation starter for any BJJ historians out there.
Arguments for The Gauntlet
The Gauntlet can genuinely be seen as a fun activity. Further, in some cases people will actually ask if they can have one upon promotion and truly embrace it. Whilst this activity may sound odd to outsiders, some will see it as a natural right of passage. Not only this but if you did it to a friend who then does it to you – you may feel some kind of bond as a result. Of course, the counter-argument is that you don’t need to be whipped to create rapport.
Most of the time, those who appreciate being whipped will be natural extroverts who enjoy their moment. There is an example below of quite a unique Gauntlet where the individual really enjoys it. Another argument for The Gauntlet is that according to some, it isn’t that bad.
Yes, you may get a bruised back and it may stop you from training for a day or two. But after, normality will resume. In the history of Gauntlet’s, there have never been any noticeable injuries from the ceremony so in terms of physical pain, it’s actually very short-term. With this said, The Gauntlet could be used as a wider metaphor for BJJ. Although BJJ can hurt at times and isn’t always fun, most practitioners will agree that the end result is worth it.
Further, most gym owners who do Gauntlet’s probably aren’t bullies and they probably do it with the right intentions. Often BJJ bullies will harass in more of a subtle way, away from the masses. Because of this, it would also be unfair to claim that teachers who use Gauntlets are bad people too. In all honesty, most of them probably do it without thinking of the consequences.
For instance, you probably shouldn’t do a Gauntlet with a quiet student who isn’t well-known. However, a loud student who embraces mat banter is probably happier to do a Gauntlet and enjoy the process. This means that a degree of personal insight and tact should be used when decided when and why to do a Gauntlet.
Arguments against The Gauntlet
Whilst it’s been established that The Gauntlet won’t severely hurt you, some view it as closer to bullying. For example, imagine you have been physically abused as a child. Whilst you may have no physical scars, you may still hold the mental ones which can sting. Going through a Gauntlet ceremony could reignite those painful memories and re-live the trauma. This is perhaps the biggest issue that people have with The Gauntlet, that it can trigger problems from the past.
Not only this but some people just simply won’t want to do it. As most people are grown ups training for fun, it can seem an extreme activity. Whilst you may find a devoted BJJ fanatic enjoy the activity, an older hobbyist may not see it that way. There may not be a hidden meaning behind some people rejecting The Gauntlet either…they just don’t feel like doing it.
That reason alone is enough to bypass the ritual and nobody should be forced into doing something they don’t like. Remember, for most BJJ is an activity to distract you from the problems of daily life. The last thing you want is to have further stress added to your life.
Further, it could be argued that The Gauntlet is somewhat sexist. Generally, the vast majority of Gauntlet’s you will see are done with males. This ties into the macho culture that has always been a bit prevalent in BJJ. Some people may argue that activities such as Gauntlet’s put women off BJJ and create a negative culture of toxic masculinity. Of course, this is just an opinion.
Why The Gauntlet no-longer happens
As we’ve addressed, there’s a number of reasons why The Gauntlet has a stigma attached to it. However, these reasons alone aren’t the reason why it has died out. Remember, Gauntlet’s do still happen at certain gyms or promotions, they are just nowhere near as common as they once were. So, what is the real reason as to why they’re less frequent? Well, a big part of it actually comes down to health and safety. Outside of Brazil, BJJ’s most popular country is the USA.
It’s a cliche, but North America has a culture of lawsuits and suing people for trivial things. When you put a Gauntlet into this culture then you can see why it doesn’t happen so much. In short, it’s a matter of health and safety. Imagine owning a gym and doing a Gauntlet out of good faith. Then, the promoted student turns around and sues you for bullying and physical abuse.
Further, the event has been recorded on film. This is every gym owner’s worst nightmare and could become a serious mental and financial problem. Thus, you could simply avoid this by stopping Gauntlets altogether. It’s actually a sad outcome for those who enjoy it, but nonetheless, this is a result of modern-life.
How common is a Gauntlet?
Whilst Gauntlets are significantly less common than they used to be, they still happen. Usually, these will happen in independent gyms that have less of a corporate vibe. Not only this, but they’re more common on an individual level when the teacher genuinely knows and understands their student. It may even be spoken about before promotion and agreed upon beforehand. Similarly, some schools also do shark tanks upon a student getting promoted. This is when they spar everyone in a row until exhaustion.
You may also find Gauntlet’s more common in countries like Brazil which is still more traditional in its approach to BJJ culture. Basically, the further away from bigger franchise gyms, the more likely you are to see it happen. With this said, if you’re an old school black belt then you may have witnessed a few in your time. However, if you’re a blue belt then the likelihood is that you may have never seen any.
Final Thoughts
The Gauntlet is slowly dying out due to the reasons listed above. This may be down to political correctness going out of control, or it may just be seen as something which is genuinely pointless and less fun than some think. Nonetheless, the result is that they aren’t too common anymore. As BJJ continues to move away from its roots and traditional ideas, the reality is that The Gauntlet will also become less common too.
Overall, The Gauntlet is a grey area that has arguments for both sides. There isn’t really a correct way of approaching it and like politics, there’s no definitive answer. Having said this, one thing is for sure. The Gauntlet is a dying breed that may be completely void in BJJ culture within the next 10 years. It’s fair to say that at some point, it will be a memory confined to history rather than a controversial talking point.
