…..Okay, every system through out the years under goes quite a few changes.  Take for instance Brazilian Jiujitsu.  Since the advent of the UFC Brazilian Jiujitsu schools have popped up everywhere.  I can remember when most of them did not have a kid’s class.  I can also remember when and how you received your belt.  Usually it took quite a long time some times two to three or at the extreme four years to get to your blue belt and the test well there was no test.  Your instructor let a visiting representative ie. BJJ black belt know that you were good and then everyone rolled at the end of a seminar and if you performed well you advanced.  I can remember rolling for my blue belt with a beast of a man who out weighed me by at least a hundred pounds.  I managed to negate his attacks and that was enough to be awarded my blue belt.  I can also remember one of the best BJJ practitioners that I knew who also taught but never attended seminars or training association classes.  Guess what he did not advance but he was clearly better than everyone else.  I still remember the one seminar I did see him attend and it was one of Royce Gracie’s seminars.  Lo and behold we were paired up at the end and neither of us advanced because it was pretty close to a draw.  Back then there were not black belts in every state so promotion was a little more difficult and people seemed honestly not as interested. (at least the people I was with)  Now things have changed.  More black belts and academies are everywhere.  It is also big business and well you need to keep those customers coming back.  Recently I had the opportunity to roll with a new blue belt who stopped by for a private lesson.  He had achieved his blue belt in one year and while he is good his skill did not match up with my expectations from the past for a bjj blue belt.  Now I could take any art and show how it has changed so trust me I am not ragging on Brazilian Jiujitsu a system that I love dearly.  No I want to show that things change in all systems.  Take for instance IRT.  If you trained with me eight years ago while the training would be obviously similar today’s students are a little more knowledgeable because in the last eight years I have shown more material and yet some of my students from way back have better basics in some things.  So any system changes over time because in the end they are driven by humans who invariably make changes.  The key to your success in the Martial Sciences is to enjoy the changes!  So because there are more BJJ black belts around now take advantage of this and train with as many as you can if that is your desire.  That certainly is an advantage compared to a long time ago and you can benefit from it!