(dramatic music) – [Narrator] In September 2010 I humbly requested to take an exam for my second degree black
belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. My instructor, the legendary Roy Harris, is one of the few teachers to have tests for each belt level in this art, and each one is difficult. At the black belt level, I had no idea what he would
ask me to do or demonstrate, but once the decision had been made to head down that road,
there's no retreat. There's no turning back. (dramatic music) Eight years later, at an affiliate retreat in Palm Springs,
California, I would recreate this test for a talented, young brown belt named Peter Hulce. At the end of a long weekend, Peter had no idea he would be tested, or what the requirements would be, but he bravely accepted the challenge.
(dramatic piano music) – [Instructor] Peter, let's
have you on your back, and Josh, why don't you mount, and don't let him escape, okay, go. (clothes rustling) Very good, very good, very good. (clothes rustling) Nice, very good! (students clap) (thudding on mat) Progress, progress! (foot thuds) Nice. (students clapping) (mat squeaks) (dramatic music) Yeah, you got it, you got it!
(students clap) (breathing loudly) (rustling) Yes, variety of angles. (students murmur) Yes, yes. (labored breathing) (mat squeaks) (students applause) (dramatic music) (mat squeaking) (dramatic piano music) Okay, nice! (students clapping) (loud thudding) (bodies shuffling) (loud clap) Nice, again. (clothes rustling) (breathing quickly) Good, yes! (dramatic music) Excellent, good, excellent. – Is that better? – Yes.
(students clapping) Awesome, awesome! Just a headlock, tight. (dramatic music) Tight, go! (dramatic music) (feet scuffling) (hands thudding) Doing here, there you go! Nice, very good, very good! (students clapping)
Great Job! (feet scuffling) (feet thudding) (dramatic drumbeat) Keep going. (students murmuring) (breathing loudly) Take home, take home, there we go. Time to go, time to take over. Yes, nice! (everyone clapping) We'll do a couple rounds of
sweep or submit from guard. (frenzied music) Very nice! (students clap) (hands smacking) (wild music) (dramatic piano music) Get up. (dramatic piano music) (clothes rustling) (exhales loudly) (dramatic piano music) (loud rustling) Nice, Peter. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, nice! (students clapping) Yes, yes, get it, get
it, grapple than a mount! (excited murmuring) (man grunts) Turn that fool around you. Turn, turn, turn, turn your right hip. (labored breathing) Yes, yes. Yes, right there!
(people yelling) Up, up, up, come up, come up! Is there an end? Yes, yes! (students clapping) Good, good! (man rustles) (frenetic music) (dramatic music) (breathing loudly) Left arm.
Time. (wild music) Block his hip, block his hip. (wild music) (frenetic murmuring) Yes, yes, Peter! (students clapping) (dramatic music) Nice, nice.
(students clapping) (frenetic music) Awesome!
(students clapping) Now, we're gonna do just more general sparring from the knees. (hands smack) (men rustling) (frenetic murmuring) Awesome! (students clapping) One more, one more and then
you'll get another break, okay? Yeah, from standing. (student giggles) (hands smack) (dramatic music) Lift, lift, lift, lift! (exhaling loudly) (wild music) (men rustling) (dramatic piano music) Quit it, your hand. Tap, tap, tap, tap, good.
(students clapping) (mat crinkling) Aggressive, aggressive! – Get it, get it, get it.
– Aggressive. (dramatic music) – Tap! – Nice, very good, very good.
(everyone clapping) (hands smacking) (clothes rustling) (excited yelling)
Oh, stopped it! (laughs) – Yeah, we got it that time. (instructor laughs) – [Man] Finish, finish, finish. (dramatic music) (instructor yelling) (students laughing) (men rustling) – [Student] Nice. (clothes rustling) (breathing loudly) (dramatic music) (breathing loudly) – Tap. – [Instructor] Very nice. (everyone claps) (hands smack) (bodies thud) (bodies shuffling) (student mumbling) (dramatic music) – [Student] Get up,
get up, get up, get up! – [Instructor] Nice! Stay with it! – Stand up, stand up stand up.
– Stop using hand, stop using hand! – [Instructor] Grab that leg, get over, get around, get around, good, good.
– [Man] Stay right there,
Derek's fallen over, he just went over, ah, don't turn there. – [Instructor] Good, it's good. (breathing loudly) – [Man] Lift him, lift him, lift him! (breathing loudly) (dramatic music) (instructor yelling) He just hit the ground, that's it. – [Man] Tap, nice.
(onlookers clapping) – [Instructor] Very good,
very good, very good. (dramatic music) – [Man] Nice, nice, good! (dramatic music) – [Instructor] Good, give
your hand, yeah, yeah, yeah. Suck up, suck up, suck up! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, nice! Tap, oh! (students clapping) Good! (dramatic drumbeat) (labored breathing) Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! – [Student] Nice! (man yelling) – [Man] Nice! (students clapping) (breathing loudly) (frenetic music) (hands smack) (frenetic music) (men rustling) – [Instructor] There you go,
there you go, there you go.
(man slapping) (everyone clapping) – When you're passive, when you wear that color, people test you. Sometimes, you have to dig deep. You have to figure a way out that you haven't been down before. The problem solving continues;
the struggle continues. You make it look easy, but you know it's a struggle, and so do I. Really nice, really good, Peter. Please remove your brown belt. (calm music) (clothing rustling) (exhales loudly) I'd like to introduce Peter
Hulce as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (everyone applauds).
