TFS#51: Being Blue

Getting to blue belt is an inspiration for white belts and a huge achievement.

Some days you’ll have white belt days, and those white belts will have blue belt days. And some times those days align and you get caught by a white belt.

Do not let this get to your head. It’s bound to happen. It happens to everyone.

But as you continue to train, you’ll have more purple belt days and fewer white belt days.

And eventually you’ll start catching purple belts while they have blue belt days.

Then one day you get promoted…and the cycle begins again.

It’s hard out here for blue belts

Everyone has a different reason why blue belt is a tough place to be.

But mainly because most people spend 1-2 years as a white belt, and that felt like a huge time investment…and now you have to spend 2-5 years as a blue belt? That mountain seems impossible to climb.

Don’t let the white belt journey condition you. You now have to change the way you approach you journey and start thinking like a blue belt…and when you’ve got your fourth stripe (see what I did there?) you’re going to have to start thinking like a purple belt.

Change is hard. And that’s why you’ve stuck with Jiu-Jitsu. If training were easy, everyone would have a black belt and it wouldn’t be as impressive. At least the standard would change drastically.

Most don’t realize they need to mentally prepare for “the next level.”

Hang around, drill, and spar more with the next belt level up to get a sense of what they're doing.

Sure, a brown or black belt could offer more insightful advice, but talking to a purple belt will at least give you a chance to see how they see the game.

It’s kind of like talking to a sibling rather than your parents in certain situations, because they’re more relatable.

Reinventing yourself

You may have to reinvent yourself. But this doesn’t mean scrapping your entire knowledge of Jiu-Jitsu you’ve built in the past year or so.

Instead, it forces you to take a closer look at what you already know.

Using a flow web or even jotting ideas and techniques will help you map your game.

This is like mapping out the trunk of a tree, your core, your foundation. When you pinpoint bottle necks or weaknesses, this is where you’ll want to start patching up those holes.

From the trunk, you can start exploring in further detail with more advanced techniques or getting further into depth. These will be your branches.

As you continue to branch out in your study, you’ll start to connect your movements and ideas together. You’ll start to sprout more leaves at this point which helps you grow into a more filled out tree.

A basic outline you can use

At the white belt level, you’re probably learning one technique at a time. Which is good since you’re new to the sport, but at blue belt…that’s a very slow approach.

When you tell yourself “I’m going to work on my passing game” but you never even get there because your guard retention is horrible, then that’s kind of a useless goal you’ve set.

Instead, split your skills into three categories. Typically, your they will fall into these categories: stand up (pulling guard/takedowns), top (passing), bottom (guard).

Set 1-2 goals in each of those categories so that way you’re always working on something at some point of a sparring match.

For Your Jiu-Jitsu

→ This one small detail helped my grip fighting and improved my guard retention.

→ Having a hard time figuring out your grips? You’ll want to drill these everyday.

→ Mobility work is equally as important as BJJ training. So make sure you stay active with this simple mobility routine.

Closing Words

Make it a habit to check-in with yourself every few months.

Remind yourself that you’ve learned a lot and have come a long way.

Sticking to Jiu-Jitsu, especially through your blue belt, is mostly a mental test.

Most people who make it to black belt are the ones who outlasted their peers.

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