On Becoming a Blue Belt
By Rick Ellis
I was recently awarded the blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu by Mr. Roy Dean. While things are still fresh in my memory I thought I’d share my experience with Jiu Jitsu thus far.
When I started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu a year and a half ago I knew very little about the art, except that it had proven to be highly effective in mixed martial arts competitions. I didn’t know the positions, transitions, or finishes. I had done Japanese Jiu Jitsu for a few years when I was younger, so I knew what chokes felt like, and I knew a few joint locks and throws, but still, having techniques applied while sparing in a way that resembles a real fight is a much more visceral and intense experience.
The most shocking aspect of Jiu Jitsu for me was the physicality of it. I remember feeling absolutely crushed under the weight of my opponent during my first roll on the first day of class. It was as if my ribs were being split apart at the seams. That first roll only lasted a minute before my heart was racing so fast I thought it would explode. There was an intensity to it that I had never experienced before, having never wrestled or participated in sports. And I loved it instantly.
It became crystal clear to me on my first day of class that Jiu Jitsu is hard. There are no pretenses in this art; no inflated sense of ones ability. If you want to be good you have to prove it—every single day you train. If you step on the mat to roll I can guarantee you that someone will want to test you. Sometimes the person wanting to test you is you, of course, but that’s the beauty of it. Few martial arts have such a built in reality factor.
I trained Danzan Ryu Jiu Jitsu for about three years. Danzan is a form of Japanese Jiu Jitsu that blends traditional stand up Jiu Jitsu with Judo. It’s a cool art and I enjoyed doing it. One problem, though: No sparring. As a consequence, no reality check. After a while you start believing that the choreographed moves you practice in class will be effective in a real fight. In your own mind you become a killer who wins every battle. It wasn’t until BJJ that I realized the folly in this. Even though there are some great techniques in that art, unless you can apply them under duress, you’re not really learning how to be effective.
The first six months of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for me became about one thing: Survival. I was tapping constantly, so if I could learn to defend myself enough to prolong the battles, and more importantly, not get hurt in the process, I would consider it a victory. To an equal extent, the first six months also became about physical adaptation. Grapplers are among the best conditioned athletes in the world, but until you try to grapple yourself you’ll never truly appreciate what that means. On my very first day of class I ended up bent over in front of a toilet on the verge of puking, so if I was going to do this art I needed to get serious about my fitness. Again, the built in reality check. You can’t fake it in BJJ.
After my sixth month I began to broaden my game by incorporating elements of offense, rather then only defense. Instead of immediately jumping into the safety the guard I started trying other positions. I began attacking a little more, getting more aggressive. I calmed way down too. When you first start out you expend way too much energy, ironically, because you don’t know yet where to apply your energy. Should I push here or there, should I pull, hook, or grab? As a consequence, you flail about and burn out quick. Over time you learn to relax within the game, and expend energy more efficiently.
As I improved, my movements got more focused, they gained purpose and trajectory. When you watch a high level player you’ll notice most of all that their movements seem so precise and calculated, with no wasted energy or needless motion. As I approached the end of my first year I could begin to see that my movements were getting better. Although far from graceful, it could be said that I was starting to look like I played Jiu Jitsu.
Once I hit the one year point I felt like I understood the basics of the major positions; guard, side-mount, and mount. In fact, my positional game seemed to be developing faster then my submission game. When I expressed concern about this to Mr. Dean he told me that attaining a blue belt is not about being good at submissions, it’s about proper movement and position. The submissions, he said, would come later. Although I took that to heart, it still bothered me that I wasn’t getting the tap as often as I wished. Then I found an article written by Mr. Roy Harris where he sated:
I have seen too many blue belts begin their journey into submission too soon and often become frustrated because they just can’t finish their opponent. They get so close, but they often fail at finishing their opponent. This usually leads the blue belt to seeking out more and more submission techniques. He thinks that the “new” and “sneaky” techniques will make him more skilled at submissions. However, what he doesn’t realize is that his inability to finish his opponent is directly related to his inability to positionally dominate him.
According to Mr. Harris, the most important task of the blue belt is to begin to master positional escapes. After that, positional dominance. Once a good grasp of those are in place, submissions can be focused on. I felt much better about my game after I read that.
After about a year I also began learning how to apply physical pressure, a very important component in Jiu Jitsu. If, for example, you weigh 180 pounds as I do, theoretically, if you could focus your entire weight on one spot you would be able to apply 180 pounds of force. And if you could enlist you pulling muscles into the equation as well you could in theory generate more then 180 pounds of pressure. You’ll never be able to focus all that force on one spot, of course, but that’s the goal. As my game began to improve I began feeling where that pressure needs to be applied, and I began understanding how to apply continuous pressure in order to advance my position and make my opponent work harder.
I had the honor of rolling with Mr. Roy Harris on one occasion. They call him “the boa” because of his crushing pressure. Over years of training he’s learned how to focus his weight like a laser beam. He can literally crack ribs and submit you just with his pressure. It’s impossible not to moan when he cranks it on. He told me that rolling with Rickson Gracie first opened his eyes to the pressure game. Rickson, he said, had incredible pressure, despite not weighing much. Mr. Dean has pretty mean pressure too, although his game tends to be so light, quick, and fluid, that most of the time he doesn’t need to utilize it.
One of the unexpected benefits of Jiu Jitsu that I’m enjoying the most is the camaraderie and friendship. The brotherhood of Jiu Jitsu, if you will. Unlike most martial arts, it takes about ten years to get really good at BJJ, so unless it becomes a lifestyle, you’ll never make it. It helps a lot to have classmates you enjoy hanging out with. It’s those friendships that will help you make it through the low spots in your training.
I’ve had my share of frustrations with the art. One of my biggest is that it takes so damn long to get good at BJJ. Often, weeks go by with seemingly little progress. In reality there is progress, but your classmates are progressing too, making it seem like there isn’t any. But then, when you least expect it, you’ll have a breakthrough moment and the door into the art opens up a little bit more and you’ll be incredibly excited.
For me, becoming a blue belt has been about laying a foundation. At blue belt, you haven’t built the house yet - heck, you don’t even know exactly what type of house best suits you, but you’ve poured the slab, and hopefully reinforced it with some rebar. I still have a very long journey ahead, but I feel that I’ve reached my first major milestone. And thanks to the incredible fortune of having an elite level instructor in Mr. Dean, I feel like the sky is the limit.
Future Uchideshi?
Dear Mr. Dean,
I just finished reading all of the chapters of your uchideshi experience. I thought I was only going to read maybe a chapter or two and come back to it later, but I ended up reading them all in one sitting.
I really enjoyed your thoughts on training and chapter 8, “Sport and the Religious Experience of The UFC” was excellent. I immediately attempted to get my roommate to read it, even for someone who is not a martial artist I think it is a very valuable piece; she declined.
You’re discussion around “traditional” training were something dear to my heart, as while I have not been training that long, I’ve moved, I feel pretty quickly from “traditional” to “modern” martial arts. I orginally started with traditional jujitsu. I had some problems with it initially but felt these problems could be solved with simply putting more time in on the mat. And I did. And I loved it. I was also that kid who stayed after class to practice my ukemi, and showed up to every class sensei scheduled. I was obsessed and couldn’t get enough training. I searched for uchideshi programs that I could be a part of as soon as I made shodan. I talked about going to Japan with my sensei after reading “Angry White Pajamas.”
I had serious problems with the training however, as principles were inconsistent and I worried about my own ability to catch a punch in mid air, but I did love the crispness of the techniques and as you stated, even playing around with aiki and aikido is still really fun from time to time. But I also wanted some effectiveness and I didn’t feel my sensei’s increasing statement’s of “trust me” were enough.
So I moved onto arts with resistent partner’s and loved it. I really enjoyed your disection of classical arts. I think I’ve done pretty well in the new areas I’ve explored but it is because of my background in classical arts that I’ve done so.
I guess this long diatribe is to express how much I enjoyed reading your articles and apreciated the sentiments expressed within, as I was able to relate to them and it was wonderful to hear these thoughts expressedly so eloquently. I was wondering if you have any plans to start up an uchideshi program?
-Jesse
Jesse,
Thank you for your wonderful e-mail and I’m glad that you’ve been able to find arts that resonate with you more strongly. Appetites change over time. It’s natural, and part of what makes this life such an adventure.
I’ve put quite a bit of though into beginning an uchideshi program. I am not ready to do so at the moment, but yes, I certainly will have one in the future. The uchideshi program I began at Hombu Dojo for Seibukan Jujutsu in Monterey continued after I left. The program grew to host 2, 3, and eventually 8 uchideshi living in the dojo, many of them having just graduated high school and looking for a way to discover more about who they were before starting college. Others came from abroad. I made some incredible friends just going back and visiting the dojo, and of course, as uchideshi 01, I had a deeper connection with them.
So as I launch my own venture, I am certainly interested in having a program. A deep one year commitment is a perfect amount of time to earn your blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. 2010 will likely be the launch point. Structuring the program properly, and it’s ability to run efficiently, will take serious planning, but I look forward to the challenge! That one year commitment was a turning point in my life, and I can only hope to create similar experiences for others.
Best,
Roy Dean
Halloween 2007
Happy Halloween! There will be no class this evening, but the 12:15 class will run as scheduled.
I’ve also been hard at work on the Academy handbook. I’m looking to have it completed, in downloadable .PDF form, by mid month.
That is all. Back to trick or treating, everyone. Your choice, of course!
Ellis Blue Earning Rave Reviews
Rick’s blue belt demonstration has been earning rave reviews all over the web. MMA.tv’s BJJ Forum has a great thread that Rick started that should definitely be checked out before it disappears. It’s titled “Video of my Blue Belt Test” by CodeGeek. Judo Forum has also introduced it as a thread, and many members of that community like the bowing and formality introduced to the BJJ curriculum. Don’t forget to look at the YouTube posting either, as some very positive comments and ratings have been coming in. Way to represent, Rick!
Black Belt Feet
My feet the day after my black belt test in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The rest of me was similarly torn up. Reborn, you might say.
Jujutsu: Flow
Ju means flexible, yielding. Jutsu is technique. Soft techniques, yielding techniques. Gentle arts and ways. So it says. So they say.
But the reality of effectiveness is much different than the theory. It is not gentle during application. Beginning students use all their strength just to survive. Every minute of every match is a full force effort. The concepts of relaxation and flow are merely words at this stage. It requires many hours of practice to feel what’s going on in the give and take of randori.
Flowing is allowing a situation to unfold, and gently guiding it along the way. Direct opposition of force can work temporarily, but this requires large amounts of energy. The flame of a beginner burns brightly, quickly, and without a clear purpose. There is a pacing that needs to be learned, a cycle, a rhythm, an ebb and flow. Jujutsu teaches you this. It is a method of conserving energy, then magnifying the effect of your efforts through distraction, angles, timing, and leverage.
“Flow with the go,” as Rickson said. “Push when pulled, pull when pushed,” advised Kano. Add your force to their force. But the timing of this is tricky. People don’t push or pull for very long. It’s a small window of opportunity to slip into. It takes a while to feel the window open and learn to pass through it. At higher levels, you have to learn to put the pressure on, and know where to push them so their response is a push back. The push you’ve been waiting for.
Don’t try to move your partner. Move yourself in relation to your partner. Take what your partner gives you. Flow. Sometimes you can encourage your partner to want to give the submission to you. Threaten the choke and allow him to expose his arm. If he gives you his arm, take his arm. Don’t force yourself into another position just because you wanted the choke. Once you see the armlock, capitalize on the situation.
Even if you didn’t want it, make it the best armlock you’ve ever done. Crisp timing. A sharp lockdown with the legs. Wrap his wrist with the bend of your arm and shoot your hips high. Feel him tap and release the hold. Respond quickly to what your partner signals. It’s good practice for the real world.
Bring that flow into your life. And the responsiveness. Blend with forces greater than yourself. Accept your situations. Work with them. Position them.
This life is something we can steer, but not stop. So relax.
Save your strength.
Flow with the go.