Blue Belt and the Second Stage of Humility
With the exception of black belt, the blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the thickest of all belts in terms of skill. It provides a very real challenge to students to forge on and return to the mats even when the progress is not immediately evident. It requires another level of humility on the part of the student to honestly assess their own game and work on weaknesses to ascend to purple.
A white belt strives for their blue belt, not only for the skill level, but in terms of recognition that it brings. It’s an indication of skill and experience, and it’s certainly a big deal once it’s achieved. Reaching blue requires letting go of your ego, realizing that there’s a tremendous amount to learn in the art, accepting that the first 6 months are about learning to lose with dignity.
But once you receive your blue belt, you have to let it all go again. Certainly, a blue belt has a level of skill that can defeat an untrained opponent, a “normal person,” rather easily. This can boost the ego, as these skills were hard earned by many losses. But it’s a trap, as dominance over the unskilled does not equate to dominance over all. This is one reason so many people drop out at blue belt in BJJ. The blue doesn’t feel the progress the way they did at white. The markers are not as obvious. They have to become introspective and honestly assess their weaknesses, round out their game, and drill drill drill to move onwards and upwards. A blue belt has learned the techniques. A purple belt has ingrained the techniques. This is a huge difference in terms of performance.
I can only encourage blue belts to keep going. Be consistent. Your game is a flower, starting as a seed at white belt, and germinating at blue. One day you will lift through the soil and feel the sun, but you must have faith. Whether you’re one foot below the surface or one inch, the view looks the same. Do what you must to continue your growth. The day will come when you break into the light, and the weight of the earth drops away. There is no other feeling quite like it. It is waiting for you.
Wow. Great article.
Ryno from San Jose, Ca.
on Thursday, March 03, 2011
Whats the average time for an average student (like, not a extremely gifted student) to get a purple belt in your gym?
I got my first stripe on the blue belt after 1 long year, and i feel like I’m totally retarded because it took so long. I do make a lot of effort to improve on the mat, trying to debrief all the rolls i had to see what went wrong and when, trying to dissect a technique to see why it works, etc and i still fell like I’m walking backwards
razvan from Patterson, La
on Thursday, March 03, 2011
Couldent agree more with this article. Very well done.
I am a purple belt and it took about 4 years of hard training to get to that point. Besides black belt, blue belt is the longest belt to get through. Be patient and make sure you dont just drill techniques, but understand them.
Purple
on Thursday, March 03, 2011
So, i guess I’m on the right track. Hmm…
Thanks for your answer, and yes I’ll try to understand better the techniques
razvan from Patterson, La
on Thursday, March 03, 2011
Nice post. Sometimes I feel like a weed more than a flower…not the kind of weed that grows quickly, the kind that everybody wants to cut with their weed eater.
James
on Thursday, March 03, 2011
Nicely written.
Alan Shade from Memphis, TN
on Thursday, March 03, 2011
Awesome post. Though I have had my share of frustrations and humbling experiences, it’s not only the baby steps in technique that keeps everyone coming, it’s also the friendships made and rewards shared. We are all lucky to have such a cool place to train and gather with buddies.
Steve Kaneda from Bend OR
on Thursday, March 03, 2011
Excellent post. I couldn’t agree more.
TJ from Not in Bend :(
on Thursday, March 03, 2011
Nice post Roy. Who knows, maybe one day blue belts will listen
Liam from Manchester
on Friday, March 04, 2011
This has really given me some clarity as to what I should be doing in my day to day training as a satellite student of RDA. Thanks Sensei Dean!
Also, I’d like to thank Calyn, Steve, Jim, Brendan and James for their time (and the multiple ass-kickings they gave me) while I was at RDA last month. Can’t wait to come back to train with you guys. You have such a great thing going on! The training style at RDA really embodies the idea of “maximum efficiency” and “mutual benefit”. Thanks to you guys, the whole experience really exceeded my expectations.
Take care guys! Hope to see you on the mats soon.
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Kristian Fraser from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
on Friday, March 04, 2011
This post blew my mind! I was awarded my blue belt about six months ago and this post speaks exactly to what I am experiencing. Tremendously encouraging.
Carl from Washington, DC
on Friday, March 04, 2011
I’m a five months old blue belt. I needed to read this
Thank you for putting everything in perspective and making things a little clearer.
Chris from Ballarat, Australia
on Saturday, March 05, 2011
Beautifully written, I think this will inspire and encourage many a lost Blue Belt!
Steve G from United kingdom
on Sunday, March 06, 2011
As usual, beautiful.
Lynn from Reno, NV
on Sunday, March 06, 2011
Thanks for the motivation from afar! Well said!
Joshua Frye from United States
on Monday, March 07, 2011