The Blue Belt: An Adventure from Beginner to Advanced Ranks

The blue belt is the second belt in the progression of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu rank. The belt carries a different weight as, by its end, the practitioner moves from being considered a beginner to an advanced jiu-jitsu player. The separation of the blue and purple belt diverges with development in a technical application that trumps any natural athleticism or previous grappling experience brought into the sport by the practitioner. One clear example in any jiu-jitsu academy would be that of the high school or college wrestler. It is reasonably easy for a wrestler to come into a jiu-jitsu club and use their previous grappling skills to coast through the white belt, and in some academies, depending on their wrestling level, they may start as a blue belt. I remember a peer who is now a black belt. When he was a white belt, he had just won a state title championship for our state's primary tournament organizer, the Arizona Brazilian Jiu-Jitu League or The AZBJJL. Upon being rewarded with his medal, he returned to his academy with high hopes for his future white belt competitive career. When he stepped into his next training match in practice, he looked across and saw a smaller stout competitor who was also in a white belt. With his newly won accolade in mind, he casually engaged with the new guy who had just signed up. In his nonchalance, he failed to recognize the small cauliflower in his new teammate's ear and was blast double-legged to the other side of the mat. The new stout white belt was a state champion wrestler and a judo black belt. There are many vital lessons from experience; however, identifying those who come into the sport with previous grappling knowledge is the most important. Always introduce yourself to your new training partners and try and get any beta you can before engaging in combat. For the essay, the new white belt state champion and his new wrestling partner signify an example in which the blue belt could have been awarded to the judo and state champion wrestler as he walked into the gym. Both above practitioners are now black belts and laugh openly about the experience.

            The overall experience of being a blue belt in jiu-jitsu is challenging. In my opinion, it is the most problematic belt to persevere. The blue belt is technically the first belt awarded to you on technical prowess and merit. A white belt is a part of a practitioner's first uniform despite their technical abilities. Before going into any specific criteria for enduring the blue belt, it is essential to reference the IBJJF, or the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, and their rules and regulations for the promotion from a blue belt to a purple belt. While there is no time commitment going from white belt to blue belt, the IBJJF rules state that one must be a blue belt for at least two years before achieving the next rank of purple belt. When I began training jiu-jitsu, it was not uncommon for someone to stay at the blue belt for three to five years. As someone who fell in love with the sport and active competitor, I was given my blue belt after ten months of training, and the shape of my newly cauliflower ears confirmed my abilities. I imagine that the IBJJF assumes an athlete who is regularly training and competing will be able to achieve the purple belt in two years as they are active participants in the sport. Aside from the IBJJF protocol, the blue belt journey is arduous. A newly promoted blue belt is often met with contempt by the hungry white belt, which is looking for its first promotion in the sport. The purple belts are glad to have a more worthy adversary to use as their toy. And, of course, there is the brown belt who feels it is their responsibility to toughen up the newly promoted blue belt to help them become purple. The experience of a blue belt is like a hydraulic press. Whether the hungry white belt is nipping on the heels or the advanced purple and brown belts feel they need to help the practitioner strenuously, the blue belt must be steadfast and disciplined in their jiu-jitsu training regiment while feeling immense pressure. One of my favorite things to tell a blue belt is to put their gi in the car, drive to practice, and get into training. It has rarely been my experience to leave a training less happy, relieved, and motivated than I felt during the drive over to practice.

            The expectation of the blue belt is for them to sharpen the skills that brought them to their initial promotion. Those skills include fundamental submission escapes, reguarding in the transition, and general knowledge of what it takes to sweep someone from various guards. It is not so important that the blue belt moving to purple knows every guard there is, but they must be held accountable for their principles. For instance, before moving onto the advanced ranks, they must be responsible for understanding what it takes for a sweep to happen—a destabilization of the base, the removing of posts, and loading the opponent up, or getting hips underneath hips—and what an excellent possible transition would be as the sweep is accomplished. While the blue belt is honing in on these principles, whether they are aware or not, their game begins to develop stylistically. If they were unfamiliar with their box of tools and armory of attacks, they begin to sense and gain confidence in a few localized areas. For example, in addressing the principles to move up the ranks, they may fall in love with a specific guard, even obsessed. When I know it is time to award a purple belt, I see a player confident in a few different positions to the point of execution amongst other blue belts. The other quality is when the game the seasoned blue belt plays starts to give newer purple belts problems. Often I am met with a look from the purple belts that silently scream, please promote them so I do not have to keep getting swept by this blue belt.

            Jiu-jitsu is a demanding sport. My experience at the blue belt was similar to most in that it was difficult to the point of mental and physical exhaustion, but no matter what, I put my gi in the car and went to training. Thank goodness for great teammates and teaching opportunities. I have always thought a few main ideas led to early success in my jiu-jitsu career. I was one of a few smaller people in a gym with predominately larger players. Because of my size, I often had to roll with women and was forced to play technically, as I never felt great about using my strength in the training sessions. It taught me how to move my body efficiently, whether attacking or on defense. Leading kids' classes was another critical experience that helped me overcome the blue belt. As a blue belt, it is often the task of teaching kids a class or two, whether they are competitors or hobbyists. Teaching young kids helped me understand inherent safety in the sport and needing to break down techniques into their simplest forms, forms a child could understand. When I taught them, the game became simple, yet also to me. It helped me relax when I didn't understand that my game was changing. I didn't feel as if I was growing during my blue belt experience, but teaching the kids helped me to think a bit less about myself and more about them, bringing us to a vital principle that can help anywhere in the process of the jiu-jitsu journey. Whether teaching kids or helping a floundering white belt, anytime in my jiu-jitsu career when I have felt stuck, helping someone else has always positively diverted my attention. Often, whether competitors or hobbyists, athletes will ask how to get over a plateau. The simple answer is time; however, if one embarks on being helpful to teammates and school, it becomes easier to enjoy the experience of complex training. Don't confuse this with an enjoy the journey cliché as it is vital to focus on competitive goals with the hopes of winning at the highest level; however, when things are stale, and I cannot observe my growth, it is inspiring to help and motivate others. When I see their growth, I am immediately brought back to a love of the sport, the positions, and the experience. When it came time for my purple belt promotion, the blue on my belt faded, and white threads became exposed as the dye from the belt was worn. When my instructor put on my purple belt, I was no longer considered a beginner in the sport and became a moderately proficient grappler. Not much in my mind had changed; however, I felt sharper in my favorite positions and had a few trusty techniques. For all the blue belts on this arduous journey, I implore you to put your gi in your drive to practice, and once you start running around getting warm, the frustrations can often melt away, and before you know it, the blue turns to purple.