Enjoy the grade you are at, and be the best! train hard, and if you are that good, go compete and bring back the gold. worry about improving your game, not about the colour of your belt. You will attain respect by showing great technique
Brazilian jiu jitsu is a martial art that takes a lot of practice and a lot of dedication. Unlike many other martial arts where you go to a grading and just display some techniques, in jiu jitsu you really have to earn your belt with plenty of hours on the mat.
The more often you train the faster you will likely progress. With 2 sessions a week it will probably take you over two years to get it but if you train say 4-5 times a week, you progress will be much faster.
BJJ blue belts vary in skill level enormously. Some guys on the mat will be the newly graduated, 2-years into jiu jitsu guys with plenty of holes still to get rid of.
On the other hand there are some guys who have spent years and years as blue belts, perfecting their technique, competing regularly and training intensively in order to perfect the skills. Some of these guys may already be at a purple belt level but are still training and competing under blue.
Draculino talks a bit about this. When he was winning and competing with his blue belt, he was already beating brown belts in his academy and I think this just shows how varied the skills levels can be.
Brazilian jiu jitsu is a martial art that takes a lot of practice and a lot of dedication. Unlike many other martial arts where you go to a grading and just display some techniques, in jiu jitsu you really have to earn your belt with plenty of hours on the mat.
The more often you train the faster you will likely progress. With 2 sessions a week it will probably take you over two years to get it but if you train say 4-5 times a week, you progress will be much faster.
BJJ blue belts vary in skill level enormously. Some guys on the mat will be the newly graduated, 2-years into jiu jitsu guys with plenty of holes still to get rid of.
On the other hand there are some guys who have spent years and years as blue belts, perfecting their technique, competing regularly and training intensively in order to perfect the skills. Some of these guys may already be at a purple belt level but are still training and competing under blue.
Draculino talks a bit about this. When he was winning and competing with his blue belt, he was already beating brown belts in his academy and I think this just shows how varied the skills levels can be.
There are two other things I wanted to mention about promotion:
1. Being a Fresh Blue Belt - Basically means you are a Target!
When you do get the next belt, especially blue belt, it becomes a time when all the white belts focus on you, focus on beating you. Yesterday I went to a different BJJ club and literally there were 30 or 35 white belts and no one else. I was the only blue belt there and since no one knew me, they all wanted to try sparring with me.
When you do get the next belt, especially blue belt, it becomes a time when all the white belts focus on you, focus on beating you. Yesterday I went to a different BJJ club and literally there were 30 or 35 white belts and no one else. I was the only blue belt there and since no one knew me, they all wanted to try sparring with me.
When you become blue belt, every white belt wants to try and win in sparring so I think it changes everything for you. When I was a white belt, I loved sparring with blue belts and submitting them. When I became the blue belt, I became the target of the white belts.
2. Competing sucks if you've just been promoted, because really you are no longer that good for your grade!
When you become a great white belt, this is the time for competition. Any time soon you are going to be promoted to blue belt and once you get the blue belt, its going to be much harder for you to compete because the blue belts competing have years and years of experience and likely far more technical skill than you at this point. So take your time with each belt, first enjoy sparring in class, sparring against guys your level now, above and below and once you feel that you are up for promotion again, go compete and prove your are great at the belt you are at before you go up!
When you become a great white belt, this is the time for competition. Any time soon you are going to be promoted to blue belt and once you get the blue belt, its going to be much harder for you to compete because the blue belts competing have years and years of experience and likely far more technical skill than you at this point. So take your time with each belt, first enjoy sparring in class, sparring against guys your level now, above and below and once you feel that you are up for promotion again, go compete and prove your are great at the belt you are at before you go up!
Enjoy the belt you have and your time will eventually come when you will be promoted. In the end, it is your skills that matter so focus on perfecting them but investing in mat time.
Too many people get so worried about getting belts. The big thing is to earn it and to improve the technique. When you do get it though, it is a great feeling and the longer and harder it takes to get there, the more you come to appreciate it I think
ОтветитьУдалитьTRAIN EVERY DAY FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN IS THE QUICKEST WAY TO GETTING YOUR BJJ BLUE BELT!!!!
ОтветитьУдалитьI think also a great way to improve is mixing your group lessons with a couple of private lessons with your bjj instructor from time to time. For example sometimes it makes sense to train throughout the week and then on the weekend take a private lessons to clarify some questions you have with regards to the positions you learnt during the week.
ОтветитьУдалитьBjj privates help a lot to accelerate the learning curve. Few people can afford to do just privates, but if you add some privates in addition to the regular classes it gives you a chance to sharpen some techniques, and add some details which you missed previously. The instructor can also take a look at you and spar to see where you are making mistakes and deal with the holes in your game.
I think it should take about 200 classes to get one.
ОтветитьУдалитьOn the Alliance New York BJJ website it says that at the minimum it should take 100-120 classes to get blue belt and 360 classes or more for purple belt.
ОтветитьУдалитьI just got my Blue belt on Saturday (July 20th 2013) I have been training for 10 months...although I am there almost every day...except for a few injuries had me out...
ОтветитьУдалитьat my academy the average is 1 year-1.5 years... a few have took up to 2 years...I was not expecting it, about a month or two ago, I felt I was ready, cuz I was tapping out a lot of blue belts...I was anxious to get it....then I thought to myself...why rush it..? I would relax, not stress about getting it,and just enjoy the experience and ride of being a white belt...before all the pressure would start...and here I am a month or so later with a blue belt...it will come when you least expect it...your Instructor will know when it is time...and our instructor is known for NOT just handing belts out, he ONLY hands them out if they are earned....
I think its also nice to get a chance to compete at every belt you have. even if there a only a few tournaments out there, it is great to be able to display your technique in a competition environment which is very different to a sparring session down at the academy
ОтветитьУдалитьDifferent academies have different levels of sparring partners. some blue belts are only just starting to develop a basic understanding of fundamentals while others I have seen can give brown belts a really hard time.