Brown Belt Hobbyist Makes a Big Mistake with Competitors in BJJ 

A visiting Brazilian black belt professor once said to our class: whether you compete or not you need to be grateful to your class mates who practice with you and help you get better.

haha, I'm a 53 year old brown 11 years on the mats and almost got subbed by young 195 lbs., athletic, strong, flexible and hungry recent blue belt. He'd been training in kids program for 10 years and I was in shock after my roll. Got my back , flattened me , I fought off a choke and the bell saved me from his RNC. I told him congrats on the hard work and I'd be honored to get to roll with him again on his next roll. That will give me the chance to correct all the mistakes on that roll and he gets a chance to do the same. Jitsu is a Journey- I'm way passed the ego stage

Hobbyists keep the lights on!

we had a competition purple belt come from one of our other locations. i'm a four stripe brown belt and a buddy is a black belt. he gave both of us the business. couldn't submit us, but certainly wore us out and did well. and it wasn't necessarily the skill or technique, it was the intent. the grips were stronger, the pressure was different, the scrambles were more intense. as a practitioner at any level, you absolutely have to know that there are levels to this.

I'm a hobbyist that competes a handful of times a year. I'm in my 40s i don't have the time, skill, or stamina to do much more. Life is too busy to do much more than i do, and I'm happy with that.

The evolution of ambulamps never ceases to astonish. If you go back and watch early (and I mean EARLY) Chewjitsu videos, he gets so palpably frustrated every time an ambulance passes. One time he even yelled "What is going on with all these ambulances?!" Then somewhere along the line he started saying "ambulamps" to joke his way through the frustration, and he just kept doing until it clearly didn't bother him anymore. Now it's basically a trademark catchphrase. Could probably put it on a t-shirt and sell it at this point. Years of (largely unseen) personal growth expressed in a single dad joke. Incredible. (Stoicism at work, I suppose.)

As a hobbyist I’ve noticed I like the challenge of BJJ but at a slower pace. When things get more aggressive and faster I’m more concerned with injury.

I couldn't have said this any better myself. I competed for years, from White belt to Purple belt, just shy of 8 years. Training 4-6 times a week. Then I retired from competing and 5 years later I'm still training. I got my black belt last year, and I'm a hobbyist nowadays. In fact I even embrace the fact that I'm a hobbyist. I know there are tons of other black belts that are way better than me. I know there's purple and brown belts who compete every month who can give me a run for my money, even catch me at times too. When I was younger, around the time I was a Blue Belt I was told "Every man should have 3 hobbies, one that keeps him creative, one that can become a secondary income, and one that keeps him healthy." And at one point in my life, I wanted BJJ to fill all three of those slots. I wanted to be the highest level competitor I could be. But as I grew older I realized it only needed to fill one or two of those slots. And me personally, I'm totally cool with it. I wouldn't have wanted to do the last 13 years of my life any other way. So to all the other hobbyists out there, don't get discouraged and keep training. Trust me, it's worth it in the long run.

Those "fancy" moves that we see lower or same belts doing (especially younger lower belts) against their peers are often misleading. I'm a 54 yo purple belt. I see younger, athletic white, blue, purple, & sometimes brown belts pulling off amazing acrobatic techniques that I can't even dream of doing & sometimes it makes me feel inferior by comparison. But guess what I've learned by experience? - when they roll with me or somebody their own skill level & higher, they can rarely ever pull it off. My boring-ass jits manages to shut it down most of the time. Moral of the story, don't worry about "flash"....it doesn't mean it'll work on you just bc it worked on someone w/less experience.

hobbyist: train 1-4x per week, competes for fun, starts bjj after 25 years old competitor: trains twice a day, 5 days per week..competes almost every month, started bjj between age 10-16years old im a hobbyist who trains 3x /week, started bjj at 33,y.o..honestly, i feel awesome

The difference that I have observed in competative spheres (more than just bjj) is that hobbiests participate for a purpose outside of "winning". Wheather its to find community, stay/get in shape, explore new things, or dare I say fun. Competitors participate for the sole purpose of improving their ability to "win" whatever theyre competing in. Things hobbiests practice because they like a certain move may not be practiced by competitors because its not efficient. Ofc a competitor will beat a hobbiest, their motive is winning

The big difference I have noticed with competitors vs hobbyists is in the levels of athleticism. Competitors are generally stronger and faster. So it seems like their skill is much higher but i think what happens when it’s a hobbyist vs a competitor is that the hobbyist isn’t used to the competition pace and therefore gets stomped. It isn’t so much about who knows more bjj.

Great video Chewie. There seems to be a growing elitism, especially from social media involved black belts, about hobbyists and gyms that hand out belts simply for hours rather than skill (though they never mention specific coaches/associations that do this, oddly enough). I know my nearly 40 hobbyist purple belt self would struggle against some 21 year old blue belt killer competitor, but that's perfectly fine with me. That blue belt will have to radically change his game by the time he gets to my age, if he's even still rolling at all. Difference in goals and perspective. I just wish more of the people running podcasts and RU-vid channels would be a bit more open to the folks that aren't willing to slaughter their bodies for medals.

I learned BJJ at a Carlson Gracie Jr BJJ gym in Puerto Rico. They all rolled with gi and they always allowed me as the only no-gi person in the gym, and I never took advantage of that. They called me, and I'm very proud of this, a ''transparent belt''. jajaja

I recently tried competing for the first time. 43 years old, 64 kilos, white belt. I had two matches against a strong 25 year old who was a bit heavier than me. And even though I lost both matches (I almost had it the first match), it was so much fun getting to feel the intensity of it and test my jiu-jitsu.

Really agree with 1st point. A couple guys I usually dominate, decided to join and prepare for a comp, I suddenly, have a much more difficult time with them

Theirs also science done to people who play “sports”. The stress you endure during a high level game or event stimulates high stress and thus allows you to handle higher stressful situations without feeling overwhelmed. For example as a high schooler I felt less anxiety, less tension, less stress while my years of competitive sports… years after I lost that competitive spirt and feel that type of feels but is more intensified. I noticed it a few years after my sports days were over and thought it was pretty unique.

I’m just happy to be able to be a hobbyist in bjj. Much respect for the comp types. Keep rolling all 🤙🏽

I get so tired of hearing about "hobbyists" vs competition belts. If you're not making a living off BJJ, you're a hobbyist, like it or not. The only real difference between the two is that the people that compete regularly, train more intensely, usually. What I see in competitions is that the person that has the most reps on a given position wins. Competition seems to display a very small amount of the overall skill that any practitioner has. If you want to perform like the "competitors", you needs to train like them. I did a few competitions, but I stopped when I couldn't put in the prep work that was "required". Sometimes life gets in the wat of training and that's ok. Great video Chewy.

Great explanation! It works the other way too. You have young competitors in the gym who can consistently tap higher belt hobbyists and think that their level is higher than it is. It’s so important to trust that your instructor has ranked you properly. Cheers 👊🏼

Awesome discourse as always, thanks for giving me more clarity Chewy👍🙏

Thanks for your content mate, new practioner after watching your videos for several years now 👍

This is me except I'm not looking at blue belts on TV, I know they've trained for 10 years and are huge sandbaggers, I'm looking at other hobbyist blue belts who are younger and more athletic than me who seem to be getting better so much faster than me and they will tap me unless I really bring my A game. I'm 50 and when I think of how much I've trained over the last 9 years (maybe not so much at white belt) I feel like I deserve my new brown belt, but when I roll I feel ineffective against anyone athletic. Not just dudes in their 20s, even guys who are 35 or 40 but still pretty buff.

I just had a similar conversation with one of my students. Great Video! Keep it up!!!!!

I just love the one vs one feeling competing gives. I'm a 30+ dad of 2 hobbyist, but compete every other month it's exhilarating as a blue belt.

I heard there’s 4 categories: hobbyist, hobbyist competitor, competitor, and professional. I feel like I’m more the hobbyist competitor. I come 6 days a week, I roll as competitive and hard as I can, I just do competitions 2 to 3 times a year as it doesn’t speak to me the same as my other hardcore teammates.

Often times competitors have their belts held back longer as well so a competition blue belt might have been ready to advance months ago

Also sandbagging is a thing where coaches delay giving belts to competitors so they can win at their belt level

I absolutely appreciate your explanations/insight on all advice you give out. It is awesome how pure it really is. Much enjoy.😎👊🙏

Maaate. This is a good video. Love it chewy.

Thank you. Great advice, as always.

great explanation chewie

I am a 53 year old purple belt. Not impressed with this trend of segregation within the BJJ community. I work during the day and train at night. Not sure how you can be a competitor and eat. If you’re 18… maybe, but you have to plan for making a living so when you are my age, you’re not homeless. I am also a “hobbiest” guitar player. I make a pretty good living, and bought a Gibson Les Paul from a “musician” Difference is I can afford to buy the equipment that he couldn’t because I have a job. Wouldn’t change places with him ever… because at the end of the day, you won’t be able to live in the gym when you’re 75… food for thought. WOULD NOT ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO BE THE STARVING ARTIST.

Excellent video 👍🏾💪🏾

this is on point - and needed the reminder

I definitely suggest competing as much as possible. You will only progress so much when you only drill and roll with your own teammates. Working with new people always helps, especially in live scenarios

Something to “chew on” haha caught that. Love it 🤙

Also you don't need to know everything anyway, you can focus on the top 10 submissions that most people win by!

I look at belt level as what you know and competition as what you can do under stress. There are home chefs who can cook a huge array of tremendously complicated dishes who will crumble working the line during the dinner rush at a pub. There is a separate set of skills required to perform successfully under stress over time. If you're not going to work in a restaurant, you don't need those skills. If you're going to be a professional chef, you don't benefit from learning a bunch of dishes you'll never make.

In military, we're quick to adopt new stuff because we're always looking for a force multiplier while honing the base milspec stuff.

Just stay tight and shut down the game you don’t want to play. You don’t need to learn it. You’re a superstar chewy. Cool videos

I think this is common sense. Don’t compare yourself to a competitor if you’re a hobbyist, regardless of your belt color. Which probably why I like training in nogi most of the time now. No pressure in regards to what color belt anyone is has. You just roll for the hell of it.

This guy is very articulate. Talks so much sense.

I, as a hobbyist, older, smaller blue belt sometimes find myself training with the younger, faster, guys training for competitions. Sometimes I just politely turn down rounds with them. But when I do roll with them, I have to be more defensive and conservative. That may sound counter-intuitive, why wouldn't I try to match their movement and intensity? Because I can't sustain that very long. Apply fundamental, "rice & beans" concepts and principles. Good base, connection, posture, good frames, conserve energy. If I can slow them down ( can't out gas them), make them waste and drain some energy, and frustrate them a bit, get them off their "game" and make them at least meet me half way to my game and intensity. I'm not tapping these guys, but I'm making them work harder to get the tap, and sometimes put them on defense.

The levels in levels is a beautiful thing. So much to gain.

I know all about lacking drive and butterflies. I have done 2 competitions and can not get my " killer" to come out first round for nothing. When I get the second round Losers bracket my survivor comes out and that's it. Can not seem to ever get out of just gym rolling.

Best thing to do is hit up a open mat in one of the top comp gyms in ur area 1-2 a month that’s what I do on top of class four days a week and one open mat on Saturday mornings. Third I usually hit up a gym Sunday mornings 2-3 times a month that is one of the top if not the best comp gym in northern Illinois.

Very good video. Thank you

I am a brown belt in Muay Thai, and I can relate to this video because I was already over 40 when I started my martial arts journey, and I'm turning 49 this year, I'm definitely a hobbiest as I've never competed having been so late to the game. However, all of the other students come to me on a regular basis with questions and for help and pointers with their technique. People helped me a lot when I got started. It's the reason I stuck with it this long, and it makes me proud to be able to do the same for others now that I'm experienced. And for that reason, I don't feel like a fraud.

Even as a white belt (49F / 125lbs) I watch other white belt competitors- holy smokes! They are out there killing it!! I want to compete, but they’re doing moves that are blue belt levels-

Great video Chewy. Your are a hobbyist when its not your living. The real pro guys are training 3 times a day and 6 days a week. They need to preform because otherwise they don't earn money. Im blessed that im a coach and have my own gym. I teach 6 days a week and that's my living. I don't focus specifically on competition but on normal people, people with handicaps, people who are bullied etc. Love my job.

Really well done.

Chewy I hope you realize that the ambulance helps you take a breath while “rolling” these videos out 😉 Thank you for yet another awesome topic discussion.

I am a competitor, primarily a collegiate wrestler but also judo and jiujitsu. My methodology is whether I win or lose, I need to come prepared and have the tools to perform what I need to. I am always adding new tools to the box, so to speak, just so I can always be better than last time.

Thanks for this video. Very informative of what type of mindset I should have moving forward I'm BJJ. Question: because a competitive person has more tools in their arsenal relative to a hobbyist, would you say that if the two went to a competition, the Competitor will always win? Is there room for a hobbyist to win tournaments vs people that train 5-7x per week and competes more frequently?

Great vídeo had the same problem thankyou

not to mention competitors are just sometimes straight sandbagging for the Ws.

Thank you for this video.

I feel like it's possible some instructors will promote a student just because they've been there for so long and they want them to feel like they've spent their time accomplishing something so they won't quit. While other instructors emphasize competition skills and are at a much higher level even at a lower belt rank

Its all about frequency. If person A trains 6 days per week and person B trains 3 days per week person A wins even as a hobbyist, its just more time on the mat. Simple as

I’m a 44 yr old hobbyist at a competition school. What’s lol about that is the mixed classes during trading season….thats when you get real hard n good training. Shoot! I be feeling like im getting ready for a competition 🤙🏿✌🏿

I’m a 38 year old blue belt who has never won a match at my current rank. I have been a blue for 2.5 years and train 3 times a week and help out kids coaching every once in a while. I compete the most out of my gym, 6-7 times at my current rank. I don’t know which category I fall under but I feel like a hobbiest. It’s doesn’t effect my love or drive to train but feel I should be better. Guess I’m just in a valley looking for my next peak and shouldn’t focus on the hobbiest VS competitor debate.

I haven't heard someone say "amber lamps" since I was on that ac transit in east Oakland.

belt color dont mean that much im 45 yrs old hobbyist and started 2 months ago. a new guy came that said he did bjj for 6 days. so apparently we both are white belts. we started sparring with gripping and next hing i know, he slammed me on to the top of my head to the ground. i stopped immediately because not only my head but also my e,neck got huge ache. i told him that was not a white belt move, he said he did wrestling 15 years before. i felt like what he did was a dck move a bit. if he said the was also a wrestler, i wouldnt start stand up for more safety

I cannot speak to this myself but I have been told there is a fair amount of sandbagging that goes on at the competition level. Both from individuals and even schools that want to make it seem like they have superior white and blue belts as a marketing tool.

Let me give some advice. From a newly minted 50 years of Jiu Jitsu. Someone who used it to make a living from 1980’s to now. Not in comps. “Your black belt is the first mountain in a mountain range. “ “When you are a black belt, your a beginner. “ Prime examples - Helio Gracie - Family figure head was what? But at 80-90 yrs old could he do what his 35 yr old son did in 1991? Akiyama- 10th Dan at the end, could he do what his 15-30 yr old student was? But his knowledge level and mind could do what his body could not.

Never competed brown belt here. I had the brown belt blues also. It only lasted about a month though. I choked a double black belt unconscious. After that I didn't have any brown belt blues.

I’m a hobbyist and never felt any difference whatsoever between people going hard in the gym and competing. They’re the same people. When you get to people who train 6 days a week for 8 hours a day, then yeah - you’re getting your ass handed to you in a magical way but newsflash ladies and gentlemen, we are ALL hobbyists unless jiu jitsu competition is your JOB.

Can we get an am-ba-lance montage please?

Competition raises the level of any sport or art. Individuals who compete will face more opponents than a typical club level practitioner - get over it - if you want to raise your game then face more opponents and be willing to learn and that means to lose - your belt rank is meaningless if you plan to advance your skills - there are millions of people practicing any given sport or martial art and to think your belt will galvanize you against someone who is constantly facing new opponents means you are trying to rationalize where you are in terms of your skill level - reaching a particular belt level is not the end, it never ends until you can come to terms with where you are at and what you want to accomplish. Don’t bitch about it, either up your game if it is important to - if not, accept and realize you will be rolled over by a blue belt who wants to get better and isn’t afraid to lose and learn. I stopped worrying about my belt ranking and focused more about learning new skills and keep honest about my physical training to endure multiple matches, it has made my experience more fruitful and given me peace of mind as i am willing to learn from all experiences regardless of the belt I face. I acknowledge a better opponent as an opportunity to get better. Keep in mind I am not stating to abandon belts or testing as it helps to establish some semblance of hierarchy when teaching but there are some who learn faster and will advance in skills beyond the level shown around their waist - nor should we abandon the values of the fundamentals of a particular art - maybe some balance can be found within each individual and club as to the values they want to pass to their students.

Hope you are getting some sleep chewy - those first few weeks are no joke

It hit different when a hobbyist can keep up with "competitors"

Methodology and mindset go a long way.

Bro there's so many "competitors" in my gym who really are just hobbyists who take themselves too seriously. Sorry, not sorry.

I understand that guys frustration. I am a hobbyist who trains 2x a week, 3x AT MOST. I end up loving the training so much that I wish I started younger and actually competed. At this stage, competing isn't really a thing for me. So when you see a younger guy who found bjj earlier in his life and actually competes, part of you feels like you missed out. Just my experience, at least.

Best coach.

Ambulance 😂😂😂😂😂😂 ambulance 😂😂😂😂 the way he said it.

I think there are still hobbiest as tough as competitors. I think the difference really stems from the the variance in mat time and skill as a result. Most competitive blue or purple belts have the same or more mat time as hobbiest black belts.

48 here. Got my Purple last Thursday after 6 years. I was anxious but now that Ive got it I'm good with it. It is for me, for no one else. Also if you fought your untrained self you would certainly beat his arse.! Keep training. Dont care.

The military has cars before the Model T?

John Danaher is competing...just not directly on the mat himself.

4 stripe white belt love making the color belts sweat 😥 coming for you boyzzz😂

I don't do jujitsu (at least not yet) but this hit home. I'm a hobbyist in life 😂

I've signed up for ten competitions this year. As an older white belt, does that make me a Hobbyist Competitor?

Some of us are in between on this spectrum.

Literally could have been the person who wrote this. I got my brown and felt like a sham. Like, I'm letting the level of the club slip. I got in my head and began to obsess about the flaws in my game. I got worse. In the end I just accepted I am a hobbyist desk worker with 2 kids. I don't compete, I don't enjoy it and I can't afford it. I train for fun and I was making it not fun so I am back to having fun. If I get caught by a more athletic lower belt, so be it. I'll iron out the flaws in time. Black belt is miles away anyway so I'm going to enjoy the journey.

I am a 42 Judo Competitor in my young age. Today kids are good and have strong even for their lower belt than mine. If I follow todays ruleset, I would lose. But if we go by old standard, and I can go all out with old banned techniques. I can win the match via rough hard techniques. something we do learn in the past. Which now I pass it down to my kids.

Rank has a whole lot to do about knowledge and teaching.

Amberlamps, lol...I don't disagree with anything you said, but to be honest my first thought was that folks who compete in tournaments tend to want to stay at a lower belt level as long as possible to get the easiest opponent possible (sandbagging.) Someone who might really be a black belt skill-wise might want to compete as a blue belt.

Fuck its just how I feel and I dont even really look at people outside of my gym and im at brown belt too ive considering competing again but honestly I feel like id just embarrass my gym. I dont think my coach would fully admit it but when I said the brown belt didnt feel right all was said was well youve been here forever and I quickly changed the subject cause thats all i needed to hear,I knew it was bullshit. Wouldve like to have stayed at purple for another 3 years at least

Dear Brown Belt - you might be surprised how well you would perform against those competitors. It's easy to be intimidated watching from the outside but you would probably do fine.

He should also trust his professor. More likely than not he knows what a brown belt looks like and when someone is ready.

Yeahhhh we got a competing blue belt in the gym whose lifting people up in the air via double leg takedown and basically letting them free fall at the top. It's cool if both party agree and are competing but i literally see him doing it over and over again to a white belt. I'm surprised the instructor hasn't said shit yet. I refuse to roll with him cause he's not going to injure me.

BJJ is just like any other sport. Professional level football players will crush college guys > college guys will crush high school teams > and good high school teams will crush the typical church or park recreational league. IF someone has the aptitude, desire and physical abilities to dominate everyone around them, they'll either fall into the competition scene and stagnate at the local level or realize they can progress up the tiers of competition. Either that or they'll typically end up in some form of teaching/coaching at their gym. It's just a natural progression for athletes if they don't let their abilities to go to waste taking TRT and smashing everyone in their gym for a daily ego boost. The best and most dedicated to that one thing will naturally rise to the top. And then of course there is the age factor. While they're getting younger as so much instruction is readily available, many brown and black belts are in their 30s and in my experience, most are even older. Most high-level athletes in ANY sport are pushing the limits after 35. While testosterone and other PEDs are helping the age increase, only an exceptional few can still compete at the highest levels past their mid 30s. There is nothing wrong with playing softball or any other sport for health, challenge, fun and community bur it is completely silly for such folks and non-professional level athletes to compare themselves to the Michael Jordan's of the sport they like to play recreationally. There are levels and there always will be. Enjoy your Jiu Jitsu at the level, age and place you find yourself in. If I had to compare my black belt to Gui or Rafa Mendes or even my professor in order to NOT feel like an imposter, I'd just turn the belt in or quit. It's a silly comparison. Some people are just smarter, faster, stronger, and more dedicated than you and it's up to them to go up a competition level rather than you thinking you have turn in your belt if you're not ready to face Gordon Ryan.

Christ. Getting smashed is annoying. But learning and getting some exercise is also good. None of us get put of this shit alive. I have to remind myself to take myself less seriously sometimes

Eh, I think being a hobbyists doesn't mean you can't hold yourself up to the same technical, tactical, or effort standards as competitors. Obviously you don't have to train as much, or do as much conditioning, tape studying etc. but that's no reason not to give up easy sweeps, not be positionally sound, have bad technique, and not pay full attention when drilling or sparring. Even if you train 2 days a week, make them count.

I know a term! ...epiphany of severity

What is competing a lot? 6,7 times a year? 12,13 times a year??

If he is watching inversion at brown belt and doesn't know what's going on, yet having good matches with his club black belt--- it has nothing to do with being a "hobbyist"- his gym is probably not very skilled. Tons of terrible clubs out there. Problem solved.

Also would like to add that a serious competitor of any belt color is likely going to be in much better physical condition than the hobbyist. Its hard to wrap your head around, but legends like Rickson Gracie and JJ Machado, even Marcelo Garcia are closer to hobbyists now than 20 something year old competitors in this regard (physicality). And if it happens to them, it will definitely happen to everyone else. Everyone ages, and the older you get the slower you get, in both body and mind. Imagine what it feels like to be on top of the world at one point, but 20 years later you got kids all you can handle and sometimes more. Do you quit? Just hang it up? Or do you accept reality that you are still better than the majority of earths population and make peace with that and keep training?