I’m a white belt that’s been training for about 3 months, today one of the purple belts at my gym told me that I was getting much better than I was when I first started rolling, that simple compliment boosted my self esteem more than a belt ever could
I've trained BJJ for 9 years and have seen so many people quit at blue belt. I've seen people CRY... legit acting like their blue belt promotion was them getting their black belt or something. Be proud of it, but don't make belt promotions the reason you train, because if you do, you'll get your blue belt then end up losing interest in BJJ shortly after. Which will be sad because a blue belt still knows so little. Seriously. Blue belts are barely scratching the surface.e
Could you imagine being some poor, fresh blue belt in a tournament and you draw Seal Team active duty Jocko with 6 years of experience and a chip on his shoulder about being overdue for a promotion for an opponent? GG
Listen to what is being said here...Jocko gave me the inspiration to start BJJ at 53yo. Finally got my blue belt at 56yo, and I didn't think I deserved it. One of the most emotional times of my life. Some day I would like to personally thank you first for your service and second giving me that "Get After It" thing he always talks about! Wonder if he reads these comments????
I started Jiu jitsu at 17. I was anorexic at 40odd kilos. I got smashed for three years just getting enough food into my frequently homeless body. When I got bigger I was simply to weak and damaged to take on white belts. 11 years later I am still a white belt. I have motor learning disabilities, heart and lung issues, muscle weaknesses and all sorts of stuff. I am probably never going to have my blue belt, let alone get to black belt. Now I just do Jiu jitsu because I have fun wrestling.
If you’re watching this to find out how long it takes to get a blue belt, forget about the belt, and just train for your personal goals. Leave the promotions up to your instructors. If belts are your only real focus, then you’re interested in bjj for the wrong reason. A good quote: If the belt is the goal, you will quit when you get the belt but if knowledge is the goal, you will never quit.
Took me 2.5 years to get Blue 2, 3 days a week. Took 4 years to get my purple 3 days a week. I'm 48 years old, 1 stripe purple now. I've had 2 right knee surgeries (I have no acl) and a shoulder surgery, all before BJJ. Some days are physically tough, some days are mentally tough but just keep at it.
I am 50 and just started 6 months ago with my 8 year old son. We love it and it is so good for both of us. His mother (divorced) doesn’t support him in this at all. In this 6 short months he has moved up a level in math at school and has finished a Harry Potter book. But I digress. I came off the mat one day and said to no one in particular “I suck at Jiu jitsu”. The reply from a random purple belt “we all suck at Jiu jitsu, don’t worry about it”. I took that to heart. I’ll suck at it all my days. As I improve the skill I compare myself to also changes. What I did matters less than what I want to do. I plan on continuing for the rest of my life. I’ll do everything I can to instill this into my son. I pray he chooses to be a life long martial artist as learned through Jiu jitsu.
took me 2.5 years ,training 3-5x a week. but i had zero athleticism and struggled to learn, there were plenty of others that got theirs much sooner, who had more natural talent, or prior experience in other sports/martial arts. But I'm a brown belt now and many of those quick to blue guys have quit. its not who's good, its who's left!
I am a U.S. Marine Infantry Vet. who served in the 80's and early 90's. I started BJJ later on at the age of 51 to stay in shape, stay fit and have fun. After 2.5 years, I received my Blue Belt as a surprise from my Professor. It was such an emotional moment for me. I'm NOT an emotional person (I didn't even cry at either of my Parents funeral) but after all the effort put into my BJJ training receiving my Blue Belt was an incredibly emotional experience. I'm not into belt colors but I can't lie it was great to receive and motivates me today to train further and more often. I thank God I found BJJ. So, now at 55 I train 3 days a week and love it.
As a four stripe white belt in my 50s, I can't tell you how encouraging this was to hear. I got ya tell ya, the closer I get to blue belt, the more I worry about being able to represent. What if I get my blue belt and then get tapped out by lower belt who is younger, stronger and more athletic?
Before I started doing BJJ I had a "plan" to get my blue belt within a certain amount of time. After I started I realised that it really didn't matter A) what colour my belt was B) how long it takes to change colour because actually the belt doesn't determine my identity. The fun from self-improvement doing BJJ isn't based on the belt colour, it's based on all those 'click' moments where you feel you've improved upon yourself. Those moments are so often private or internal but they are what I end up identifying with.
It took me 7 years to get my purple belt. As a former wrestler and blue belt I used to crush purples often and sometimes even browns, but my wrestling held me back because I didn’t like working off my back. They finally told me that I had lots of potential and wasn’t showing enough of it to promote me. They wanted me to work from my back more so I spent a year just working from my back and stopped passing guard to work my top game. I ended up developing a great knee bar I used when people went to pass my guard, and my guard game became super hard to pass. I just had to get my old crutches out of my way so I could progress.
