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The ultimate goal of every Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner worth their salt is to get the coveted black belt. It takes hard work, dedication, and passion to earn the right to wear a BJJ black belt. But above all, it takes time.
So how long does it take to earn a black belt in BJJ?
On average, one would need about 10 years to get a black belt in BJJ. Some practitioners might take 14 years to win the coveted belt while others would earn it in eight years or less. It’s not just that the journey to the top ranking is difficult, other factors including individual talent, aptitude, and, yes, ego also play a role.
So what stands between you and your black belt target? A lot actually. Is it hard? Yes. But is it impossible? No. Many practitioners like Geo Martinez and Mads Burnell achieved it in just three years. And you can too. Let’s explore this exciting journey and see what you have to do to wear a black belt in BJJ.
The Journey from White to Black
The belt system in BJJ is quite simple. You only have to make your way through five belts. You start with the white belt and work upwards towards the black one. As you can expect, each belt is more difficult to achieve than the one before it. So by the time you’re ready to wear your BJJ black belt you’re a well-rounded practitioner who’s mastered all the nuances of the sport. Here are the 5 colors in ascending order.
1. White
Your white belt charts your path for you. You still have no clue what your learning journey will be like and you’re just testing the water here. There’s a lot you don’t know about BJJ and yourself. So as you learn about the main positions and get an idea of what BJJ is all about, you’ll also be learning more about your abilities and shortcomings. Your goal is to get the broad outlines of what’s waiting ahead for you. Your biggest obstacles are your ego and getting ahead of yourself. So learn to relax and control your ego. You’ll lose more than you win but that’s OK too.
2. Blue
The blue belt is about building your skills, especially your defense ability. Here you learn how to escape from any position especially the Mount, Side Mount, and Back Mount positions. Blue is also about passing the guard. Many practitioners find this very challenging. So the more time you spend on it early on in the journey, the better you’ll become. Try to learn at least two techniques to pass the guard and get them down to an art.
3. Purple
You got the basics down during your blue stage, and now it’s time to spread your BJJ wings and fly. You’ll learn concepts like using your weight and that of your opponent to give momentum to your movement and how to avoid wasted movement. During your purple belt time you will also finish your foundational work as you perfect your defense techniques. Set time aside to discover the holes in your sport and plug them. Here you’ll also get some rudimentary offense work started.
4. Brown
The brown belt means you are now familiar with most positions both attack and submissions. You’re comfortable in your own skin both on and off the mat. And you’ve already developed a unique style and know where you stand among the rest of the players. As such you can now teach BJJ to others and you might decide to coach players. You can teach them how to fully use their weight from Mount and Side Mount positions and explore every opportunity to pass the guard. At this stage in your journey, you strive to hone your balance in top positions and improve on your counter techniques to more common attacks.
5. Black
The Holy Grail for every BJJ player. You have an intimate knowledge of both your body and mind. You can read your opponent and explore their weaknesses. But you’re also modest and use your expertise for the common good. Your movement is economical, efficient, and graceful all rolled into one. Yet, you never stop learning because there’s always room to get better and refine your talents.
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Why does it Take So Long to Get the Black Belt?
It’s not surprising, seeing how complex each belt is, that it takes some practitioners two years or more to move to the next ranking. To complicate things further, you should know that your journey to win the black belt isn’t all about sheer talent. In fact, when it comes to BJJ, the belt ranking is a little more complicated than that.
It’s more than just Skill
While other MMAs might judge you solely based on your skills, BJJ takes other factors into consideration. For example, your character plays a vital role in your progress towards the next belt rank and might boost or hamper your chances of progressing.
Your knowledge of the various positions and situations, both defense and offense ones, are also important. Add to that another crucial factor and that is your mental toughness. You can safely assume that your character and mental fortitude are constantly being evaluated every time you step on the mat.
Non-linear Progress
We talked about progress and moving from white to black belts making mandatory stops at the other colors in between. But that by no means implies that your progress is as simple as moving from point A to point B. Far from it.
Because BJJ evaluates every aspect of your being from the physical to the mental and psychological, not everybody has a smooth sail. Some get bogged down at a certain rank because they have some issues they grapple with. Others find the theoretical aspect of the sport easy to grasp but struggle on the mat.
There’s a Lot to Learn
If there’s something that sets BJJ apart from other martial arts it’s that for every position and technique there are hundreds of variations. To become a well-rounded player who wears that black belt with pride, you’ll need to master as many techniques as you can and familiarize yourself with their various derivatives.
This is why the greatest champs of the sport are so humble. They understand that the more they study and learn the more they realize that there’s a lot more to know. You’re always a student in BJJ even after winning the black belt.
It’s all about Commitment
Not everyone who trains in BJJ is there to get the black belt. Some treat the sport as a hobby while others consider it the sole purpose of their existence. Between these extremes, there are other varying degrees of commitment. To get promoted you’ll need to take BJJ a little more seriously than just a hobby or a pastime. Regular training and competing are the operative words here.
Have you Got What it Takes?
As we have seen, BJJ is a personal journey. Some sail through it faster than others. Few will get the ultimate promotion of the black belt while others will cut their journey short. So what exactly do you need to make it in BJJ?
Knowledge
People learn at different rates. And one of the challenges that students find daunting in BJJ is the amount of knowledge they have to learn. It’s a lot, yes, but you’ll get there if you respect your learning abilities and refrain from comparing yourself to others. There’s no shame in taking more time to learn a specific defense technique than the next player. Keep at it and never give up. Jiu-Jitsu is about personal growth and it rewards you with more goodies than just colorful belts.
Time on the Mat
Nothing beats the practical experience you get on the mat. Training and competing are the heart and soul of BJJ. Just like watching swimming videos alone doesn’t make you a good swimmer, theoretical knowledge isn’t enough in Jiu-Jitsu. The mat is the ultimate test of how much you know and how much you don’t know. Just watch out for the mat burnout. It’s common among BJJ players. So respect your body limits and strike a good balance between training and study.
A Competitive Spirit
The bookies’ favorite saying is it’s not the size of the dog in the fight that matters but the size of the fight in the dog. To advance in BJJ, you need to have an elevated level of competitiveness. There’s no winning or losing in Jiu-Jitsu and you learn more from your so-called losses than from the competitions that you prevail in. A competitive spirit drums up your passion and commitment for the sport. And you can’t do without those two in the world of BJJ.
A Dash of Passion
Just like everything in life, in order to attain a high and elusive goal, you’ll need to be passionate about it. If there’s one thing that all black belt champs share it’s their unwavering love of BJJ. The more you love it the more willing you’ll be to put in the time and effort to learn, train, compete, and get better.