If you’re like any other BJJ player who thinks of the sport as more than just a hobby, chances are you can’t wait to leave your white belt behind and climb up the ranks. It’s natural. Nobody likes to stay the BJJ noob for any longer than they have to.
It takes the average person anything from 2 to 3 years to earn the right to wear the blue belt in BJJ. Some people can get it in one year or less. It’s all about the time, effort, and dedication you put into it. If ranking up is your goal in BJJ, then nothing can stop you. Not even the rigid constrictions of the space-time continuum.
This is not just hyperbole though. Many great and illustrious names in the world of BJJ have sailed through the ranking system in as little as a year and a half making it look so easy in the process. But we can’t all be Travis Stevens or BJ Penn for that matter. So here’s a breakdown of your path to the blue belt and what you can do to speed things up even a little.
Earn your Stripes
The BJJ belt ranking system is notoriously hard to navigate and slow to climb. It’s not just that the teachers are a little tightfisted when it comes to student evaluations and promotions. The journey itself from one color to the next is a lengthy one. You have to learn a whole lot and master a bunch of techniques and positions before you’re deemed worthy.
So how does the whole BJJ ranking system work? It’s simple really. All in all, you have 5 belts to navigate to make it to the top of the rankings. Adults have a different ranking system than children. Once you’re turned 16, you’re eligible to wear an adult belt. The belts themselves are based on color and are in ascending order:
- White
- Blue
- Purple
- Brown
- Black
Since it takes years on average to progress from white to blue to purple and so on, BJJ also uses another ranking system called stripes. Teachers and academies use stripes to show student progress within each belt. With each stripe you earn, you get closer to making it to the next ranking.
Usually, each belt rank has four stripes that you need to go through. Your teacher rewards you with the stripe based on your performance, dedication to training, as well as your overall progress. So what if you’re an exceptional student? Does that mean you still have to slug through the stripes subdivisions? Not really. If your teacher deems you ready to move up, they can reward you with the next belt without delay.
Why it Takes so Long to Get in the Blue
I think we can all agree that it takes time to get things done properly. Fast food for example isn’t as delicious as a well prepared meal with plenty of time and effort invested in it. The BJJ blue belt is that lofty goal that takes every ounce of will and commitment you have.
That said, sometimes it helps if you have prior experience with other MMA sports to make your journey to the next belt shorter. Players who come from a Judo background for example find mastering the grappling techniques much easier than beginners with no experience.
Your attitude toward the sport is another factor to take into consideration. Those who think of BJJ as a hobby or consider the academy as a place of socializing but nothing more, they’ll be spending years before they can move up. But if you take your training seriously and make sure to get in at least 3 classes a week, then your path to the blue belt will be faster and more rewarding.
But all that training and learning the techniques isn’t worth much if you don’t compete. Tournaments are the fastest way to get ahead in the BJJ belt system. To put it simply, there’s a difference between having a training class with a teacher or a colleague and competing against another player in a tournament. Competitiveness is a great motivator. The more competitive you are, the better you get at BJJ.
As you can see it’s not just one thing that makes you worthy of a promotion. BJJ is a complex and vast field. Many factors come together and converge to make you the practitioner you aspire to be.
How to Pass the Exam
While all BJJ academies and schools the world over agree on the general belt ranking system and the stripes subdivisions, how a student is awarded a promotion differs widely from one academy to the next. This lack of a universal promotion procedure is not a flaw in the system but an advantage.
Your teacher plays a vital role in whether you get the promotion or not. Some academies give the teachers full autonomy as far as promotions are concerned. Others prefer to regulate the process and require the students to go through some form of an exam.
In the first type where the teacher has the right to offer the promotion to any student whenever they see right, your performance in every training and tournament you take part in is crucial to your progress. Your goal is to show your teacher your dedication and commitment to getting better every single class. Sometimes a student gets a promotion at the end of the class.
However, if your academy only awards a belt promotion after passing an exam, then you got your work cut out for you. The exam, much like in any other educational institution, would test your technical knowledge as well as your skills on the mat. Some students prefer this since it makes the path to promotion less random and gives them a clear goal to work toward.
What you Need to Get the Belt
Regardless of whether you need to pass a set exam or convince your teacher that you’re ready to rank up, winning the right to wear the blue belt takes two things. They are technical knowledge and sparring skills. You can’t climb your way up the belt ranking system in BJJ without both of them. So let’s explore what each of them means and entails for you.
Technical knowledge doesn’t mean you read a lot of books and watch numerous videos about BJJ. Jiu-Jitsu is an art and the only way to learn that art is right here on the mat. You’ll need to learn a set number of techniques that include
- Guard passes. Even though you’re now a white belt, you’re still required to learn about guard passes and sweeps.
- Submissions. Get a rudimentary grasp of the concept of submissions and how to chain them.
- Escapes. There are two types of escapes you need to practice and master. The first is positional escapes where you try to escape a Back Control or a Side Control position. The second is submission escape to make your way out of armbars, triangles, and others with ease.
You’ll need that knowledge when you’re facing an opponent on the mat. That’s called sparring and many white belt students find it challenging. But let’s not forget that BJJ is a self-defense discipline and you can’t possibly learn to defend yourself against an attacker if you shy away from sparring with an adversary on the mat. Sparring allows you to use all the techniques you have mastered to force your opponent to submit and come out victorious. Since there’s no level below white, you’ll be sparring with other white belts to improve your survival and positional escapes. If you have enough confidence in your abilities, you might even try sparring with blue belts to gain experience.
Can you Fast-track your Way from White to Blue?
If there’s one thing your BJJ teacher never gets tired of repeating, it’s that there are no shortcuts in BJJ. And they’re right of course. The road to the black belt is long and drenched in sweat and right now you’re still at the beginning with a white belt around your waist.
That said, there are a few things that work for you and could help you move at a faster pace toward the blue color. Here they are in no particular order.
- Use your sparring sessions to practice the various techniques you learned about. There’s no better way to put your knowledge to the test than on the mat against an opponent.
- Survival is a skill. Learn to relax and keep your wits about you even if you find yourself in a bad position.
- Roll with it. This couldn’t be truer than when you’re grappling. Go with the flow and let your instincts kick in. You already know a lot of techniques, so don’t let your fear of sparring hold you down.
- Don’t be too proud to tap out. Put your ego aside before you step out on the mat.
- Develop your defense skills by sparring with more experienced players and hone your offense on the mat against low level practitioners.