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One of the first things that a BJJ student learns at class is how to escape ground control situations. It’s crucial not just for their progress but to establish a good foundation that will help them become a well-rounded player in the years to come. 

While using the bridge and hip movements are important steps to escape side control,as a white belt you also need to master other escapes such as escape from mount, escape from back mount, and pass closed guard. Each helps you get out of a tough situation and turn the tables as it were on your opponent.

So how would you go about learning and mastering these escapes? This article takes you on a technical journey that lays it out in simple terms, how to get yourself out of a tight spot and surprise your opponent right when they thought they were this close to winning a submission.

Side Control Escape

One of the most vulnerable positions you can find yourself in early on is to allow your opponent to have side control over you. It just gives them great advantages. Even for a white belt it doesn’t take a lot of experience for the novice player to turn that advantage into a huge win especially when they transition to knee on belly. Meanwhile you’re left helpless and on the defense. So how do you make your escape from this delicate position?

You can start by using your forearm. It creates a barrier between you and your opponent preventing them from taking full advantage of the position or rendering your defenses useless. Your forearm creates enough space for you to wiggle your hips and make your escape leaving your opponent flustered on the mat. 

If your arms cannot get the job done and pave the way for your escape, you can use the bridge maneuver. It is more powerful and doesn’t require strong arms to get it done. Arch your back into a bridge and push the weight of your opponent off you and make your escape. 

The last tip to keep in mind is to maintain a safe distance for your arms. Even while grappling, your arms need to have enough space to allow them their full movement without getting entangled. If you lose control over your arms, no matter what position you are in, you can neither mount a defense or an offensive against your opponent.

Escape from Mount

If side control puts you at a great disadvantage, you should never allow your opponent to have their way from a mount position. Simply put, a mount position gives the opponent the power of using their full body weight on your torso area. This makes it even more difficult for you to escape.

You probably have tried this the first time not with a classmate but with your teacher. Most teachers do this to prove a point. With the full bulk of their weight on your torso, you know that escaping is almost impossible. However, you can still escape from mount no matter how heavy or bulky the opponent you’re up against is. 

The first thing you need to do as your opponent leans on you is to get them off balance. That may be easier said than done, but you’ll need every fiber in your body to get them off you. What you need to focus on is to adjust their center of gravity so that it’s not squarely placed on your torso.

You can try the same maneuvers we mentioned that work with side control escape. Pushing with your arms while wiggling your hips can create the kind of momentum you’re looking for. It displaces the opponents legs and thus gives you an opening into throwing them off your back.

Once you have created this shift in dynamics, it would be easy for you to build on it, extract yourself out of the critical position and gain enough momentum to launch an offensive.

Escape from Back Mount

Having the full weight of your opponent on your torso can be a heavy burden to throw off, but it’s really nothing compared to trying to escape from the back mount. It is by far the most dominant position in BJJ and you’ll need to give it everything you got just to make your way out of it and not have your opponent transition it into something that makes your chances of escape less attainable. 

The reasons the back mount is such a tough position to escape is that your opponent has their legs hooked around your waist. That puts a stop to any attempt to use your legs, hips, or back to create any leverage or help you out of this difficult position.

Another problem has to do with your vulnerable neck. With the opponent behind you and your arms practically useless, they have a great opening to apply pressure on your neck. The opponent might also choose to go for a choke that brings the confrontation to a swift and inevitable ending. 

Needless to say that with both the top and bottom halves of your body fully under the control of your opponent, neither your experience nor the lack of experience on the part of your opponent have much to do to help you out of this situation. Even advanced players find themselves so vulnerable when they are under the mercy of the back mount position. 

So how do you get yourself out of this one? 

First you need to untangle your body out of the hooks of the opponent. The hooks are what keeps you vulnerable and prevent you from escaping. So it’s normal that this is where you focus your efforts to escape. Apply pressure with your hands on the wrists of the opponent as you wiggle your waist out of their hooks. 

Once you are free, you can now recover and improve your position. One of the first things to do once you’re out of the hook, is to try the bridge maneuver. The bridge allows you to turn the tables completely. Instead of having the opponent in control, you force them to the ground and now you have the upper hand. 

Even if the opponent still got you hooked, a bridging movement eliminates any remaining advantage the opponent has along with the hook. This paves the way for you to launch your own offensive. This becomes easier as you get them on their back on the ground and with a few hip movements, you can totally escape and gain the upper hand.

Whether you’re trying to escape side control, mount or back mount positions, you need to keep in mind that the only common denominator in all these escapes is your breathing. Don’t panic no matter how insurmountable the hurdles seem to you at the time. You need all your wits by you and your breathing will help you calm your mind down.

Being slow and deliberate is the best policy to get you out of it. Don’t rush it and try to evaluate the situation, gauging your opponent’s weak points as you plan your defense. As we have seen the bridge maneuver is usually the go-to move to turn the tables on your opponent. But if you don’t pick the right moment, you might tip your hand and waste the golden opportunity to escape a tough situation.

Some players, especially beginners resort to sheer force to break out of the lock. But as we have seen, when you get your opponent behind your back with almost full control over your top and lower body, raw force will not help you much. 

Your tactic should be to make your move as explosive as possible. Pressing or struggling against the opponent’s lock only makes things worse. And since the opponent has a positional advantage, your futile attempts to escape give the rival the opportunity to transition into something that gives them tactical advantage. 

Finally, escaping the tough position is only half the battle. Once you’re out of it, quickly take advantage of the momentum to launch your offensive. Your opponent is still flustered and before they recover, you can get the upper hand and put them on the defensive.

Being a while belt in BJJ doesn’t mean that you’re totally clueless or defenseless in the face of an adversary. It’s true that you don’t have many techniques down yet, but don’t be too quick to write off the amount of knowledge you garnered over the short time you attended classes.

To get you up to speed and help you become the all around great BJJ practitioner you hope to be one day, we outlined 5 submissions that you as a white belt need to master. These are:

1. Kimura from side Control

2. Straight Arm Lock From Mount

3. Triangle from Guard

4. Guillotine choke

5. Head and arm chokes

But why these specific submissions. As you can see they prepare you for any situation you might find yourself in whether on or off the mat. They also lay the ground for future improvement and other advanced techniques that you’ll pick up as you progress through the colored belts. So without further ado, let’s delve into each submission in depth.

1. Kimura from side Control

The origins of kimura go all the way back to Judo and the early beginnings of catch wrestling. As far as shoulder submissions are concerned, it’s one of the most powerful. That makes it a bit tricky to master. But once you get the ins and outs of it, you’ll come to appreciate its usefulness and the boost it brings to your game.

Kimura is named after a famous Japanese fighter who beat Gracie in one of the most memorable matches on record. Kimura employed this shoulder submission and not only did he get the submission he was gunning for, but also broke Garcie’s arm in the process.

From there the kimura was developed into a full fledged submission position and was even named the kimura trap. So what’s it all about?

You start from a closed guard and take advantage of the common mistake many novice players in that position make. When the player places both hands on the mat, that’s your cue to go after the near wrist. Once you got that hand secured, perform a secure hook over the pinned arm with your other arm.

This quickly develops into a powerful grip that some experts often refer to as the chicken wing. Not only does it give you control over the opponent’s arm but it keeps it at a precarious 90 degrees which makes it hard for the opponent to act or start a defensive maneuver. 

One defense is to try to straighten the arm or keep it from being locked in that right angle shape. However, you should counter with increasing the pressure on the arm and the front of their shoulders. From there, the way to a submission is more than possible. Very few people can handle this pressure for long.

2. Straight Arm Lock From Mount

This is by far one of the most common submissions that have come to be associated with BJJ. When people think of a BJJ submission, most often than not, this is the one they’re thinking of. So what makes it so popular, nay ubiquitous, in the world of BJJ?

Two things actually. One its deceptive simplicity. The other is its power. Now you might be fooled into thinking this technique is easy enough to pick and master in one sitting or one class. But you couldn’t be wrong. The nuances of the submissions give it its enduring quality and make it one of the favorites of all BJJ players, novices and experts alike. 

The thing about the arm lock is that it works in the same way the arm bar does. The only difference is your body is in the opposite direction. Here, you’re using both your hands to apply great pressure on the opponent. So when should you use this technique?

Most experts recommend you apply it when you’re on top. It works best from the top position. Most notably the mount position. The strategy to reach there is simple. Start with americana. This puts the opponent on the defensive but also opens them to a straight arm lock attack. 

Remember, whatever the position you go for, always aim to trap the opponent’s arm. Once you have it secure, then you can proceed to apply your pressure and open the path for submission.

3. Triangle from Guard

When you’re looking to expand your repertoire of submissions or maybe you just haven’t found the submission technique to call your favorite yet, then the triangle from closed guard is the right one for you. It’s effective, it’s versatile, and it works almost every time. 

There’s a reason this submission technique is introduced way early in your BJJ practice. It’s a fundamental component of any BJJ study, and it’s also one of the hardest to master. I mean there are brown belts who still find this technique a little tricky. Does this mean that you’ll need long and many years to perfect it? Most likely. Does that mean you should be wary of it or approach it with caution? Not at all. The more time you spend on the triangle from closed guard, the more you’ll come to love it.

The secret behind its power and popularity is that it can both set up submissions and lead to submissions. It doesn’t require a lot of strength to perform it (which if you remember is at the core of BJJ). And finally, you can make it work almost in any situation. So how do you do it?

The thing to keep in mind is that setting up this technique can make or break it. If you get this step right, your success is guaranteed. You can shift to the technique from a failed sweep, or when the opponent attempts to pass the guard. The situation on the mat is always fluid which is where experience comes in.

Any time you see an opportunity to set up the triangle from closed guard, don’t hesitate to take it. The upside here is that your opponent will never bait you with a set up. It almost happens out of oversight on the part of the rival. But once you see the opening, go for it. 

Finishing the triangle is a tricky move. This is why so many players need to spend a long time practicing it and trying to get it right. But you’ll get there. 

4. Guillotine choke

Another fundamental technique that goes back to the early days of BJJ. It takes its name from the famous French execution apparatus that remained in action until the second half of the 20th century. The guillotine allows you to secure the opponent’s head under your armpit. Then you reach out your forearm and wrap it around their neck. In all appearances it looks like the opponent’s head is caught in a guillotine.

But is it effective? Very few people manage to escape it. As you tighten your grip over the rival’s head and neck, you apply pressure on their carotid arteries. Now the opponent has two options: either to tap out or pass out. In either case you get your submission.

But that’s not all what the guillotine has to offer. It will not be the powerful technique it is today if variations were not introduced and improvements to the technique added over the years. Some notable variations that you should be open to learning include the 10-finger guillotine, the arm-in guillotine, the high-elbow guillotine, as well as the one-handed guillotine. 

The best opponents to use the guillotine against are wrestlers. They’re known for their grappling power and aggression, but once you get a wrestler locked in the guillotine, they simply have no defense against it. 

5. Head and Arm Chokes

There are many head and arm chokes that you can master and add to your arsenal of techniques so early in your BJJ journey. One of those is the d’arce choke. It has gained popularity over the recent years. You usually start by locking your wrist bone into the opponent’s neck and aim to lock their arm and neck with your arm. With the other arm you push the opponent’s head down. Lock your arms and keep your elbows close for maximum pressure. 

The anaconda choke is one other technique that falls under the head and arm chokes. It is similar to the d’arce choke except that you usually reverse the order of attach. Instead of going from neck to arm, you do it the other way round. You start with the arm and go for the neck afterwards. For best results, try to finish it with a gator roll. It will take you a few tries to get this one right. But then you can resort to it whenever you feel the odds stacked up against you.

The competition between catch wrestling and BJJ and which is a better or more well-rounded sport has been plaguing practitioners of both sports for years. Some allege that catch wrestling makes stronger players while others maintain that BJJ is by far the superior of the two sports. So who’s right in this debate?

While catch wrestling has produced some strong and highly skilled players over time, BJJ players have nothing to worry about. BJJ is a better discipline with more comprehensive rules and techniques that prepare the player for just about any combative situation they find themselves into. BJJ also has grappling on its side which is an art in and of itself.

But what exactly is catch wrestling? How did it appear on the stage? And what makes it stand out and claim to be equal to if not superior to BJJ? This article looks at this unique form of wrestling, it’s history, and what it has that BJJ doesn’t. 

What is Catch Wrestling?

While catch wrestling seems to match BJJ in its emphasis on grappling among other techniques, the one thing that makes catch wrestling unique is its laser focus on submission. It doesn’t have a points system the way BJJ or Judo does. Instead, every match has to end with one player forcing the opponent to submit. Only then will there be a winner and the match comes to a conclusion.

So how do you get your opponent to submit in a catch wrestling competition? There are only two ways for that. The first is for the opponent to tap out. That’s easier said than done. When you consider the ego of a catch wrestler, then you know that each will fight to the end. A player only taps out when they know they have no ounce of energy left in their body.

The other way to submit is to say “enough!”. It’s as simple as that. But of course, it’s never that simple. Again ego comes in the way and only when the player finds that they’re getting hammered mercilessly would they say the magic word. 

Chokes are not allowed in catch wrestling. Even though the sport has few agreed on rules, and inside the ring almost anything goes, the fact that chokes don’t count is surprising. However, if two players agree to compete against each other and allow chokes, then it very much counts.

This just shows how flexible, and almost chaotic, catch wrestling is. In fact, it used to be even more chaotic in the not so distant past. Back then the rules were defined by the players right before the competition. Whatever they agreed on became the law of the game at least until the match was over and one of them prevailed over the other. But how did catch wrestling come into being?

How did Catch Wrestling Evolve?

The origins of catch wrestling are shrouded in mystery. Some historians pinpoint it to miners and dock workers who used to engage in friendly, and sometimes not so friendly, games of grappling. They were mainly looked at as a pastime more than a sport or even a competition even if some betting was involved.

But it was mainly British sailors who laid the foundations of catch wrestling. Back when the British Empire covered about 70 percent of the old world and ships were sailing from port to port nonstop. It is often speculated that between the 15th and 19th centuries, British sailors managed to visit every port known to man, interact with the locals, and learn some of their techniques.

This is where the different grappling techniques of catch wrestling came into existence. The name of the sport “catch wrestling” refers to the old name of “catch as much as you can”. Basically you grappled with your opponent and once you got a lock on a part of their body, you worked on it until you forced them to submit in one of the ways we described earlier.

And it was the British who introduced this new and rules-free sport to the United States. When the US was a British colony, many workers settled there and introduced some of their British traditions to the locals. One of those traditions was catch wrestling.

At first the reception to the new sport was lukewarm at best. Maybe it wasn’t as exciting as, say, boxing. What’s certain is that it was mainly performed during carnivals and on fairgrounds. Many people considered it as an open act for the main event. Moreover, the catch wrestler was open to challenges from the carnival attendants. To say that things got out of hand sometimes is an understatement.

BJJ vs Catch Wrestling

With that colorful past behind it, it’s no wonder that catch wrestling would look at BJJ as a rival. Even though BJJ is a discipline that focuses on self-defense and has always been taught in academies, it has some common grounds with catch wrestling.

One of the shared values between the two sports is their focus on submissions. It’s true that one sport, BJJ, has almost a rule for everything from the dress code to promotions, while the other is almost devoid of any form of laws and set rules, still, they both have a fascination and should I say, respect to submissions. 

But that’s really where the shared values end really. Even though catch wrestling and BJJ put a lot of weight on achieving submissions, the way they both approach it couldn’t be any different. Let’s take catch wrestling first. It tries to finish the competition as fast as possible. There’s no point in holding back and abiding your time. From the moment the game starts, you relentlessly go after your opponent and try to get them to submit.

Compare that to BJJ with its fine techniques and the way it approaches grappling. Nothing is hurried or rushed. You wait for your opponent to make a mistake then you exploit that mistake and work your way patiently toward scoring a point or maybe winning the competition. Every move is evaluated, every action is predetermined. There’s nothing haphazard with BJJ.

Another thing to consider is how the position plays a major role in BJJ. In fact, it can be said that positional control is paramount in the tenets of BJJ as a discipline. Catch wrestling on the other hand has nothing of the sort. It’s all raw and brutal aggression. You rely on your strength to see your way out of the competition.

BJJ takes a lot of time and preparation to set up a submission. But when you finally get there, everything falls into position and the outcome is almost guaranteed. Of course, you’ll have to get your techniques down to an art and look for a chink in your opponent’s armor to strike. As we said, with BJJ it’s more of a calculated risk and techniques. Catch wrestling is anything but.

Leg Locks in Catch Wrestling

This is one aspect of the sport where catch wrestling has the upper hand over BJJ. Leg locks have been around for some time now, but recently they gained prominence in catch wrestling thanks to their effectiveness. 

In fact, leg locks are just one of the many lower body techniques that catch wrestling excels at. So isn’t BJJ incorporating that crucial grappling technique in its plethora of techniques as well? Well, remember what we said about the rules of BJJ and how they dictate everything from what you wear to how you get promoted? It’s these same rules which prevent BJJ from allowing leg locks into the hallowed walls of its academies. 

Other locks that catch wrestling considers part of its repertoire include knee bars, Achilles locks, and toe holds. All of them are perfectly legal and wrestlers use them every chance they get. 

Reasons Catch Wrestling isn’t Catching up

With all this history behind it, catch wrestling has struggled to capture the imagination and interest of the populace. There are many theories that try to explain the lack of interest in such a vigorous and captivating sport. 

One theory is that the lack of rules and mercurial nature of catch wrestling prevent people from even knowing what the sport is all about or what it stands for. BJJ for example is a self defense discipline. But about catch wrestling? What does it stand for? The lack of a definitive answer puts players off. 

On a related note, many catch wrestlers don’t have an association that speaks for them or represent them on the international or even local arenas. This means there are no checks or regulations that govern the sport. As we said, anything goes. 

The lack of a governing body means that coaches have a free hand not just setting the rules, but also in when to start coaching and who can claim to be a coach. Many players simply switch to coaching without proper skills or knowledge. 

When you don’t have a system in place, that means the sport doesn’t have a shape or identity. Chaos seems to be the only law that has shaped the past and history of this sport and might also shape its future.

With all that in mind, one thing is very clear, no matter how aggressive a catch wrestler is, they’re by no means a match to a BJJ champion steeped in the techniques of the discipline and have truly earned their stripes.

Is a mouthguard a necessary part of your gear or is it just a cumbersome piece that distracts you and does no good whatsoever? This kind of debate has been raging in the world of combat sports for as long as the notion of safety became part of the daily discourse.

The truth is when you’re involved in a sport like BJJ or Judo where there’s a chance you get your teeth knocked out, then a mouthguard is essential. Consider the times you’ve been rolling with nothing standing between the mat or your opponent’s knee and your teeth but your lips. That will make you think that a mouthguard is more than an accessory. 

If that’s not enough to convince you of the importance of the mouthguard and settles that debate, this article delves deep into this topic, discusses the various opinions regarding this crucial subject, and also sheds light on the types of mouthguards and how to take care of it.

To Mouth-guard or not to Mouth-guard

When it comes to mouthguards, the experts differ and offer a wide variety of opinions. What’s more surprising is that the policies and regulations regarding mouthguards vary from one academy to the next and even from one teacher to the next inside the same academy. 

Some teachers would make it a requirement that all students should wear a mouthguard before they start the class. Others take a more lenient approach and make it a personal choice of every student. So what gives? It’s simple really. Not all BJJ practitioners are serious about the practice enough to worry about their teeth. So unless you have an MMA background and you’ve had your fair share of sparring, you wouldn’t value a mouthguard crowding your mouth area. 

Another issue has to do with individual differences. While some people plug in the mouthguard and immediately forget about it, other players have plenty of trouble with the accessory. So much so that some players find it hard to breathe. Others cannot open their mouths to talk without having the mouthguard slip out and fall. It’s a nuisance, to say the least. 

Due to all these problems, many teachers prefer to give the students the freedom to choose whether to put on a mouthguard or not. The logic of their thinking is that as the students get serious about their training, they will decide for themselves whether a mouthguard is necessary for them or not. But as you’ll notice, every BJJ champ tends to use a mouthguard whether they’re training, teaching, or competing. 

The Need for Mouthguards

The question must have crossed your mind before. Why is it that BJJ champs and even practitioners who walk around with belts of all colors except white are so anxious to wear a mouthguard? It’s not an accessory and it doesn’t make them look cool. It’s hidden inside their mouths. So why do they do it? It’s not for appearances, that’s for sure. 

Mouthguards serve a more practical purpose than making your teeth bulge. They cushion any impact your teeth might have when you roll. Rolling in BJJ is by far the most hazardous situation you can get yourself into as far as your teeth are concerned. Anything could happen. You fall on your face with the full weight of your opponent’s body on top crushing your incisors. 

A wild elbow or a stray knee could make contact with your mouth and dislodge a few teeth. I mean anything could go wrong. Another risk is if you roll hard or you roll with an overexcited and inexperienced player. Just think of your face crashing on the floor. The last thing you’d want is a few teeth coming out of your mouth.

Another issue that’s particular to grappling sports such as BJJ and Judo is the famous jaw clenching. One just can’t help it. You grab your opponent’s Gi by the lapels and pull them hard. While doing that your jaws automatically clench hard. Does that affect your teeth? You bet. If you have brittle teeth, then grinding your teeth or clenching your jaws will not help.

And a mouthguard is there to prevent that from happening. It protects the teeth from impact, falls, and flailing limbs. And it protects your jaws from clamping hard and subjecting your poor teeth to excruciating pain.

Types of Mouthguards

Now that we have established the need for mouthguards, the question is which type of mouthguard would work for you and give you the kind of protection you’re looking for. In general, there are three types of mouthguards. You have stock mouthguards, boil and bite mouthguards, and customized mouthguards. Let’s go through them in more detail.

Stock mouthguards are the most common types. As the name implies they are sold as is and can be found in any drugstore. They come in three sizes: small, medium, and large. You slip them over your teeth and they cover the top teeth. Stock mouthguards are cheap and are easy to replace. However, the downside is, they don’t fit just about inside every mouth. The lack of different sizes limits their usefulness. You might find it hard to talk with a stock mouthguard in your mouth. 

Boil and bite mouthguards are exactly what the name tells you. They come in one size but can be customized to fit just about any mouth as long as it’s in human form. When you buy one, take it home and drop it in a pot full of boiling water. The heat softens the material and makes the mouthguard malleable. Now slip it inside your mouth and bite your teeth on it. It will set and take the shape and size of your jaws and teeth. From here on out, you have a mouthguard tailored specifically for your mouth. Boil and bite mouthguards are also cheap and can be found everywhere from sports goods to drugstores.

Custom-made mouthguards are a little more expensive and have to be designed by your dentist. You pay your dentist a visit, they take your measures, and put an order for a mouthguard that fits your mouth like a glove. As you might expect this custom-made mouthguard will cost you a pretty penny. But on the upside, it’s made of better material and has better quality than your average boil and bite mouthguard. Also, it comes with a warranty, so if you have issues with it, your dentist will help you sort them out.

How to Care for your Mouthguard?

Just as you’d take precautions when putting on your eye contacts, a mouthguard needs plenty of care to prevent infections and help you maintain your oral hygiene. So to get the most out of your mouthguard regardless of its type and protect your mouth, you should follow the following tips.

• Always wash your mouthguard before and after you use it. Use cool water to rinse it thoroughly. Hot water can change its shape.
• Brush your teeth regularly and floss your teeth. The mouthguard can act as a farm for the bacteria already in your mouth.
• Brush the mouthguard with a toothbrush and toothpaste for better cleanliness.
• Check your mouthguard regularly for defects, cracks, or holes. If it’s a cheap one, then the material wouldn’t be good and it would need to be replaced regularly.
• Whether you’re using a custom-made or other types of mouthguards, always bring it with you to the dentist appointment to make sure the mouthguard is still in a good condition.
• After each use, store the mouthguard in a hard container and let it air for a while to prevent bacteria growth and infections.
• Don’t let your mouthguard fall in the hands of children or be accessible to pets. Not only will they damage it but might cover it with bacteria as well.

Another point to consider is that no matter how expensive a mouthguard is, it will not last forever. The more you use it, the more likely it will deteriorate over time. So don’t neglect to replace it when you see holes or cracks. It might save your teeth and keep your pearly whites intact.

Mouthguards and Braces

One other issue with mouthguards before we wrap up is the often asked question about braces and mouthguards. Can you wear a mouthguard when you have braces? Many new players who have braces wonder if they should wear a mouthguard as well or not.

The answer is yes you need to wear a mouthguard over your braces. Braces alone are not protection for your teeth. In fact, your teeth might be more vulnerable with braces around them. So you need to put on a mouthguard. But which type?

Since you have the braces taking up space in your mouth, a stock mouthguard most certainly wouldn’t fit. The same applies to a boil and bite mouthguard. Your braces will make the mouthguard unwearable. So the best option is to go to the dentist and ask them to have a mouthguard custom-made for you. At least that way you ensure you get a good quality one to protect your jaws and teeth.

Nothing says you’re committed and dedicated to your BJJ practice like showing up every single class in a clean Gi. A clean Gi implies that your BJJ belt is clean and washed as well. There’s no point going to practice with a dirty or stained belt that might give you and your classmates an infection.

To make sure your BJJ belt is looking its best all the time you need to wash it in lukewarm to cold water and rinse it in similar water. Don’t soak the belt since that will fade the colors and probably make the stripes come off. Both machine wash and hand wash are fine. But if you care about your BJJ belt, then gentle handwashing will give you the best results.

That said, there are many superstitions circling around the BJJ world about how washing and drying your BJJ belt might have adverse effects on your progress or performance in a competition. We’ll address all these misgivings and how you the best ways to wash and dry your BJJ belt.

How often should you Wash your BJJ Belt?

Let’s jump head first and deal with these rumors and superstitions that some players harbor around the topic of washing and drying your BJJ belt. It’s unfortunate that even some of the champions of the sport don’t have a healthy attitude toward their belt’s cleanliness. It just doesn’t give young practitioners the right impression about what BJJ as a discipline is all about.

Washing your belt is part of your general and personal hygienes. Just as you make sure to have a shower after every class and wash your Gi regularly, your belt should have the same care and maintain the same level of cleanliness as your body and Gi. It might be wrapped around your waist, but it still gets soaked in sweat, gets stained, and worse.

Some players go as far as to wash their BJJ belt every time they wash their Gi which is after every class. That might be more than your belt requires though. Once a month is more than enough. Even though your belt gets its fair share of rough treatment and grappling, that’s still not on the same level as what your Gi gets. Not to mention that the belt is often more sensitive to washing, detergents, and drying than the Gi. 

Another issue with belt washing is the prospect of the stripes falling off. It’s more than a possibility that when you pull your BJJ belt out of the washer dryer it will be missing some or all of your stripes. But we’ll deal with this issue later and show you how to take care of that pesky issue and keep your stripes intact.

How to wash your BJJ Belt?

So how would you go about handling this delicate task of washing your BJJ belt? There are a few things to consider and prepare before you dump your belt in the water. From the water temperature to the right detergent or chemicals, to whether to soak the BJJ belt or not. Let’s go through them one by one.

Water Temperature

The last thing you’d want to do is drop your BJJ belt in hot water. That shrinks the material and gets the stripes off the belt in no time. Experts recommend you use either cold or lukewarm water. Cold water is often the best since it maintains the structure and colors of the belt. Your belt will look brand new even after many washing cycles. You might need to use lukewarm water if the belt is particularly smelly or very filthy.

Machine Washing

Both machine and hand washing are fine as far as your BJJ belt is concerned. If you don’t like to get your hand wet especially in cold water, then your washer dryer will get the job done without a hassle. Use a gentle setting and don’t mix the belt with other items of clothing that would either shed color or lint. 

Hand Washing

Hand washing is always preferred over machine washing. At least for the BJJ belt. It’s a small item, doesn’t require a lot of scrubbing, and won’t take more than a few minutes to get it clean as a bell. Don’t leave the belt in the water more than it needs to. Rinse it well a few times. Don’t twist the belt to dispel the water, just fold it and squeeze it gently between your hands.

Detergents

Alfred Hitchcock once famously said that actors were a necessary evil. The same axiom applies to detergents. You just can’t wash without them. Although you have to be judicious and cautious with your approach to detergents. They’re good but they might do more harm to your BJJ belt. So you might want to invest in organic detergents. They’re mild by nature and don’t have an excess of chemicals that would damage your belt.

How to Remove Tough Stains and Blood?

Once in a while, you get in the kind of scrap that leaves you all bloodied. I’m not talking about getting mugged in a rough neighborhood. Even in the lofty classes of the BJJ academy, players get hurt and they bleed too. It’s not common but an inexperienced player trying an unusual move might lead to a bleeding nose.

Blood stains on your precious BJJ belt are something you’d want to get rid off at the nearest opportunity. And this is where it gets tricky. When blood dries up, it becomes harder to remove it. So before you tumble your belt in the washing machine, give it a good scrubbing by hand in cold water. If the blood is not dry yet, you won’t have trouble removing it. Then you can wash it as normal.

As for other tough stains, you might need to use a strong detergent. Again don’t try to wash the belt and hope the stains would come off in the washing. You’ll need to give it the hand treatment first. Organic detergents work wonders and don’t cause the belt to shrink or the stripes to come off.

How to Wash a Hemp BJJ Belt?

Some players prefer to wear Gis and BJJ belts made of hemp. Maybe it’s the comfort of the material or the texture. Whatever the case, if you’re wearing a hemp BJJ belt, you need to know it is way different than belts made of other materials such as cotton or polyester. 

For one thing, hemp belts tend to shed the fabric when you wash them. This happens when the belt is new and hasn’t been washed before. So you need to wash the hemp belt separately. It would be better if you stick to handwashing it for the first few times and not mix it with other items of clothes. 

Don’t use bleach when washing them either by hand or in the washing machine. This same rule applies to all other belts no matter what fabric or color. Bleach has a destructive impact on the color and material of the belt. As for water temperature, it should be cold since hemp is sensitive to hot water. 

Washing Colored Belts 

As you progress on your BJJ journey, your belts start to become more colorful. You start with a white belt which is easy to wash. Just wash it with other white clothes and you’re done. But when the purple color adorns your waist, it’s time to worry about how to wash your colored BJJ belt.

Colors do run. Be it your BJJ belt or other colored items. These things happen. So the best way to keep your peace of mind is not to mix colors. If your belt is purple, then wash it with similarly colored items. Throwing red socks or a brown towel in the mix is a recipe for disaster. As you know, your belt color is sacred. You can’t leave class with a blue belt only to show up for the next one with a purplish belt. 

How to Dry your BJJ Belt?

As for washing the BJJ belt, you have two ways to go about drying it. You can do it in the dryer or just hang dry it. Each method has its own advantages as well as drawbacks.

The easiest way to dry your BJJ belt is to hang it out on a clothesline. That way you let nature and the sun to take their course, blow the moisture out of the belt and leave it dry and crisp. This works better for white belts however more than colored ones. Just keep in mind when hanging the belt to avoid folding it near the stripes since that can make them crumble and fall.

Not everyone has enough space or sunlight to dry their clothes. In the winter months or if it rains a lot where you are, there’s no point in hanging your BJJ belt to dry. In this case, the dryer is a better option. The dryer doesn’t make your belt stiff. However, it does have the risk of separating the stripes from the belt. 

For a combative sport that involves two players facing each other from a standing position, a stance is of paramount importance. If you don’t pay attention to your stance in BJJ, you won’t be able to get the position or technique right. 

How you stand, where your feet are pointed, how is your body weight distributed and the position of your body are all important factors to consider. That’s what stance in BJJ is all about. It gets you to a good start and gives you the kind of momentum you need to execute your technique and bring the competition to the conclusion you desire with a submission.

Ironically, stance is one of the least covered and talked about aspects of BJJ. Despite its importance, you won’t find much information about it. Your teacher will touch on it in passing and assume you get the point without much elaboration. But as we all know, not everyone has the ability to grasp concepts intuitively. So we put together this post about stance in BJJ.

Stance in BJJ

Since takedowns are an integral part of BJJ unlike other MMAs like Judo or Karate, this discipline pays extra attention to how you maintain your balance from a starting position and how you distribute your body weight. The last thing you’d want is for your opponent to catch you on the wrong foot or take advantage of your lack of balance.

Hence, the adoption of the wrestling stance. You face your opponent with your legs close to your body and your weight distribution leaning toward the front of your body rather than the back. You need your upper body muscles all alert and ready to engage. Grappling is as we know the heart and soul of BJJ, so your arms are usually the first to take action against the opponent.

That doesn’t mean that your legs stand around idly, if you get my drift. Far from it. While your arms are out and your hands are itching to get a hold of your rival’s Gi and grapple with them, your thighs have a role to play. Your feet are apart at shoulder distance and your knees are bent and relaxed. You don’t want to be tense or have stiff knees. That makes it easier for the opponent to take you off your feet.

Your eyes are on the opponent. Your peripheral vision engulfs the rival’s limbs but you’re really focussed on their arms. Your foot work matches that of a fencer. As the opponent moves, you move as well. If they come at you, you counter with your defense. You’re watching for a flaw in their stance to launch your offense. Of course, they are doing the same as well. 

From the first moment, your stance says a lot about you. If you get it right, your opponent will find it hard to penetrate your armor. If your stance needs working on, this makes the rival’s job much easier. BJJ stance can work either for or against you.

When you’re on the offense, the right stance helps you deliver your assault with great force. When you’re defending, a good stance maintains your balance and blocks the opponent’s attacks effectively.

Why is BJJ Stance so Important?

While stance is important in all combative sports, in BJJ it has special benefits. Why? Because in BJJ both your face and crotch are not protected. And while you’re not really going to kick your opponent the way Karate players do, you still need to take into account that both those areas need to be guarded.

In Karate for example, the player’s stance focuses on the hips. That’s because they’re going to launch their attack using their legs if they need to. But in BJJ, if you’re starting from a standing position, then grappling is your go-to strategy. This is why balance is crucial both as a defense and offense mechanisms.

When we say balance, we mean how your body weight is distributed. If you lean forward too much you leave your legs and feet vulnerable to an attack. If you lean too much on your feet, your upper body loses the momentum you need to grapple and fend off a frontal assault from the opponent.

But as you know it’s not always black and white in BJJ. There are no clear cut answers. How you place your feet sometimes comes down to personal preference. Some players choose to keep both legs level. This is the wrestling stance. Others choose one leg leading forward the way Karate players do.

But stance is not just about where you place your feet. So let’s explore the different types of stances and what each one means and entails.

Open vs. Closed Stances

When you start with one leg leading, you have two options. Either the open or closed stance. The difference is in the distance between the leading leg and your other leg at the back. In general, the open stance is preferred over the closed one and you can probably see where this is going.

Remember we talked about balance and weight distribution as essential aspects of a good BJJ stance. When you keep your legs close you are not maintaining a good balance. Your stance is awkward at best. Your body weight is focused on a few points which means that a good grapple will make you at the mercy of your opponent. So you need to go with the open stance instead.

The right distance between your feet is a matter of personal choice. It depends on how tall you are and how wide your legs can open without you careening like a ship at a rough sea. Tall players can have a more open stance and this helps them cover more of the mat and look more intimidating.

But this is BJJ. So no matter what your height is, you can still achieve the right stance that correlates to your body size and give you a great advantage.

Long vs. Short Stances

While open stances refer to the distance between your legs laterally, whether you keep your legs on the same level or should you place one in front of the other is also up for debate. We already covered that when we talked about the difference between the wrestler stance and Karate stance.

So if you decide to go with the Karate stance, how far should your lead leg be from the back leg? Experts have varying opinions here as well. A long stance means your front leg is way ahead of your body. It is favored because it gives you more balance and allows you better reach as well.

But a short stance has its merits as well. It makes you more agile and alert. You can shift gear so to speak in a heartbeat and change your strategy quickly. So which one is better?

It’s a matter of choice. You can try both and go with the one that works best for you. But if you can’t make up your mind, you can just keep your feet shoulder-width apart. This one works well in most situations and gives you balance and agility at the same time. The best of both worlds.

Weighted vs. Unweighted Stances

Weight is undoubtedly what makes stances in BJJ such a debatable topic. A weighted stance throws your weight on either your upper or lower body. An unweighted stance, on the other hand, means you have your weight well proportioned between both your feet. Your weight is equally shared and supported by each foot.

Whether you go with the weighted as opposed to the unweighted stance depends on the type of stance you choose from either the wrestler or Karate types. A wrestler stance is unweighted. Your feet carry your weight in equal proportions. You have good balance and your stance allows you to go on the offensive or fend off an attack.

It’s the Karate stance that is a little more complicated. Since you got one leg forward, your weight can either go with that leg or you can choose to throw your weight on the rear leg. The first one is well suited for the offense. You have chosen to launch an assault and you need your weight in your upper body. 

The backward-weighted stance is when you’re on the defense and you need to hold your ground against an especially aggressive opponent. 

As you progress on your BJJ journey and get the basics down, your stance will develop on its own. You might choose to stick with one stance that works for you all the time. Or you might mix your stances to keep your opponent guessing and make it harder for them to read you or know your game plan.

To drill or not to drill? Many BJJ players are asking themselves this question nowadays. And they have a good reason to want to do away with drilling altogether. They see it as a boring part of their practice that involves doing the same thing over and over again. Where’s the fun in that?

Rolling is more exciting and it helps you become a stronger player and hone your skills and techniques. But how would you acquire those skills and techniques in the first place? Drilling, that’s how. So if you want to progress at a fast pace in BJJ, you’re going to need both drilling and rolling. They are the two wheels of the bicycle. Take one wheel off and you’re left with a funny but unfunctional bike.

But are they both of equal importance to your skill progression in BJJ? Or does one outweigh the other? Which one is that? Let’s explore the role that both rolling and drilling play in your journey and how to get the most out of both of them.

Should you Drill?

Absolutely. You know all those skills that you use on the mat while sparring? All those moves that get you out of a tight spot and all the techniques that you know so well? Drilling is how you got them to begin with. Just think of the first day at the academy. The very first class when you sat in a circle or a rectangle, butterflies in your stomach and awe in your heart.

Back then you didn’t know anything about BJJ. Maybe you have watched a few videos, but you had no skills to help you and you didn’t know the first thing about defense and offense techniques and positions. And look at you now, sparring against the best of them and your movement is fluid and your mastery of the basic techniques is decent. How did that happen?

This knowledge didn’t just descend on you in your sleep. You didn’t acquire it through magical powers. You spent hours learning and mastering them. That’s what drilling did to you. It’s tedious and not as fun as sparring. But it’s an essential part of your progress. That’s how you learn the concepts, techniques, and positions. And then you can put them into practice on the mat against your colleagues and classmates.

In other words, we remain students in BJJ no matter what color the belt we wear around our waist nor how many stripes we have. Ask any black belt and they’ll tell you how they learn something new every day. BJJ is a large discipline and wrapping one’s head around every aspect of it takes long years of learning and studying.

So while it’s boring to keep repeating the same technique over and over, it’s the only way to get better and learn the ins and outs of it. Some people learn with repetition, others pick it up and run with it. But both types can’t do without drilling. It’s just part of your BJJ life.

When to Call it a Day for Drilling?

With all these advantages that drilling has, there comes a time when you say enough is enough. Drilling can’t give me any more or I can’t get much more out of it. The repetition gets to you and you yearn to the excitement of sparring and mix it up with other players on a more realistic level.

And that’s the operative word. Drilling just isn’t realistic. You know that your training partner or your teacher isn’t giving it their all. The goal is not to get you to submit, but to teach you a certain technique. And for the sake of learning, competitiveness gets thrown out the window. And that’s one of the biggest drawbacks of drilling.

You just lose your motivation and get stuck in a rut. You’re learning new techniques, but you’re not really using them. You know how to execute, but your creativity is taking a back seat while you learn the next new position. And let’s face it, that’s not going to help you in the long run.

BJJ is a perfect balance between learning and acting. It’s more like performing arts. You need to feel it inside in order to express the emotion. And if you’re more focussed on drilling and putting tournaments and competitions on the back burner, you’re not doing yourself any favors there. You need both. So when do you know that you need to up the rolling dose and cut down on drilling?

You’ll feel it inside of you. That urge to do something different. Like a revving engine that urges you to release the brakes so that it roars forward, you’ll feel that energy surging. If your teacher doesn’t nudge you toward taking part in a tournament, your teammates will. And once you get a taste of what sparring is in an official capacity and what it feels like, there’s no turning back.

Why Rolling Matters?

To answer this question we need to get down to the brass tacks. What is BJJ all about? It’s a self-defense system, right? What that implies is, you’re being under assault. Your enemy looks for your soft spot and hits you hard. You need to get in the same fighting spirit if you want to come out victorious. You’re not trying to hurt the opponent, mind you, you’re just trying to control their movement and get them to submit.

The underlying tone here is the competitive spirit. You won’t get that from drilling no matter how many hours, days, months, or years you practice. Competitiveness comes from competitions. It’s right there in the name. And sparring is what instills that spirit or rather wakes it up in you. Whether you’re facing a mugger in the street or an opponent on the mat, your fighting spirit is what will see you through the ordeal.

It’s not a given. It doesn’t come nicely packaged and delivered right to your door. It’s something you need to work on, cultivate, and nourish. And live sparring is the best way to get there. This is why there are BJJ tournaments in the first place. Unlike other martial arts such as Karate, BJJ tournaments are all about sparring. You don’t see a single player executing techniques solo and getting awards for it. To defend yourself against danger, you have to put yourself in the way of danger many times. And a competition is the right way. 

So how do you get prepared for a live tournament? Rolling is the answer. You might get good mileage out of drilling, but rolling is the rehearsal before the grand opening. Sometimes rolling can be the soft opening as well. When adrenaline starts pumping and you feel every fiber in your body rising to the occasion. This is your mind calling on your body to give it all it got. That’s the fighting spirit rising and taking over.

Striking a Good Balance between Drilling and Rolling

We already established that you need both drilling and sparring to become a better BJJ player. But sometimes it’s hard to draw a line or strike a balance between them. So when is it a good time to give drilling a break and engage in more sparring? 

While sparring is a wonderful thing, it comes at a price. The risk of injury is higher during rolling than during drilling. Your teacher will not harm you and keeps a watchful eye on your movement to ensure you get the position right without injuring yourself or your mates. But when you’re sparring it’s a different ball game. All caution is thrown to the winds and what matters to you is to force your opponent to submit or pass the guard.

It’s common knowledge that tempers heat up during sparring and cascading testosterone might escalate and turn a friendly rolling session into a fight. That’s not what you’re there for and nobody wants that. But it happens. If that happens to you, maybe it’s time to go back to drilling more. 

In general, your first few years in BJJ will be marked by more drilling than rolling. That’s the normal order of things. You need to learn the technique from your teacher before you can use it against an opponent. As you climb your way past the blue belt, that’s when rolling starts to occupy more of your time and attention.

By the time you’ve earned your purple belt, you’ll realize that rolling has a lot to thank for. Your progress becomes faster as you spend more time sparring than drilling. Mind you, the lines blur sometimes between the two. You might step onto the mat for a sparring session only to realize that you actually needed to try out a variation for a certain technique. It’s all good in the world of BJJ.

Both karate and BJJ are self-defense systems whose origins come from Japan. But that’s as far as the similarities go. From uniform to rules and ranking systems, the divide between both sports couldn’t be any wider.

Karate is more focused on punching, kicking, and using elbows and knees, BJJ is mostly about grappling and controlling the movement of the opponent. But that’s not the only difference. Even the ranking system varies widely. While BJJ has only 5 belts, karate has 8 belts and keeps progressing after the black belt with degrees or dans. 

Each sport has its advantages and disadvantages. Based on your goal, you might choose one of them over the other. This article helps you make the right decision and join the system you feel is more relatable or helps you achieve your goals. 

Origins

While BJJ is a relatively new sport that was developed a little over a hundred years ago in Brazil, most of its rules and philosophy are built upon Judo. When Mitsuyo Maeda traveled to Brazil to introduce that ancient discipline to Latin America, little did he know that he would inadvertently help establish a new sport. The Brazilians absorbed the new system and created BJJ out of it.

The Gracie brothers are credited for developing that new sport. One of the brothers, Helio, was too short to perform all the Judo techniques and resorted to developing a parallel system that didn’t require the player to have an athletic body type to perform it well. So in a way BJJ is a sport that lets people of all sizes defend themselves against aggressors who outweigh them.

Karate is a much older system. It’s also a self-defense discipline that allows the practitioner to fight off an opponent who might or might not be armed. In the 17th century, the Japanese government banned weapons including swords and knives. So karate, which means “empty hands” was the response to that ban.

Karate was influenced by Kenpo, a Chinese discipline that was introduced to Japan when some Chinese families migrated there. Whatever the origins of karate are, one thing is for sure, it took a long time to evolve and become the sport we know it today. 

Modern karate has a lot to thank Itoso Anko for. He’s the grandfather of karate who helped shape it and even introduce it into Japanese schools. Many variations of the sport sprouted all over Japan including Goju, Wado, and Shito systems. 

Ranking System

Your progress throughout either sport is marked by belts with different colors. While they both start with a white belt the ranking system in Karate is more complex. Both BJJ and Karate use a black belt to signify the ultimate pinnacle of the belt system, although Karate still offers more progress markers, called dans, even after a player has earned their black belt.

Karate follows a rather more rigorous path for its practitioners to earn their belts, get promoted, and level up. For adults in the sport, there are 8 belts to be won. They start from white and progress to yellow, orange, green, purple, blue, and brown before the players reach the black stage of their journey.

But black isn’t the end of the road for Karate players. There are degrees to black belts that players progress through. These degrees are known as dans and the more dans a player earns the better their status in Karate is. To get promoted in Karate, a test is provided which the player or student has to ace much like in the educational systems worldwide.

As for BJJ, it’s a different story not much in the belt system but also in how belts are awarded to students who merit a promotion. In BJJ, there are only 5 belts to go through. They are white, blue, purple, brown, and finally black. It takes on average about 2 years to make it to the next belt which puts the journey of the player in BJJ to roughly about 10 years in total. It’s the same story in Karate.

But unlike Karate with its well-defined testing rules, BJJ is more laid back as far as promotions are concerned. Some academies have tests in place, but many just leave that step to the discretion of the teacher. If the teacher is satisfied with the progress of the student, they might award them the promotion at the end of the class. It’s as simple as that. 

Rules

For two sports that originated at different times and for different purposes, you can expect the rules to be distinct and unique for each discipline. So let’s talk about BJJ and its competition rules first.

BJJ is a point-based system much like Judo. The goal of the competition is to secure a submission. The competition has a time limit which grows smaller as the player levels up. In general, a takedown, knee on belly, or sweep earns the player 2 points, a guard pass is valued at 3 points, and a mount is a top scorer with 4 points. 

Under this point-system, only a limited number of submissions are allowed. However, there’s another type of BJJ competition that is submission-based. This one allows all types of submissions and points don’t matter.

While Karate is also a point-based system, you earn your points for a different type of fighting. Rather than securing a submission or controlling the opponent you straight out punch or kick them. Some of the points you earn are for Jodan kicks, Chudan kicks, and punches to the seven areas that we’ll get into more detail below.

Not all Karate competitions are about full body contact. Some are meant to show the player’s skills and techniques in a solo session. These types of competitions test the player based on their athletic performance in areas such as speed, balance, and strength. They also check their technical side of their game including timing, breathing, stance, and transition.

Fight Techniques

We already touched on the fighting differences between the two sports in passing. So let’s elaborate and detail the differences a little bit more. 

In BJJ the focus is on grappling. While the Japanese Jiu-Jitsu allows some form of striking the opponent, BJJ is purely a non-striking sport. Remember, that BJJ was developed to allow people of small size to take down opponents much larger than them. So in this sense, trying to strike a bigger opponent is both futile and leaves one vulnerable to a counterattack. 

This is why BJJ teaches one about choke-holds, takedowns, and joint locks. These three areas are what you’ll be spending most of your time learning about and mastering. BJJ is about grappling and controlling the movement of the opponent using one’s body weight. This is more effective when there’s a big size or weight disparity between the opponents.

In Karate, it’s a totally different story. As we said, Karate was the response to the weapons ban in Japan. It’s essentially a fighting discipline, where you try to take down your opponent by striking or punching their body. The golden rule here is that you need to aim for the upper part of the opponent’s body. This includes their face and torso. 

Kicks and punches are taught at Karate classes. And using your elbows and knees to strike down the opponent is not only allowed but embraced with enthusiasm. The force of your strike can tip the balance of power in your favor even if your opponent is a lot heavier than you or has a much bulkier frame.

Gear

In BJJ you step on the mat with nothing but your Gi and belt on. You rely on your skills and techniques to see you through the competition. But Karate is a little different. You still have to wear your Gi and belt during a tournament or in class, but some weapons, such as the famous bo, are allowed. 

The Karate Gi is also different from the BJJ Gi. For one thing, in Karate, your Gi is always white, loose, and made of light material. It’s designed to give you plenty of room to perform your kicks and punches without coming in the way of your movement. 

BJJ is a little different. The Gi can be of different colors but it has to be made of sturdy fabric. It needs to withstand all the grappling and pulling that the sport is famous for. Without the need to kick someone or raise your feet to the opponent’s face level, your Gi doesn’t have to be loose. Durability is the main feature of the BJJ Gi.

Both BJJ and Karate are popular sports that have their followers worldwide. While Karate is an older and a well-established discipline than BJJ, the latter is taking wide strides in conquering the hearts and minds of MMA practitioners everywhere.

The color ranking system in BJJ was set to chart the path of progress for practitioners. It’s not meant to be an end in and of itself. Each color has its own merits and responsibilities. But among all the belts, the purple belt stands out as a major milestone in your BJJ journey.

Purple is the color of coming into your own as a BJJ player. It’s the coming of age for everyone serious about their practice. You start to develop your sense of identity and style. This is the time when it all starts to make sense and instead of following instructions blindly, you begin to develop your own style.

So how does your path to the purple belt look like? And what do you need to work on as a purple belt? This article answers these and other questions.

Getting to Purple

You come to purple from blue. Your years wearing the blue belt have been spent learning about the basics of BJJ. You now know the main positions by heart. You’re familiar with a few variations to some of these basic techniques. And you have seen and been part to more than a few competitions.

Of course, getting to purple hasn’t been easy. Not only did you need to detect the patterns, but also connect the movements and know which technique can get you in trouble if you don’t pay attention to the opponent’s intentions. It’s more of anticipating their moves and acting accordingly. That’s when a blue belt starts to get into the mentality of a purple belt.

You also lose some of your tendency to be overly aggressive on the mat. You learn that BJJ at its heart is a self-defense discipline not one meant to be cracking skulls and crushing bones. So you develop the habit of watching and opponent and countering their moves. With practice it becomes automatic.

When you see the connections and patterns that signifies a shift in your thinking and development. You’re no longer looking at the positions in isolation. You can see the patterns and get insights, albeit insignificant ones at this stage, into the techniques. This budding conceptual thinking is what sets you up to be promoted.

Your teacher notices these improvements and they consider you for promotion. It’s when you show initiative learning about combos and set ups that finally awards you the coveted purple belt.

Coming into your Own

Purple means moving horizontally and vertically at varying speeds and paces. By horizontally I mean you’re covering a lot of ground in the technique department. It’s fair to say that the time you spend wearing purple will be used to learn about all the techniques that you’ll be using by the time you earn your black belt. 

You don’t limit yourself to just a few guards or positions that you have mastered. You get the urge to get out of your comfort zone and explore other positions that you haven’t considered so far. If for example you have found the butterfly guard not to your liking, you decide to give it another try. If the top positions used to give you a shudder, being a purple belt means you put away your fears and experiment with them.

And then there’s the vertical dive. You expand your horizons and learn to focus on movement. The transition between moves is just as important as getting the technique right. The fluid movement is what sets a mature player from a novice. And the player learns a lot sparring against blue and even white belts. It’s no longer about the outcome, but honing the skills and mastering each move and technique.

As a blue belt, you learned to connect moves and create a combo. Now you learn to pay attention to your rhythm. This is harder than many people think and the best way to learn it is to work with inexperienced students. That’s right. Being a purple belt means you take your first steps in the vast world of teaching other students.

Teaching as a Way to Learn

The best way to separate facts from fiction about a topic is to explain it to someone who doesn’t know anything about it. Assuming the role of a teacher or a mentor is a great responsibility. But its rewards for the teacher are immense. This is why purple belts are encouraged to become teachers. It’s an opportunity to look at the other side of the equation.

Naturally it’s not an easy step to switch roles and start flanking questions from curious beginners and answering with authority. It’s not a role for everyone. And many purple belts balk when they think about it. But it’s an important part of their journey and every player is encouraged to take part.

When you teach a technique or a move, and you watch a beginner get it wrong so many times, it dawns on you that moves are not separate. On their own they don’t lead to much. The real power of the move is in connection to what led to it and what comes after. Every move is like a single link in a chain. And if a chain is as strong as its weakest link, your technique is only as good as the worst move.

Teaching also is the gateway to great insights. Your brain shifts from a receptive mode to assuming a more proactive role where you examine and analyze rather than accept information as it is. This important step is necessary if you are to find your own identity in BJJ. This is the time when it all starts to make sense and you get an idea of what it means to be a BJJ practitioner. It’s not just a few techniques you learn, it’s way more than that.

More Competitions

If teaching beginners isn’t just your cup of tea, then try sparring with white belts. This mismatched competition isn’t for you to show off your skills and act all macho. It’s for you to discover the flaws in your style and help you shed the mentality of the student.

Learning from a teacher has its advantages, but just like watching too much TV, it puts you in a passive mode. Yes, you’re learning and practicing, but your brain is programmed to receive. You’re not in the driver’s seat. You’re sitting comfortably in a back seat and trusting the driver, your teacher, to deliver you safely to your destination.

You need to set that aside and take control for a change. You do that by sparring with low levels. You watch them make mistakes and you realize that maybe there’s another way to approach this top position. It’s also a great opportunity to try out those techniques and guards you’re not comfortable with. 

This all leads to getting into more competitions. By now you have enough knowledge to fill multiple books. But it’s the mat that is the real test of your skills. There’s also something about the competitive spirit that taking part in a tournament brings to the table. A tournament is a whole different game than a friendly competition or a training session with your buddies.

Competition brings out the real spirit of BJJ in the player. You dig deep and sometimes you surprise even yourself when you execute a movement with great skill. You’re not following the cue of a teacher. Out on the competition mat, it’s just you against the opponent. And sometimes it’s you against yourself. BJJ is a mental discipline before anything else.

Keep Learning

In BJJ, we remain students no matter what belt color we wear around our waist. And even though you have covered all the techniques you could possibly encounter and a few that you’ll probably never use, there’s still a lot to learn. And the path to learning isn’t limited to classes.

Someone once said that to get really good at BJJ you need to breathe BJJ. This means it becomes part of your life. You dedicate as much time to it as you can afford to spare. If you can go to classes every day, do so. It will make your progress even faster.

Youtube videos become part of your learning process. This is why we always include videos here to stress a point or show in more detail a complex technique. As a purple belt, you’ll be spending more time watching videos teaching you about various techniques and how to execute them elegantly. 

It always pays to watch the masters at work. And instructional videos are the best teachers. You can rewind and rewatch them many times over to get the subtle nuances of the move. Unlike a teacher at a class, you have thousands of videos available to you any time of the day or night who will answer your every question and patiently elaborate and detail the answers.

To be a purple belt means your path the black belt is well charted and clear in your mind. You’re in charge of your path and you’re on your way to achieve your goals.