From the white belt to the blue in BJJ: how to thrive after promotion

There is a very particular sound in a bjj gym when someone is promoted. It is a mix of hands applauds, teammates with teammates and that unmistakable slap of a belt that is whipped on the back. You have just been delivered the blue belt and for a moment it is pure pride.

But after the photos have been taken and the congratulatory patrols are dissolved, reality begins. The truth is that this subsequent phase of your travel bjj seems different. Sometimes, at different discomfort.

The strange phenomenon of blue belt blue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3mp03Yrnkk

You would think that being promoted would make people more motivated than ever, but often the opposite happens. A surprising number of practitioners vanishes within one year from hitting the blue belt. It is so common that there is also a name for this: the “Blue Blue Blues”.

Why? Some reasons tend to appear again and again:

• The honeymoon is over: Bjj’s first year or two seem to be costs. For the blue belt, progress slows down and the plateaus move away.
• No more free steps: At the white belt, everyone forgives the sloppy escapes or the missed swept. At Blue Belt, people expect you to “know better”, which may seem an extra pressure.
• Life puts itself in the middle: Promotions take years to earn. When you get there, work programs, accidents or family priorities could crowd the training time.
• The false goal: Some people unconsciously treat the blue belt as the final goal, and once they arrive there, stop presenting themselves.

And then there is the mental part that nobody really talks about.

The insecurities that nobody warned you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6qfiyqyopa

Many new blue belts quietly bring the same thoughts:

• “I’m not good enough for this belt.” Rolls with hard white belts and still capture you. The highest belts manage you easily. The annoying feeling that your coach has made a mistake can eat you.
• “Now I have to win.” The moment you train that blue belt, you want to lose a white belt “it will seem badly”. Suddenly, the rolling looks more like more assessments than training than training.
• “People are shooting me.” And honestly … some are. Competitive white belts see you as their next challenge. They will push the rhythm and you will hear it.
• “Why do I feel stuck?” At the white belt, any improvement seems enormous. At Blue Belt, you start to notice the gaps in the game more than your progress.

It’s normal. In fact, it is a sign that you are in the middle of real learning.

Moving from survival mode to the construction of the game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvysg7oyvd4

The white belt consists in remaining afloat, learning the basic defenses, avoid sending and understanding how to breathe under pressure. The blue belt is different. It is time to start building.

Think about your game like a house. At the white belt, you poured the concrete bases. Now, you are framing the walls, adding rooms, deciding where the kitchen goes. This means:

• Deepening the reference moves rather than collecting random techniques.
• Attackers with chain together so that a failed attempt flows in the next.
• Test your game against different types of body and styles, not just your “safe” training partners.

Lose the need to “always win”

Here is the point: the fastest way to block the blue belt is to protect your ego at all costs. If you only get safe, attack only when you are sure it will work or avoid the highest belts to dodge the losses, you are limiting your growth.

Use this phase to experiment. Try the techniques you are bad for. Start from negative positions. Also let your training partners work on you only so you can refine your escapes.

The more you focus on learning instead of “winning” in the gym, faster you will develop the skill set of a purple belt.

Guarding the drop-off

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3xtebr-vse

It is almost subtle as it happens. You start skipping a lesson here, a week there. In a short time, you have completely lost your momentum. The simpler safeguard? Keep the same program (or more) that brought you to blue.

In addition, and this might seem to be contraintial, sign up for something. A tournament, a seminar, even a team trip to another gym. Having events on the calendar forces you to continue.

Find new fuel for fire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f-utcjntio

The belt around life is just a cloth. What matters is what you do with it. Some ideas to get hungry:

• Specialized in a guard or a style of passage and becomes known for this.
• I take on a tutoring role with the most recent students. Explain the bases refined yours.
• Challenge yourself with no-gi if you have been mostly Gi (or vice versa).
• Track your shots in a notebook or app so you can actually see your progress for months.

The long game mentality

The white jump to blue is only the first big step. Purple, Brown and Black are still much later. It is not a race, it is a long apprenticeship.

You will have months in which you feel unstoppable and months in which you wonder why you worry. Both are part of the agreement. The key is simple: don’t stop.

Each black belt that you have ever seen on the mats? Once they were a blue belt that continued to present themselves in the days when they had not wanted it.

Conclusion

You have not been promoted because you are perfect. You have been promoted because your coach sees your potential. The belt is a reminder of where you are heading, not where you are done.

So bind it, keep your head down and keep rolling. The best part of your BJJ trip is still ahead.

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