When you are a white belt you dream to finally change the color of the belt and get a blue one. You can even say that it is one of the most, if not the most wanted color of the belt. After all, nobody likes to be a beginner. Unfortunately, achieving this dream belt does not always turn out to be as great as we would like. It is because being a blue belt can sometimes be a tough nut to crack. And that is why this guide was created. With the tips gathered here, you’ll survive this step in your BJJ career and successfully spend your time as a blue belt.
Nobody wants to be a beginner. On the other hand, we like to get promotions, achieve something, etc. Not surprisingly, becoming the blue belt is quickly becoming the goal of all white belts. This is also quite a realistic goal as a blue belt is relatively easy and fast to get. You will spend less time on this color than on the others. It is often enough that the trainer sees that you get what is going on around you and he or she quickly rewards you with a blue belt promotion. And even if you don’t get the belt faster, the normal perspective of about 2 years, to get the desired blue is not so bad. Most people have enough enthusiasm for this. The real problems start when we get this belt. Survival on the white belt seems nothing compared to what awaits the blue belt.
Blue belt survival guide and tips
Clash with reality
At first, you may think being a white belt was hard. But after some time you started to get hold of it and things started moving forward. You just made great progress in a short time. And you were doing so well that you quickly got a blue belt. But then you collide with reality. For some reason, everything gets more difficult, after changing the color of the belt. You start to feel stagnant in your progress etc. You are just in this strange state in between, supposedly no longer beginner but not yet advanced. It all contributes to the deterioration of your mental state as a BJJ practitioner. You start to feel that maybe jiu jitsu isn’t for you. And when you are starting to feel this way, the most important thing to understand is that it is only a temporary state and you must not succumb to such negative thinking.
It’s not like you suddenly stop developing in the blue belt. You are still developing, your progress just calms down and slows down. It simply stabilizes after that sudden leap in growth in the white belt. This is normal and does not mean that you are not suitable for BJJ. However, you can’t just do nothing about it either. As a white belt, learning was quite easy, everything was new and you were learning all the time. As a blue belt, if you still want to progress, you need to put more effort into learning. You need to listen to the trainer even more carefully, pay more attention to all techniques, etc. Focusing on improving your BJJ game will allow you to overcome this bad mindset and see again that jiu jitsu is for you.
Blue belts on the spotlight
Many eyes are on you when you have a blue belt. It is this color of the belt that draws the greatest attention during springs. It is because blue belts are not beginners anymore, but at the same time, they are still not a challenge to the higher belts. Thanks to that, they are a tasty morsel for higher belts as sparring partners on which they can practice something. On the other hand, they are also attractive as a challenge to ambitious white belts. It can therefore be said that the opponents are lurking for blue belts from all sides.
With so many opponents interested in you, especially with such an attitude they have, failures are inevitable. And such frequent failures are psychologically burdensome. However, losing is part of the learning process. You cannot get carried away with your pride and focus only on not losing at all costs or trying to win at the cost of an injury. You have to accept failures and learn from them. Thanks to the attacks of others, you will learn to defend yourself better and you will know how to attack others. Rolling should therefore be another learning time for you. To learn something, especially use fights with higher belts. Ask them after the roll about the techniques they used and ask for advice.
Being in the spotlight is not only a mental burden but also a physical one. Rather, someone will always be interested in sparring with you, usually, during training, you will not rest for a single round. Also while rolling, no one will go easy on you anymore. A lot of physical effort is therefore waiting for you as a blue belt. So that it does not overwhelm you and ends with an injury, you need to take care of your condition. You’ve reached the blue belt, so you’ve decided to dedicate yourself to BJJ, don’t miss it by the fact that you don’t want to warm up or stretch a little.
Blue belt blues
Being a blue belt is one of the toughest times in your BJJ adventure. Both physically and mentally. And as if that was not enough, it is also usually the color of the belt on which we spend the most time. All of the above factors contribute to the fact that it is in the blue belt that most people quit BJJ. Mental and physical hardships increase and enthusiasm decreases. When thoughts of giving up jiu jitsu arise, it’s worth realizing that the blue belt curse affects most of the BJJ practitioners. Virtually everyone has such thoughts at some point, even the best ones.
If blue belt blues appears, it is worth setting clear goals and trying to achieve them. It is not worth worrying about the color of the belt and how long you are on it, but it is worth thinking about which technique you want to improve or what is not working in your BJJ game and how you can change it. It is also worth sharing your thoughts about resignation with others, thanks to which you will see that you are not alone and it will be easier for you. Your training partners will become a specific support group for you.
Don’t forget, it is worth it
Being a blue belt is tough. Often during training, it will be hard for you. However, it is not something you will not survive. Everyone can have a worse time, but these bad moments pass faster than we think. You just have to face them and keep going no matter what. After all, you are a fighter. And BJJ is a great sport that is really worth all that hard work.
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