Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is well known for being the most difficult martial art to earn your black belt in. It takes on average about 12 years of training to receive.
This process can move faster for some people of course. It all depends on how hard you’re willing to work in the practice room and how quickly you progress with the techniques you’re taught.
What I look for in terms of a student moving up the belt ladder depends on which belt they’d be going to next. I would have higher expectations for a purple looking to go brown then a white trying to make the blue belt rank.
Let me share some of my thoughts on rank in BJJ and what most instructors look for when it comes time to consider a promotion.
Attitude is EVERYTHING
When it’s all sad and done, having the right attitude means everything. A stinky attitude won’t work if you’re planning for success on the mats.
What does having the right attitude mean exactly? I’d be happy to explain.
Show up early to class and be the last to leave the mats. Help others who’re struggling in class. Smile a lot. Always be upbeat and ready to get that work in.
You get the idea. Give it your all, make no excuses and be polite and courteous to others at all times. I know these things don’t exactly translate into mat skills but remember this:
Having the right attitude in class will make others want to help you more. The more help you receive in your training the better you get. It’s one hand washes the other really.
Moving up in belt rank has so much to do with how you act and who you are as a person. The right attitude can only speed up your black belt promotion I can tell you that!
Technical Skills
A smile only gets you so far. To climb the BJJ belt ladder you’re going to need the skills to back up your happy little smile.
If you’re a white belt looking to get promoted to blue, then it makes sense that you should be able to at least hold your own some of the blue belts in class during live rolling sessions.
Also, can you beat most or all of the other students at your current rank? By “beat” I mean do you dominate the positions or get submission holds on the same ranked students during the rolling sessions?
Also keep in mind that beating fellow teammates in practice isn’t always the whole picture. How do you do in tournaments like the NAGA?
These things all count for something. If you’re thrashing everyone in the training room then you should be next in line for a promotion.
Overall Knowledge of BJJ
How much do you really know about the art of Brazilian “Gracie” Jiu Jitsu? How many techniques do you know and understand inside and out? Can you teach these techniques to a beginner level student?
The more you know about BJJ and the better you understand all of it, the better your chances become at for promotion. You know the old saying “knowledge is power!”. Well, it is.
Time In The Game
How many years of training have you lodged in? Time in the game counts for a lot. Now that doesn’t mean just because someone’s been training for 4 years mean an automatic purple belt.
Time in and hopefully the right attitude and skills to back it up is more what I’m talking about. So many people love BJJ and they don’t care about belts at all, they roll for fun only.
That’s fine and if that’s your approach cool beans. With enough time in and mat time you should be climbing the belt ladder bit by bit.
Embrace The Training and Fun Times For Years to Come
It’s a process that takes a long time, you might as well break out a big ‘ol smile and enjoy the journey to black belt 🙂
Have fun, train, enjoy the great moments and try to block out the crappy ones. Do all that and sooner or later you’ll be sporting a brand new black belt.
When that day comes I hope it’s the same for you as it was for me. I’ll never forget that day and I still consider it my proudest life achievement. You will to.
That about covers it. If you’re ever unsure of what you need to be doing to gain rank in BJJ feel free to come back to this blog and re-read it.
Feedback like always is welcomed. Leave it below in the comments section. Oh and I’ve included some great BJJ videos to help put some pep in your step. Study up.
