BJJ blue belt neccesities

**technomarine_888** · 10-29-2006, 09:30 PM

Murilo Ninja --- sup bro? do u have any idea how can i expedite my progress to become a BJJ blue belt.. aside from training hard... tnx bro!..

**zimmy** · 10-29-2006, 11:21 PM

lol even though this wasn't directed towards me...

How many stripes do ya got? Most white belts problem is that they use entirely too much force. The see an oppurtunity to "submit" and try to force it. Most instructors want to see you flow and try to go for more moves that you aren't as comfortable with rather than force moves that you know well that aren't really there. Also ... whatever positions you aren't as good at ... try to get yourself there as often as possible. For instants as a big guy ...as a white belt... i had trouble on my back because i always forced people to be on the bottom. I started pulling guard and just starting on my back and got much better at it.

Most schools also put emphesis on tournaments whether they admit it or not. Gotta compete.

But most of all , try to forget about it....you keep placing emphesis on that belt and the stupid color / stripe(s) on it, you're gonna get yourself in a mental rut.

Member the bjj mantra... position before submission.

P.S. THese are just my opinion... i've only been blue for a year so Murilo will probably give ya the advise you actually wanted.

**sooners04** · 10-30-2006, 12:57 AM

I agree since I just started it. I can see myself working the basics for months and just become really comfortable with them. The belt stature sounds nice but in reality its how good you are with the techniques that count.

**technomarine_888** · 10-30-2006, 02:43 AM

zimmy thanks!..

**sonar1234** · 10-30-2006, 02:28 PM

Damn crappy town where i live dont have any Jiu Jitsu class available.

Looks to be so much fun

**technomarine_888** · 10-30-2006, 08:09 PM

sonar1234 = oh yeah!... very very cool sport...

**technomarine_888** · 10-30-2006, 08:10 PM

zimmy got any ym's? im looking for a checklist or syllabus that has moves that marks a blue belt.

**Panzerfaust** · 10-30-2006, 09:49 PM

Good answers guy's..

What i would want to see in a Blue Belt is decent hip movement (not staying flat) and the ability to start putting combo's together (IE: Triangle to armbar and vice versa, being able to flow from one sub to another). Should be able to perform all rolls and break falls without any problem. And of course most important being able to explain why a certain move is performed instead of another (IE: In the clinch why would you perform a sitdown throw, when the person is pushing into you or moving away?)

This is the kind of scrutiny i was under anyway.

**xpijeonx** · 10-30-2006, 11:17 PM

I belong to a Flavio Behring school.

Although I am not a blue belt I have watched the things that occur before Master Flavio comes the his semi-annual clinic. I do not know specifically what our professor looks for completely. I do know that they have to know the progressive guard (this may be a Behring Jiujitsu thing though, I was told Flavio was responsible for creating this) and also some farily basic Jiujitsu self-defense techniques, throws, blocking strikes etc.

I have been there before two seminars and these are things we go over for a few weeks before he comes.

I do not really know haha, but I thought I would throw my 2 cents in.

Oh and I have not seen our professor give out any belts without Master Flavio there (not that it hasnt hapened though). I think it has to do with some ceremonial things, nothing major but I guess being able to share the experience with a larger group. We also do an initiation of sorts, the people who are given new belts have to walk though the middle of people who have higher ranked belts, so the more the merrier?

**zimmy** · 10-30-2006, 11:33 PM

Originally Posted by muriloninja

Good answers guy's..

What i would want to see in a Blue Belt is decent hip movement (not staying flat) and the ability to start putting combo's together (IE: Triangle to armbar and vice versa, being able to flow from one sub to another). Should be able to perform all rolls and break falls without any problem. And of course most important being able to explain why a certain move is performed instead of another (IE: In the clinch why would you perform a sitdown throw, when the person is pushing into you or moving away?)

This is the kind of scrutiny i was under anyway.

same ...exept the explanation part :P

**zimmy** · 10-30-2006, 11:34 PM

Originally Posted by technomarine_888

zimmy got any ym's? im looking for a checklist or syllabus that has moves that marks a blue belt.

naw... no offense man.. but if it's a bjj school... then hopefully they don't have a syllabus or anything like that. That stuff is more for tae kwan do and the other "arts" not for bjj

I think machado's book has a syllabus...but it's at work

**technomarine_888** · 12-29-2006, 01:44 AM

Any more updates.. been training for quite a while now.. im getting scratched, mat burn and freaking bloody knees.. I want my blue!

**Panzerfaust** · 12-29-2006, 03:06 AM

Originally Posted by technomarine_888

Any more updates.. been training for quite a while now.. im getting scratched, mat burn and freaking bloody knees.. I want my blue!

Want a blue belt...earn it!

**zimmy** · 12-29-2006, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by technomarine_888

Any more updates.. been training for quite a while now.. im getting scratched, mat burn and freaking bloody knees.. I want my blue!

telling you man...stop thinking about it in terms of reward. The belts are good to get. But don't get stuck on them. I can tell you right off... if your knees are bloody...you are doing something wrong if you are on a matt. Even shooting you shoudln't be put that much friction on the knee. And if you are having that problem as well as alot of matt burn, it sounds like you are going alot of strength and alot of power ...which usually means not much technique. You can't look at it in terms of which moves you need to know to get blue...blue / purple know about the same moves , the difference is the smoothness and the setup. Just like muril said. For instants today I tried to get a triangle... he postured up, so i went to an arm bar, he backed up and left his arm so i went for an oma plata. Gotta see that coming so you can flow smoothly ... plan it out in your head.

Also...if your knees are soar... you spend alot of time there (no pun intended). Means your back game is probably weak. You need to spar less win / lose minded and think of it more as an oppurtunity to train on bad situations. Let someone put you in a triangle...pass half a$$ so you can see what happens...how to escape... correct the little mistakes. It's the little things that seperate a white from a blue / purple.

Best i can help... which this and muril, that is as good as it gets as far as helping. Try flowing wiht your partner instead of spar'ing. FLowing is a term my school uses for just going to position to position. No one trying to "win". Some one gets a hold of something they let it go after a second just to show the other person what they had. That is how you get the smoothness.

You have to stop being so obsessed with the belt or you won't last.white to blue is the SHORTEST wait ever. average black belt is 10 years man. 10 years 5 belts. Do the math. Sure you can find schools that go faster...give out blue / purple real fast or to people who only do mma...but they suffer in tournaments.

**sooners04** · 01-01-2007, 06:28 PM

I think competing is the biggest key. You have to be able to show your instructor that you can effectively use the techniques in a fight type situation. We have a white belt that just competed and won and now our instructor is sending the tape to Rodrigo Vaghi to see if he is worth of his blue or not.

***Billy_Bathgate*** · 01-01-2007, 06:38 PM

I got my blue after about 18mo of training. I have not competed. More or less for me, it was knowing at least 3-5 subs, escapes, and sweeps from each of the major positions plus being able to handle most of the other whites and the blues below 1 stripe and being able to defend well against all the other blues.

I got mine just at random. It was one of them hey...go get a blue belt.

I knew it was coming...cause i was a 4 stripe white. The stripes I got at different times though.

**Lakedaemonian** · 01-02-2007, 01:59 AM

I gotta say I agree with pretty much everything said above, I got my blue belt within 5 months of training, and what I feel contributed most to that was my consistency(5-6x a week for the whole 5 months) and rolling with a variety of people. I noticed I got in ruts by rolling with the same people, I would get used to doing certain moves or defending certain submissions more than others. Then I focused on asking much larger guys to roll, then much smaller guys, and guys my size, that way you learn the subtle nuances of the moves as applied in different situations. Also rolling with higher level belts help, but going with guys your own level is just as important.
Hope this helped.
-Lakedaemonian

**armbar83** · 01-04-2007, 07:36 PM

someone mentioned bloody knees so i was wondering if people are getting rank without gis. i was just curious because i thought you could only get rank in bjj with a gi.

**zimmy** · 01-05-2007, 12:03 PM

yah... you should only get a belt if you train in gi but some of these new schools with lower belts teaching are giving belts away like water.

**armbar83** · 01-05-2007, 01:44 PM

not good...training with a gi makes you soo much better at no gi anyway.

**skinnyhb** · 01-05-2007, 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by armbar83

not good...training with a gi makes you soo much better at no gi anyway.

thats definately arguable. gi players can rely too much on being able to grab onto pants and sleeves, etc.

**armbar83** · 01-05-2007, 05:29 PM

i guess i should have put "imo" ive been training no gi for a few years and just recently started using a gi. ive just noticed the gi has improved my game tremendously and helped me look at rolling differently. when i take it off i can move so freely, its like jogging with weights i guess...

**Hunter** · 01-05-2007, 07:27 PM

yeah no gi and gi is very debtable. I have never rolled with a gi and since I compete in mma I dont think I should. I have all the respect in the world for people who roll with a gi.

**zimmy** · 01-05-2007, 07:56 PM

it's like my instructor says...if you can spar with a noose around your neck and not loose....then obviously ... you'd be able to not loose w/o one.

**Hunter** · 01-06-2007, 01:54 AM

Originally Posted by zimmy

it's like my instructor says...if you can spar with a noose around your neck and not loose....then obviously ... you'd be able to not loose w/o one.

I agree it does teach how to protect your neck, I just prefere it to practice like I fight and thats without a gi. I really do see your point though zimmy. I started in CSW and thats was no gi. Maybe I will take up gi now, damn you zimmy

**zimmy** · 01-06-2007, 01:56 AM

yah.. here's the thing though... if you are good at gi..you'll be pretty good at no gi... BUT.. it won't teach you how to fight... so people who go for mma...well you can't get that from wearing a gi

i do em all just to be rounded