The Meaning of the Blue Belt in BJJ
You finally got your blue belt, now what?!
4 Meanings of the Blue belt in BJJ
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is one of the greatest accomplishments a person can make in their life. If you are one of these people, congratulations! Getting a blue belt in BJJ is one of the hardest things a person can achieve because it taker a lot of physical and mental toughness to endure the losses, make sense of the positional strategies and techniques plus live your regular life. I truly applaud you.
Adisa Banjoko is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and teacher of BJJ, meditation and chess. Photo Credit: Tom Paterson
Rener Gracie was once on a podcast and he asked a guy “If the person you were BEFORE you took jiu-jitsu had to fight the person you were after 6 months of BJJ who would win”? The guy was like “It would be no contest. The 6 month me would kill the guy I was before.” The question sent my mind into a huge philosophical tailspin.
My mind immediately heard the whispers of popular author Jordan Peterson, who once said “You should be a monster. An absolute monster. And then you should learn to control it.”
So the bigger question becomes, if an art like Brazilian Jiu-jitsu can make you a monster in 6 months, but you develop your mental and emotional self at a glacial pace (if at all) how can the world be a better place through your training? I knew some pretty dangerous cats at blue belt who were suped up on self and ended up in jail, doing time. Will you be like them? Or, will you make a deliberate effort to elevate your mental and emotional self ? You should challenge yourself to mirror philosophically what you are becoming physically.
Adisa Banjoko explains that jiu-jitsu is a living martial art. This makes it very different from traditional martial arts.
I knew a young man who got a blue belt and I asked him how he felt after he got it. He said “I feel like a man” and I understood that (from a physical safety perspective). But what should the mind of a blue belt think like? What should the mind of a purple, brown or black belt think like?
In short, you got work to do on yourself away from the mats. In fact, those who can elevate their minds away from the mats are most likely to grow the most form their continued training. The reason is that without it, your training only becomes a win loss roster. If the only thing you got from your experiences on the mats were “I beat them, but those to those folks over there” you failed jiu-jitsu.
The 3 books I recommend for all new blue belts are
- 5 Rules for Every White Belt, Chris Matakas (all belts should read this)
- The Art of Peace, Morihei Ueshiba (very short quick read, but very heavy)
- Becoming the Black Belt, Roy Dean
Now let’s take a look at 5 things the belt around your waist means:
- You have received enough technical wisdom to now learn BJJ. Until you get past white belt, you can’t really learn BJJ. Because you don’t even understand it.
2. You are cultivating the skill to be dangerous and with that responsibilities arrive for anger management, and who you are as a person.
3. It means despite all you know, you are NOT an MMA fighter. Stay humble and open minded to everything else the path requires.
4. There is much to learn on the journey. There are many above you, beside you and below your rank with so much to teach. Be consistent in seeking wisdom from all ranks.
5. You will keep getting tapped out. Many quit after getting a blue belt because they think they are invincible. That is not the case. You will keep feeling the pressure. The path gets harder as you keep walking. It is your job to rise through the roughness- just like you did before.
Congratulations. Keep walking the path.
Adisa Banjoko is a black belt in BJJ and founder of 64 Blocks, LLC. He just launched a new ONLINE Resilient Men’s Group (join today). Adisa has spoken at Harvard University, The World Chess Hall of Fame and Zaytuna College on the topics pertaining to chess, martial arts and philosophy.
