Receiving your Brazilian Jiu Jitsu blue belt is a huge accomplishment. It is often regarded the most satisfying of promotions, outside of your black belt of course. You officially crossed over from being a newbie who didn’t know how to shrimp or what mount meant, to a respected and a committed member of the jiu jitsu community. You no longer have to stand at the end of the line and have the knowledge to defend yourself from untrained assailants on the street.
You worked your butt off to receive that blue belt…now what? First off, continue training! The biggest mistake is taking too much time off and not returning, hence, case of the missing blue belt. Too often we see the newly inaugurated blue belts simply quit after reaching the initial goal. It’s ok to take some time off, but not too much time. The longer you are away, the harder it is to come back.
Now, we will discuss what your priority focus should be as a new blue belt. Think about everything you learned during your time as a BJJ white belt. You know the basics of positions and submissions. You know how to survive and when to tap. You start to develop your own strategy. Now you have mastered the fundamentals and are intrigued by more advanced moves.
Most would think you should work on escapes but in reality you should work on survival. The longer you can survive in a match, the greater chance you have of winning. An experienced Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner will likely put you through constant danger and in compromising positions so escaping is crucial for victory.
Knowing the basic escapes as a white belt is one thing, fine tuning them so they work against higher belt opponents is another thing. Details are important here…increasing bridge height and range of motion in the hips will create stronger frames improving your timing so you will be smooth as an original Gracie. Meanwhile, work on position escapes. Your goal should be to not allow anyone to hold you in bottom mount for more than a minute, then 45 seconds, then slowly reduce the time needed to escape. This training practice can be used in all position training. When you are put in a controlling position, you have the confidence and skills to escape. The ability to adapt to different partners and situations will only help your Jiu Jitsu game grow.
Submission escapes are also very important. Starting out your rolls in bad submission situations is a great way to train. For example, they have an arm bar secured from the top position and your hands are locked together. Your goal is to stay calm, stay safe, and escape! Find those holes and create space to turn the tables.
Don’t worry, there will be a time to learn slick set ups and sneaky escapes, however you will not regret creating a strong foundation of escapes with your shiny new blue belt. These lessons will be embedded in you as the blue fades and is traded in for your purple.
Don’t be a statistic. Don’t be that student that disappears after their blue belt promotion. Keep grinding, OSSSSS!
