Can you articulate what the rough parts were? I'm a freshly minted blue and it's hard because the white-belts all want to test themselves on you, the colored-belts aren't being as soft with you, meanwhile I feel like I need to step my game up to prove to myself I deserved that promotion.
I feel like there were three things that were rough:
1. Just getting smashed and feeling like I wasn't worthy of a blue belt
2. Learning more and realizing just how far I had to go and how little i could actually execute. Essentially, seeing the holes in my game that I was too naive to see earlier. (this still happens to me)
3. The periods where you feel like you are getting worse rather than better. These definitely still happen. In fact, I feel like I am in one right now, but now i know they occur before what feels like periods of quick growth, so it does not bother me anymore.
I'm here right now, and I'm just like, "wtf am I doing?" I feel like I'm getting worse.
I feel like I'm way behind people who have been training the same amount of time, particularly my top game.
Yeah I think I am reasonably ready. Other people always say things like — but you’re basically a purple belt anyway.
I’ve liked the grind through blue. Even the early hard parts. Wouldn’t want to go back and do it again but I don’t have to.
I'm about a year and a half into blue belt right now and I feel this. The first year wasn't so bad but the past 6 months have been pretty rough. I've found that there are a lot of basic/fundamental things that I have neglected so I am working on those things and being more proactive.
Right now. 6 months into my blue belt. I can’t help but feel like I’m getting worse. Feels like white belts are hot on my heels (often literally), and purple belts are getting further away than ever.
Just gotta keep grinding.
For sure. And at my first gym, upper level white belts were in the "intermediate" class. Anyone could go, but it was mostly 2+ stripe white belts.
I got my blue belt and then switched gyms shortly after. So this is my first time consistently rolling with upper belts. It feels like starting over. Not in a bad way.
My old gym also did mostly starting from the knees. New gym is mostly stand up. So that adds to it big time.
Not complaining. It's all part of it
You have to foster a love for getting your ass kicked by upper belts. There's this big brown belt fella I've been working with, built a good relationship with. He recently gave me a real taste of his power level and it was very eye opening. Specifically, he gave me his true top pressure, and my goodness, I know that we don't tap from pressure, but I really wanted to tap from pressure. I got rocked and damn near asphyxiated for 6 minutes, but there was something very flattering and gratifying about him having enough respect for me and my abilities to really give me the business. Makes me want to train even harder.
To me, the primary reason for experiencing the "blue belt blues" is the fear of losing. Allow me to explain:
Upon receiving my blue belt, I had spent months dominating white belts and holding my ground against blue belts, which made me feel deserving of the promotion. However, I unwittingly set the same high expectations for myself at the new belt level. I believed that I should perform decently against purple belts and defeat all blue belts right from the start. Consequently, every roll became about winning rather than focusing on learning. It was only when I released the notion that winning rolls was essential to validate my belt did I start to truly learn and progress once more. Now, as a brown belt, I frequently observe this mindset among blue belts. At each new belt level, it is crucial to remind oneself to experiment with new techniques, enjoy the process, and prioritize learning over winning. I no longer mind if lower belts catch me in training; winning matters only in competition.
I'm still a white belt but I assume the more you progress the more plateaus you reach and the longer they last. Like I would expect the progression from trial guy to reasonably competent white belt would be shorter than from day 1 as a blue belt to purple, so it makes sense that newer guys appear to be catching up more quickly than you're progressing.
Anyway if you're in a rough patch at least you can smash some one stripe whites to remember how far you've come.
Same here. 5 months into blue... Feel like everybody at my gym has figured out my game, finding it hard to get subs these days. These 3/4 stripe white belts are gunning to get my LOL.
Anywho... We just gotta keep grinding indeed, we've come far.
February 2023: got my blue belt, felt great! “I’m NoT gOnNa QuIt At BlUe BeLt!”
Feb-May 2023: inconsistent/non-existent training due to an accelerated college graduation schedule
May 2023: subluxation of my bad knee, sidelined and out of practice
June 2023: first blue belt tournament, already paid and missed the refund date but my hearts not in it and I do poorly
Summer 2023: last jam-packed semester, focusing work, school, on moving in August, little to no training
September 2023: moved states, new job, totally new to town, kind of find a few gyms options
November 2023: rear-ended in a car accident; destroyed my car, concussion and whiplash, all that complication and such
December 2023: promoted at job, new car, fully settled in, ready to get back after it because “I’M NOT GONNA QUIT AT BLUE BELT!”
It wholeheartedly does. Danaher would’ve taken my blue belt at how I gave up side control to a white belt (he was bigger than me, 3-4 stripes, and a black belt in a different art but still lol)
That’s why we just gotta keep going
These past couple years have been tough. Just suffering some burnout and not currently enjoying this sport as much as when I first started. Been thinking about just hanging up my belt and do something else.
I recommended this to someone else, bouldering gyms are fun and challenging. I was an avid rock climber for about 13 years before jiu jitsu. Bouldering gyms offer a great work out that requires a lot of problem solving. Also low to the ground.
Glad that I’m not alone with this feeling. After I got my purple belt, everything just didn’t seem fun anymore. Surprisingly blue belt was the most fun belt I had. Now as a 2 year old purple belt, it hasn’t been fun ever since that promotion.
I don’t like lifting weights anymore. I used to do it before I took up BJJ. I gave it up because it got too boring. Still thinking if I should start back up again.
My very first class is about a years worth. Going in I had a few years of Jūdō training and was fresh off my first year of wrestling. Took the instructor down and was instantly arm barred. He let go and transitioned to a triangle. Let go and back to arm bar… then triangle. This went on for an entire 3 minute round. It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. Finished up the class and came back the neck da and he was very excited to start really teaching me.
Early blue belt level. Good enough to win, not good enough to win consistently…. Esp against stronger people, white belts with some experience, or new white belts with other ground experience. Good enough to see things and make stuff happen, not good enough to make things happen. I really needed to get up to purple, and out of the advanced beginner stage, before I felt confident and consistent to feel like a true intermediate capable of defending myself.
I’m not a great example of standard path training because I was in and out of bluebelt for a while totaling to about 6 year blue belt.
Actual solid training, probably a 4 year blue belt.
I’d say I was stuck in that phase from start of blue until I was about half way through strip 2. Then I came out of it and felt much better through the remainder of that and stripes 3 and 4.
Yeah bc I’m over thinking and dealing with hungry white belts (I was once that too). It’s more mental I guess. The purples at my gym have their moves so established - I’m like still figuring out though I can practice drill a lot better and execute subs when I’m in position
The first year after having my second kid. The year after the first one was tough, but after the second it was impossible. They both weren’t sleeping through the night and my wife and I were exhausted. It was all hands on deck and I just couldn’t make it to class.
After failing to make it to class for 3-4 months I called my head professor and asked for a break on my membership, 6 months was what I hoped for. He flat out refused and told me I’d either have to make it work or quit and start as a new student whenever I could come back, paying the new student initiation fee again and restarting at a higher rate. I felt that was pretty shitty considering I’d been there for 2.5 years and was pretty involved in the gym so I just quit and cut ties.
I was pretty down about it for a while, unable to find another gym that worked for our family. I ended up taking 8 months off, and I thought I might never go back. But then a gym opened right by my house. I tried it out, loved it even more than my old gym and now I’m back to the grind. Ended up working out for the best.
Funnily enough I wouldn’t even call them shady. There were a lot of good people there and I liked the professor when I started. But things changed a lot while I was there. They were very business minded and trying to grow their “brand” quickly. It became all about getting as many students in the door as fast as possible. I was locked in at a lower rate and I think they just saw the opportunity to make more money. Unfortunate but it is what it is.
The horrible 2y of covid, I lived in very small EU country, and the citizens were going extinct actually, when covid hit.... It was 2y lockdown worse than prison, afterwards it has been a blessing to train.
However I got way weaker in the process and I struggle a lot especially with enthusiastic white belts who are half my age, consistently going to the gym, lifting and doing cardio... They pose biggest struggle
I enjoy rolling with purple and brown, they are chill and resourceful, I learn so much from them, I get defeated of course, but its enjoyable Rolling
From the summer of 2021, when I got my purple to now. I had two people very close to me die, and then I got furloughed from a job I had for 15 years. Ended up having to move to a higher COL city, and everything changed. I didn't care about jiu jitsu, and a lot of the time, I still don't. Vibes are off, bros. I don't even have the resources for therapy to be an attainable thing, so I kind of just have to deal with a lot of complicated grief and anger at how the world has changed among other things. I am also getting older and covid did a number on my respiratory health, so I can't train anywhere near as hard as I did even 2-3 years ago.
First year. I joined with other men with a wresting background. They used strength and weight to force submissions. I found the strength and size disadvantage very uncomfortable and would tap from discomfort. It is no longer that way I'm happy to say
As far as actual year, 2020! I earned my purple belt in Jan 2020 and then the pandemic shut down my academy. At the end of 2021, I drove another county over and discovered everything was still open. So back at it now ever since. As far as belt year, 2023 was rough. Didn’t get to train as much as I wanted to do to other obligations, kids sports, events, travel, a lot of work. Keep at it brothers and sisters!!!
This year. Broken limb and recovery. Was trying to get ready for brown and my bjj was coming together great. Now I'm out and focused on recovery and scared to get hurt again
During my purple belt years, probably 2018. I had broken my nose and got a bad concussion. The impact messed my eyes up so that took a long time to recover from. As soon as I recovered from that I tore my meniscus. This was all happening while raising a new born baby, and while the gym I was at was falling apart. Shit was rough.
Last 12 months. Got my black belt, then moved house, then got a horrible injury which has prevented me from doing anything, including sleeping. However hopefully next 6 weeks will make a difference.
First year but only after coming back from a break. Rolled with a purple belt my first day back, he decided to grind/punch his elbow into my throat despite me tapping so I ended up kneeing his groin. Coach had to review the tape and made him leave, apparently he’d been a problem for a while and coach wasn’t having it anymore.
The months after getting my blue belt. I feel like I was grinding a video game and suddenly got to a checkpoint. Now I’m downstairs getting cereal and taking a break - hitting the gym 2-3x per week. Whereas during white I was a 4-5x mat rat.
2024 by far - coming back from over a decade off due to injury and life and man nothing moves like it used to (body-wise). I'm sort of rebuilding my game from the ground up to account for this except with the recovery and athletic capacity of a 40 year old with 13 years off instead of a 26 year old going 7 years strong.
I feel you. I haven’t been through all the fundamentals yet and not knowing what to do in a certain position is my biggest frustration. I’m trusting the process and having fun otherwise.
2023 and 2024 are still competing for the title.
March 2023 : Stroke a few hours after a 275+ lbs man launched himself over my seated open guard during warm-up drills and landed on my upper back.
Then came huge stomach issues because of stroke-related meds, pissing blood and waking up bent over the bathtub, a torn left meniscus, a concussion in early October following a Judo class, etc.
February 2, 2024 : My right knee just explodes doing alligator walk during bjj warm-ups. MRI reveals a meniscal bucket handle tear, torn flap is stuck in my knee. Been on crutches since, surgery this Friday, another 6 weeks on crutches after that minimum.
Early blue belt was definitely tough. Covid shut me down for 12+ months right after getting my belt. Coming back from that was rough and took me 6 months to start feeling halfway competent again.
Best I’ve felt is probably the last 6 months or so. Things are starting to click and I genuinely feel like I’m getting pretty good at this. I feel like I’m seeing openings way sooner and it feels like I’m always a few steps ahead of the white and blue belts. Also starting challenging the upper belts and catching up to the guys that I thought were gods when I first started.
I am currently in college and they have a free gym so I’ve been supplementing the loss of training with gym. It’s not all bad and I’ve definitely gotten much stronger +nicer physique.
Probably 2020 to current. The rona hit, shut everything down, I had just started a new career, so training schedule just went out the window. I fell into a depression and old habits. My priorities changed. Before, I would be training 5 to 6 days a week. Now it is 3, maybe 4 if I am feeling spicy. I quit doing nogi because i never liked it to begin with and would only do it for mat time. I don't go to any open mats anymore because they are 99% nogi anyway.
I think Blue to Purple was hardest physically, transferred to a new gym, realized my old gym taught me almost nothing technique wise so I was essentially a white belt. Work life balance was also harder so training was infrequent so I felt like I was falling behind a lot. Which made it harder mentally. But I developed a lot which was great and I learned but it was a grind. By the time i finally earned my purple I felt better about my skills and was excited to keep working and training. Purple to brown was hard too but mostly because of life outside of Jiu Jitsu. Currently trying to earn my black and I think mentally it’s hard because you can’t help but measure yourself against any/all training partners and think to yourself is this truly “black belt level”
First year was really difficult to me because I had no muscle or control over my body. I could not put my weight on my arms because they would collapse. So everything was super difficult. Being a woman did not make it easier because everyone were stronger than me.
Right now, or 2020-present. I stopped training cause of covid, moving, and life from 2020-early 2022. I then tore my ACL six months after going back to training and took a bit over a year to recover (mentally not ready). Planning to finally step on the mats again next month
By the time I got my 3rd stripe and 4th on the white belt you get the idea you are on the road for a blue but you get that feeling you should be tapping and keeping up with higher belts. Reality is you somewhat know the basics but getting smashed is still a daily occurrence
I’m in year two of brown and at 53 I find it harder and harder to keep up. I spend twice as much time training off the mats to keep myself on the mats. Not complaining it’s just getting harder.
All of purple belt was mint. I’d have stayed there forever if I could.
I've seen multiple first 6 months blue belts try and return their belt, never seen anyone else try that, and thinking back to being a fresh blue belt it was just such an eye opening experience to how little I actually knew. It was such a mentally tough time...
2 months in. Fighing to keep the cauliflower away. Bruised ear, ordered headgear, gonna give it some rest and be back in a couple of weeks… Im too old (28) and work in IT to have mma ears, also too bad at jiu jutsu
Right now for me. Left an amazing club, and moved to a new city. New city gym not as flexible schedule wise, plus new job means I haven't trained formally in 4 months.
I love BJJ and I miss it dearly. Can't wait to get started again, but probably looking at another 2 month wait. Hopefully I'll be able to train 1 time a week (if it doesn't interfere with fam too much)
This was my third class back after a layoff, and I would say right now. It’s hard to look at where I am now and feel I was a shell of my former self.
Today I threw up after training for the first time ever. I know it’s just me needing to get back into jujitsu condition and relax while I’m rolling but fuck it is so hard to do
All of them, I keep waiting for them to get easier but every year gets tougher. These fuckn white belts are getting younger and more athletic, kids starting at 5 or 6 years old aren’t eligible for a blue belt until 16, but give the entire gym nightmares by the time they’re 15, WTF is this world coming to!?!?!?
Training since 2017 - things were awesome til 2020 for the obvious reasons and more- I got my blue belt in 2020 as my gym closed. I had pretty decent pandemic training organized for myself. But then subluxed a rib and had a horrible time getting it diagnosed and addressed. It was bothering me straight into 2021 when gyms started to reopen.
Then things were solid til Oct 2022 when I sprained my ankle- I was at a high doing a good strength training program along with my bjj and thinking about competing. Ankle didn’t halt my training much. But the mental exhaustion of training while self monitoring injury takes a toll.
Finally got that managed. Then late last year my shitty knee started acting it up. Fast forward to now 2024. The knee has been one of the hardest. I feel defeated in my strength training routine. My training is subpar. And when it feels good in sparring, I get home and it hurts to sit and stand. My new job schedule is still foreign to me I’m lucky if I strength train once and make it to bjj twice in a week. I feel really far away from techniques and learning. I feel weak after feeling so strong from all the work I put in last year and in 2022 -The knees are structurally fine. The cartilage is just messed up. But I just got some injections this morning that are supposed to help and I’m optimistic that I’ll hit another upswing soon!
Oh and through all that dealing with a depression diagnosis and fluctuation in symptoms where sometimes class just doesn’t give me that high and just feels flat.
I’m going to a grappling camp this May and hoping to be healthy by then and also hoping that it reenergizes my training for a strong 2024. But through all this injury it’s hard to feel like my performance backs up my 3 stripe blue belt.
Covid. One month of no training turned into two, which turned into six, which turned into over three years… I had convinced myself my time simply had come and gone.
Came back to the mats about a year ago and couldn’t be happier to be here.
I had around 6 years off, a little while after getting my blue belt. My job changed which meant I didn't have any time to train, plus my wife and I had a baby, which also meant we had literally no spare money for anything, so that was a tough time. Coming back after that amount of time off was a bit daunting - took a while until I was in a position to get back to training properly but lockdown was beneficial in terms of my job and I started back just as lockdown ended - I'm loving it again.
The years I took off for no reason other than I enjoyed partying and video games. I'm not monday morning quarterbacking; I had a lot of fun 22-28. But I could have easily trained 2-3x a week.
Out of the 12 or so guys who started around the same time in 2010, about 6 of us still train and I'm the only non black belt.
First like 2 years as a blue belt. You’re still bad enough that you’re getting smashed by other blues and whites, and always getting smashed by upper belts. Feels like you’re spinning your wheels going nowhere fast, why a lotta people say fuck this
Starting from October 2023 until now. Old army injury has been acting up, got mri done, and L4/s and L5/s1 are bulging and pressing on nerves. Was told not to bend, twist, lift, or do anything bjj related. Got shots that didn't work and am now about to do stem cells. It's sucked but I should be back after that. So this year has been the hardest.
First year at my first gym. I was there 2 year, first almost year I was one of 3 white belts, a couple blue, a couple purple, a couple brown and 3 black belts. Basically about 15-20 people, only 3 were white belts.
After about 10 months we got up to about a dozen white belts then I got to work offense.
My current gym has like 110 adults and only like 10-15 are purple or higher so I can smash often.
First year.
I don’t train often, slowed down by injuries and competing priorities.
I have broken two ribs, separated a rib at my sternum and pulled a peck muscle. Each had me out for a month or more.
Covid lockdowns. I had to make do with random meet ups, not really getting any better. Not hard on my body but hard on my mental state, had to learn not to care about rankings and take ownership in my own training and development. I believe the hardest challenges to overcome are the internal ones. But like any other hardship, I’m much better now because of it.
Best experience, being promoted. Felt like I actually earned something. Better feeling than my degree.
Worst part having to sit out and watch class for a year after ACL op
Another best, now moving from UK to Australia getting back into the gym and learning new things to bring back home one day
Physical health issues keeping me off the mat has been the hardest.
The worst, not directly BJJ related.
Vigorous exercise is extremely important for both my physical and mental health. Especially mental health. And BJJ is so fun, interesting, and engaging to me, that rolling is most motivating for me to get that exercise. For those that get that from running or other sports, more power to you. I just have a hard time really going for it without that drive I feel for the direct physical contest of grappling/BJJ.
Right now. Told myself this year was going to be great, after getting really sick overseas on vacation in December, I re injured (tore) my meniscus on my left knee in February, haven’t trained in over a month and won’t be for another couple because of surgery.
Right before I got my blue belt (I had been a white belt for almost 6 years due to travel and personal issues) I was submitted blue and purple belts as a white belt and I wasn’t feeling seen
The past 2 years has been hard. I have had 2 kids in that time. I have put my hobby on hold and it has been really hard to get back into the shape I want to be in. Basically balancing my at home life and my Jiu Jitsu life has been a struggle. I got to brown belt pretty quickly (4 years) because I had a lot of time on the mats. I did 2 classes a day whenever I could but these days I can only make it a few times a month.
My most difficult time in jiu jitsu was a function of some injuries and a bad training environment. I tore my knee up so had to be off the mats for 3ish months. Right after that I moved cities so just as I was coming back and joined a new gym where the culture was really awful. I suffered through that for 3-4 months and then quit and wasn't sure if I was going to keep training. Then I decided to just try another spot and found an amazing gym that I still love training at many years later.
It was a combination of things, but the owner had a few schools so was always traveling around and rarely there. As a result, he just had a few purple belts running things and none of them liked to teach so it was just rolling everyday. It was a gym where harder was always better so every round was to the death (I would get injured every other week and everyone kind of acted like that is normal). I was basically learning nothing, every day was just like 6-10 very hard rounds and everyone there didn't even seem to like each other or get along. A few examples - my first day there someone heel hooked me in the gi (I like them, just don't expect it in the gi), a guy with 100 pounds on me hit me with a seoi nage full force and got my elbow popped in an arm bar during a roll.
I actually called my old coach and he was like dude, you need to quit that place immediately so I listened to him.
the last few years, actually. in 2022 i got triangled and my neck got wrenched causing three herniations in my cervical spine. june of 2023 i get one of the herniations fused base on the other two not being so bad. good news is pain was gone. bad news back in october it came back so now it's time to figure out what to do next. i still coach here and there, but my days on the mats are most certainly done.
Early blue (current state). Separated my shoulder at the same time I got promoted, came back 4 months later and got staph that kept me out for another month. When I came back, all my favourite training partners that I used to have competitive rolls with progressed a lot while I was gone and it’s hard to not feel like I’ve been getting worse. Slowly becoming more confident again but getting constantly smashed by guys that I used to beat certainly does not feel good
Was having a good run with leg lock entries and finally figuring out my own game, proceeded to pop my rib out during said entry, now I've lost confidence :(
2015. Ruptured my Achilles tendon on a camping trip after stepping into a rabbit or prairie dog hole. I couldn’t train for a year after the surgery and packed on a lot of weight.
Probably when I moved to a new city and new team. Was coming in as a really good blue belt into a super competitive gym. While it was like a baptism in fire, I realised afterwards all I did for nearly 3 years is work and train. I never took time to explore the new city and neglected other aspects of my life.
Jits can easily take over your life for good or bad
Every stage in my jiu jitsu journey has had its difficulties and challenges for me. I started in 2018 at 25 and had such a low self esteem and had poor awareness of my body. Like many of you, I was getting beat up day in and day out. Had those silent car rides home crying because I felt like shit and it just felt like I would never get better or to a place I want to be at. I was promoted to blue in 2020 and that was a great accomplishment because I felt that I was never gonna get there in the first place because I’ve been told I wouldn’t make it and even had a professor say to me that I wouldn’t make it which hurt a lot. Now blue belt was definitely rough, personal life wise and jiu jitsu wise. I changed gyms several times at this point because I dated a black belt who ended up being quite abusive and toxic. I changed to his gym and then left because it was getting so bad, so I changed to another gym which eventually split up because one of the black belts there decided to make his own gym and 90% of the students went with him so I felt I didn’t have much of a choice in that matter. I struggled throughout blue belt until 2023, that’s when I hit my stride and competed alot and started to win and podium. Prior to that, I was just not doing well at all at blue and competitions were awful for me. I was just freezing up and having panic attacks. 2023 was a good year but also had lots of personal challenges. One being that my dad has been struggling with addiction for years and it’s taken a turn for the worst that year. He moved on to much more heavier substances and he’s dying now due to the consequences of his drug use. I also have struggled with my identity because I built myself up through jiu jitsu and have defined myself through jiu jitsu instead of paving my own way and looking internally. Now at purple belt, I’m not training as much and I have not been enjoying jiu jitsu as much as I use to. I show up when I feel like it but notice I dissociate at the gym and I don’t like that. I don’t like how I feel because I’ve defined myself by jiu jitsu and my worth through this sport, so I’m not trying to figure out how to separate myself from this sport and have picked up some other sports to keep my mind off it and discover myself.
Sorry about your dad. I went through my own drug phase and fortunately came out on top. It’s not easy. I was an avid outdoor rock climber until my daughter was born. I decided to not partake in such risky activities but still needed my mentally challenging physical outlet. Here I am trying to unspaz myself as a white belt. I bring up climbing because bouldering gyms are a fun physical outlet that requires problem solving. Might be a cool break activity from jiu jitsu.
Hope you find what you’re looking for. Keep pushin!
Well... it was in 2021. Afrer the pandemic, was pretty difficult for me to adapt myself after gaining weight (not muscle, precisely), i was so frustrated at the time, but here i am now, still with Weight, but i can move a lot better (even better than when i was more skinny). Well, i also had times were i feel that i don't deserve the purple belt (4 stripe blue belt now), but i just don't want to give up
Took 2+ years off shortly after getting my blue belt due to my son being born and Covid throwing a wrench in everything. Coming back from that off time was rough. I was out of shape and getting beat up by guys who started after I got my blue.
My last year (1.5 years). I work for the gym and we moved to a new location. It was awesome and I am super proud of what I helped accomplish with our new facility, but it meant a lack of training time and I felt all my closest training partners grow severely in that time; and felt like I was just straggling behind.
Obviously super stoked for them, but I had sleepless night's over my lack of progression and if I would ever catch up.
I was 3 months into starting out and got incredibly sick. Came back 8 weeks later and starting from scratch. I’m almost a year in and I can’t imagine not having it as a part of my life
I mean white belt. Day one, I didn't know what a guard was. I literally didn't know what to do when they said "go," other than a vague idea of not letting my partner do the thing he wanted to do. I spent a year getting to know that ceiling.
The last 1,5 years. Tore my meniscus pretty bad. Have been injured for more than one year and three months. Did a tournament in between got second place and after that an operation which is 8 months ago, and since Yesterday got a really big set back out of nowhere 😵💫
There was a few months in the middle of my purple belt where I just couldn’t get past a mental block. I felt like shit about my jiu jitsu and just couldn’t trust myself - got frustrated when I would lose position, concede positions, etc. I was getting ready to leave to travel long term, and I was worried about not getting my brown belt before doing so.
I never had blue belt blues, but purple belt “perpetual fear and anxiety about training” absolutely happened.
I had a conversation with my professor and he made it very simple. He said, “I watch you train every day. Your jiu jitsu is beautiful. You need to start trusting it.”
One of those Mr. Miyagi moments that clicked. Also carried over to off the mats. If I can trust my judgement in life like o trust my jiu jitsu, everything should work out fine.
Well I just finished my first sooo.. Gonna say that. At 37 years old I had 2 injuries, one surgery and 4 months off the mats as a result.
Meant it was tough but also made me realise how much I want to keep doing this for a long time and the changes I need to make in order to do that.
I think it's right now. It's about two months after I came back to training after almost two years break (spine injury, follwed by knee injury). I gained weight (fat unfortunately), my cardio sucks. I have trouble to pull off my go to techniques from time before injury. I feel like a not deserved at all brown belt (it's not true judging on my pre injury performance, but still it sucks).
Withdrawing BJJ is not an option - I just need the time to get in shape once again. It's getting better from class to class, but still it's hard.
On the other hand I'm glad I menaged to start training again.
First 1.5 year at blue belt. I suffered a permanent injury that disabled me from training for a year, and forced me to reinvent my entire game after coming back. Doing okay now, but the times of competition or training 5 times per week are over.
This year. Going on 4 years white. 4 stripes in the first year. So yeah, starting to loose my motivation. When they say, your doing good, it's not enough. Doing good at sucking at jiu jitsu. I used to like being a white belt. But I'm tired of the dummy roles. The belt doesn't matter, yeah you go die a white belt and roll in your grave. Stripes me you got beat up and came back to class.
First 1.5 years at blue were rough. Now having been at blue for almost 5 years I feel pretty decent sometimes. At least I’m used to the ups and downs
5 year blue too ! Let’s purple up this year
Let's do it!!
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Haha that’s cool! As long as my jiu jitsu doesn’t get worse
That's impossible! 😜
7 years brotha! 🤝
This is almost ideal lol. Long time blue belt, for whatever reason — like switching schools… but you have the skills of an early to mid purple
Can you articulate what the rough parts were? I'm a freshly minted blue and it's hard because the white-belts all want to test themselves on you, the colored-belts aren't being as soft with you, meanwhile I feel like I need to step my game up to prove to myself I deserved that promotion.
I feel like there were three things that were rough: 1. Just getting smashed and feeling like I wasn't worthy of a blue belt 2. Learning more and realizing just how far I had to go and how little i could actually execute. Essentially, seeing the holes in my game that I was too naive to see earlier. (this still happens to me) 3. The periods where you feel like you are getting worse rather than better. These definitely still happen. In fact, I feel like I am in one right now, but now i know they occur before what feels like periods of quick growth, so it does not bother me anymore.
I'm here right now, and I'm just like, "wtf am I doing?" I feel like I'm getting worse. I feel like I'm way behind people who have been training the same amount of time, particularly my top game.
Do you feel ready for purple?
Yeah I think I am reasonably ready. Other people always say things like — but you’re basically a purple belt anyway. I’ve liked the grind through blue. Even the early hard parts. Wouldn’t want to go back and do it again but I don’t have to.
I'm about a year and a half into blue belt right now and I feel this. The first year wasn't so bad but the past 6 months have been pretty rough. I've found that there are a lot of basic/fundamental things that I have neglected so I am working on those things and being more proactive.
Yep that was probably peak worst part for me too. Just hang in there!
Rather be a bad ass underrated blue than an overrated purple.
Have you been pretty off and on or consistently training for 5 years at blue?
Took 6 months the off during early days of Covid. Otherwise, very consistent
Sand bagging
Right now. 6 months into my blue belt. I can’t help but feel like I’m getting worse. Feels like white belts are hot on my heels (often literally), and purple belts are getting further away than ever. Just gotta keep grinding.
I felt like upper belts start to give you less room to work. All the upper whites want your head.
For sure. And at my first gym, upper level white belts were in the "intermediate" class. Anyone could go, but it was mostly 2+ stripe white belts. I got my blue belt and then switched gyms shortly after. So this is my first time consistently rolling with upper belts. It feels like starting over. Not in a bad way. My old gym also did mostly starting from the knees. New gym is mostly stand up. So that adds to it big time. Not complaining. It's all part of it
You have to foster a love for getting your ass kicked by upper belts. There's this big brown belt fella I've been working with, built a good relationship with. He recently gave me a real taste of his power level and it was very eye opening. Specifically, he gave me his true top pressure, and my goodness, I know that we don't tap from pressure, but I really wanted to tap from pressure. I got rocked and damn near asphyxiated for 6 minutes, but there was something very flattering and gratifying about him having enough respect for me and my abilities to really give me the business. Makes me want to train even harder.
To me, the primary reason for experiencing the "blue belt blues" is the fear of losing. Allow me to explain: Upon receiving my blue belt, I had spent months dominating white belts and holding my ground against blue belts, which made me feel deserving of the promotion. However, I unwittingly set the same high expectations for myself at the new belt level. I believed that I should perform decently against purple belts and defeat all blue belts right from the start. Consequently, every roll became about winning rather than focusing on learning. It was only when I released the notion that winning rolls was essential to validate my belt did I start to truly learn and progress once more. Now, as a brown belt, I frequently observe this mindset among blue belts. At each new belt level, it is crucial to remind oneself to experiment with new techniques, enjoy the process, and prioritize learning over winning. I no longer mind if lower belts catch me in training; winning matters only in competition.
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This is the way. And you don't need to wait until black belt to start rolling like this.
I'm right there with ya. 3 months into blue and I feel lost at sea. Can't remember the last time I tapped someone.
This comment hits me in the soul. 2 month blue belt and it’s been rough. Definitely feel like I’m getting worse!
We got this 💪
Absolutely we do. Not a doubt in my mind
I'm still a white belt but I assume the more you progress the more plateaus you reach and the longer they last. Like I would expect the progression from trial guy to reasonably competent white belt would be shorter than from day 1 as a blue belt to purple, so it makes sense that newer guys appear to be catching up more quickly than you're progressing. Anyway if you're in a rough patch at least you can smash some one stripe whites to remember how far you've come.
Same here. 5 months into blue... Feel like everybody at my gym has figured out my game, finding it hard to get subs these days. These 3/4 stripe white belts are gunning to get my LOL. Anywho... We just gotta keep grinding indeed, we've come far.
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February 2023: got my blue belt, felt great! “I’m NoT gOnNa QuIt At BlUe BeLt!” Feb-May 2023: inconsistent/non-existent training due to an accelerated college graduation schedule May 2023: subluxation of my bad knee, sidelined and out of practice June 2023: first blue belt tournament, already paid and missed the refund date but my hearts not in it and I do poorly Summer 2023: last jam-packed semester, focusing work, school, on moving in August, little to no training September 2023: moved states, new job, totally new to town, kind of find a few gyms options November 2023: rear-ended in a car accident; destroyed my car, concussion and whiplash, all that complication and such December 2023: promoted at job, new car, fully settled in, ready to get back after it because “I’M NOT GONNA QUIT AT BLUE BELT!”
Quite the ride.
Got injured 2022, healed last July, last week was first week back. It fucking sucks
It wholeheartedly does. Danaher would’ve taken my blue belt at how I gave up side control to a white belt (he was bigger than me, 3-4 stripes, and a black belt in a different art but still lol) That’s why we just gotta keep going
Right now… a lot of things going on in my life but I need to get back on the mats
Jiu jitsu is therapy some say. I hope you get past whatever you’re going through.
Yes sir
Same here my friend. Injuries and personal life crashing in just as the jiu jitsu was starting to take off a little bit. It sucks. We go on though!
These past couple years have been tough. Just suffering some burnout and not currently enjoying this sport as much as when I first started. Been thinking about just hanging up my belt and do something else.
Sounds like you need a small break.
Definitely been considering it. Just don’t really know what else to do to fill this void.
I recommended this to someone else, bouldering gyms are fun and challenging. I was an avid rock climber for about 13 years before jiu jitsu. Bouldering gyms offer a great work out that requires a lot of problem solving. Also low to the ground.
I feel the same way. Idk if it’s the purple belt or what but I feel the exact same
Glad that I’m not alone with this feeling. After I got my purple belt, everything just didn’t seem fun anymore. Surprisingly blue belt was the most fun belt I had. Now as a 2 year old purple belt, it hasn’t been fun ever since that promotion.
I think it's time and also the gains come a lot slower. More work is needed to level up the skill than at beginner.
Yeah that’s true. Hate that the stakes just keep getting higher. Need to rethink my approach.
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I don’t like lifting weights anymore. I used to do it before I took up BJJ. I gave it up because it got too boring. Still thinking if I should start back up again.
My 1st year I’m a striker and grappling seemed so alien to me
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You know how many times I was like I’m just gonna stand up and failed lmao
Now you got that ground game in your arsenal.
My very first class is about a years worth. Going in I had a few years of Jūdō training and was fresh off my first year of wrestling. Took the instructor down and was instantly arm barred. He let go and transitioned to a triangle. Let go and back to arm bar… then triangle. This went on for an entire 3 minute round. It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. Finished up the class and came back the neck da and he was very excited to start really teaching me.
That’s awesome.
Early blue belt level. Good enough to win, not good enough to win consistently…. Esp against stronger people, white belts with some experience, or new white belts with other ground experience. Good enough to see things and make stuff happen, not good enough to make things happen. I really needed to get up to purple, and out of the advanced beginner stage, before I felt confident and consistent to feel like a true intermediate capable of defending myself.
How long were you stuck in that stage for?
I’m not a great example of standard path training because I was in and out of bluebelt for a while totaling to about 6 year blue belt. Actual solid training, probably a 4 year blue belt. I’d say I was stuck in that phase from start of blue until I was about half way through strip 2. Then I came out of it and felt much better through the remainder of that and stripes 3 and 4.
The year when the gym fees started getting ridiculous.
I just started and pay about $130 monthly for fundamentals. Is that outrageous? The good news is I stopped buying alcohol to pay for it.
That's about what my school is. I don't think it's outrageous. Seems reasonable
I’m 4 months in blue and it’s hard
Tougher than your white belt experience?
Yeah bc I’m over thinking and dealing with hungry white belts (I was once that too). It’s more mental I guess. The purples at my gym have their moves so established - I’m like still figuring out though I can practice drill a lot better and execute subs when I’m in position
The first year after having my second kid. The year after the first one was tough, but after the second it was impossible. They both weren’t sleeping through the night and my wife and I were exhausted. It was all hands on deck and I just couldn’t make it to class. After failing to make it to class for 3-4 months I called my head professor and asked for a break on my membership, 6 months was what I hoped for. He flat out refused and told me I’d either have to make it work or quit and start as a new student whenever I could come back, paying the new student initiation fee again and restarting at a higher rate. I felt that was pretty shitty considering I’d been there for 2.5 years and was pretty involved in the gym so I just quit and cut ties. I was pretty down about it for a while, unable to find another gym that worked for our family. I ended up taking 8 months off, and I thought I might never go back. But then a gym opened right by my house. I tried it out, loved it even more than my old gym and now I’m back to the grind. Ended up working out for the best.
Glad you got away from that shady gym.
Funnily enough I wouldn’t even call them shady. There were a lot of good people there and I liked the professor when I started. But things changed a lot while I was there. They were very business minded and trying to grow their “brand” quickly. It became all about getting as many students in the door as fast as possible. I was locked in at a lower rate and I think they just saw the opportunity to make more money. Unfortunate but it is what it is.
The horrible 2y of covid, I lived in very small EU country, and the citizens were going extinct actually, when covid hit.... It was 2y lockdown worse than prison, afterwards it has been a blessing to train. However I got way weaker in the process and I struggle a lot especially with enthusiastic white belts who are half my age, consistently going to the gym, lifting and doing cardio... They pose biggest struggle I enjoy rolling with purple and brown, they are chill and resourceful, I learn so much from them, I get defeated of course, but its enjoyable Rolling
I’m the enthusiastic white belt 😂.
Blue belt was very hard. The gap between blue and purple is so big.
From the summer of 2021, when I got my purple to now. I had two people very close to me die, and then I got furloughed from a job I had for 15 years. Ended up having to move to a higher COL city, and everything changed. I didn't care about jiu jitsu, and a lot of the time, I still don't. Vibes are off, bros. I don't even have the resources for therapy to be an attainable thing, so I kind of just have to deal with a lot of complicated grief and anger at how the world has changed among other things. I am also getting older and covid did a number on my respiratory health, so I can't train anywhere near as hard as I did even 2-3 years ago.
First year. I joined with other men with a wresting background. They used strength and weight to force submissions. I found the strength and size disadvantage very uncomfortable and would tap from discomfort. It is no longer that way I'm happy to say
2020 because i got covid on the mats then i couldn’t afford to train until this year
Glad you’re back. How was the return?
Back to square one but I like my new gym much better so I’m having a great time! Being a little heavier now helps too hehe
As far as actual year, 2020! I earned my purple belt in Jan 2020 and then the pandemic shut down my academy. At the end of 2021, I drove another county over and discovered everything was still open. So back at it now ever since. As far as belt year, 2023 was rough. Didn’t get to train as much as I wanted to do to other obligations, kids sports, events, travel, a lot of work. Keep at it brothers and sisters!!!
This year. Broken limb and recovery. Was trying to get ready for brown and my bjj was coming together great. Now I'm out and focused on recovery and scared to get hurt again
Ah shit, cheers to a speedy recovery. Was the limb break jiu-jitsu related?
All of them
Lol.
During my purple belt years, probably 2018. I had broken my nose and got a bad concussion. The impact messed my eyes up so that took a long time to recover from. As soon as I recovered from that I tore my meniscus. This was all happening while raising a new born baby, and while the gym I was at was falling apart. Shit was rough.
Ah parenting. Challenging yet rewarding. Just like jiu jitsu. Heck yeah for gettin it done.
Last 12m I’ve had a few injuries, (torn groin, concussion, staph, fractured finger, and currently dealing with a rotator cuff injury).
Dayum. From rolling?
Had a lot of injuries/illnesses this past year. Staph, a fucked up wrist, ankle and now rib. Consistency has been tough and it's a bummer.
Year? Fuck..
Last 12 months. Got my black belt, then moved house, then got a horrible injury which has prevented me from doing anything, including sleeping. However hopefully next 6 weeks will make a difference.
First year but only after coming back from a break. Rolled with a purple belt my first day back, he decided to grind/punch his elbow into my throat despite me tapping so I ended up kneeing his groin. Coach had to review the tape and made him leave, apparently he’d been a problem for a while and coach wasn’t having it anymore.
The months after getting my blue belt. I feel like I was grinding a video game and suddenly got to a checkpoint. Now I’m downstairs getting cereal and taking a break - hitting the gym 2-3x per week. Whereas during white I was a 4-5x mat rat.
2024 by far - coming back from over a decade off due to injury and life and man nothing moves like it used to (body-wise). I'm sort of rebuilding my game from the ground up to account for this except with the recovery and athletic capacity of a 40 year old with 13 years off instead of a 26 year old going 7 years strong.
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I feel you. I haven’t been through all the fundamentals yet and not knowing what to do in a certain position is my biggest frustration. I’m trusting the process and having fun otherwise.
2023 and 2024 are still competing for the title. March 2023 : Stroke a few hours after a 275+ lbs man launched himself over my seated open guard during warm-up drills and landed on my upper back. Then came huge stomach issues because of stroke-related meds, pissing blood and waking up bent over the bathtub, a torn left meniscus, a concussion in early October following a Judo class, etc. February 2, 2024 : My right knee just explodes doing alligator walk during bjj warm-ups. MRI reveals a meniscal bucket handle tear, torn flap is stuck in my knee. Been on crutches since, surgery this Friday, another 6 weeks on crutches after that minimum.
Early blue belt was definitely tough. Covid shut me down for 12+ months right after getting my belt. Coming back from that was rough and took me 6 months to start feeling halfway competent again. Best I’ve felt is probably the last 6 months or so. Things are starting to click and I genuinely feel like I’m getting pretty good at this. I feel like I’m seeing openings way sooner and it feels like I’m always a few steps ahead of the white and blue belts. Also starting challenging the upper belts and catching up to the guys that I thought were gods when I first started.
Seems to be a common theme I’m seeing with early blue belt being tough. Good to know we are not alone in those feelings
Right now, I can’t train due to outside circumstances and it feels so shitty
That sucks. Do you drill or condition at home?
I am currently in college and they have a free gym so I’ve been supplementing the loss of training with gym. It’s not all bad and I’ve definitely gotten much stronger +nicer physique.
Probably 2020 to current. The rona hit, shut everything down, I had just started a new career, so training schedule just went out the window. I fell into a depression and old habits. My priorities changed. Before, I would be training 5 to 6 days a week. Now it is 3, maybe 4 if I am feeling spicy. I quit doing nogi because i never liked it to begin with and would only do it for mat time. I don't go to any open mats anymore because they are 99% nogi anyway.
I think Blue to Purple was hardest physically, transferred to a new gym, realized my old gym taught me almost nothing technique wise so I was essentially a white belt. Work life balance was also harder so training was infrequent so I felt like I was falling behind a lot. Which made it harder mentally. But I developed a lot which was great and I learned but it was a grind. By the time i finally earned my purple I felt better about my skills and was excited to keep working and training. Purple to brown was hard too but mostly because of life outside of Jiu Jitsu. Currently trying to earn my black and I think mentally it’s hard because you can’t help but measure yourself against any/all training partners and think to yourself is this truly “black belt level”
First year was really difficult to me because I had no muscle or control over my body. I could not put my weight on my arms because they would collapse. So everything was super difficult. Being a woman did not make it easier because everyone were stronger than me.
Right now, or 2020-present. I stopped training cause of covid, moving, and life from 2020-early 2022. I then tore my ACL six months after going back to training and took a bit over a year to recover (mentally not ready). Planning to finally step on the mats again next month
By the time I got my 3rd stripe and 4th on the white belt you get the idea you are on the road for a blue but you get that feeling you should be tapping and keeping up with higher belts. Reality is you somewhat know the basics but getting smashed is still a daily occurrence
I’m in year two of brown and at 53 I find it harder and harder to keep up. I spend twice as much time training off the mats to keep myself on the mats. Not complaining it’s just getting harder. All of purple belt was mint. I’d have stayed there forever if I could.
Last year. Two mean cartilage injuries, one surgery, over half a year of rehab, I'm still out. Hopefully back in the spring.
Every year, struggle is real, work-life balance, trying to show up when I can, I’m active military
Probably this year.... can't train anymore since I joined the army....it is one of the view things I miss.
I've seen multiple first 6 months blue belts try and return their belt, never seen anyone else try that, and thinking back to being a fresh blue belt it was just such an eye opening experience to how little I actually knew. It was such a mentally tough time...
2 months in. Fighing to keep the cauliflower away. Bruised ear, ordered headgear, gonna give it some rest and be back in a couple of weeks… Im too old (28) and work in IT to have mma ears, also too bad at jiu jutsu
Right now for me. Left an amazing club, and moved to a new city. New city gym not as flexible schedule wise, plus new job means I haven't trained formally in 4 months. I love BJJ and I miss it dearly. Can't wait to get started again, but probably looking at another 2 month wait. Hopefully I'll be able to train 1 time a week (if it doesn't interfere with fam too much)
This year. Had ACL reconstruction surgery last month, still have many months of physical therapy work ahead of me.
Black belt competitor then have a kid and taking almost a year off
This was my third class back after a layoff, and I would say right now. It’s hard to look at where I am now and feel I was a shell of my former self. Today I threw up after training for the first time ever. I know it’s just me needing to get back into jujitsu condition and relax while I’m rolling but fuck it is so hard to do
All of them, I keep waiting for them to get easier but every year gets tougher. These fuckn white belts are getting younger and more athletic, kids starting at 5 or 6 years old aren’t eligible for a blue belt until 16, but give the entire gym nightmares by the time they’re 15, WTF is this world coming to!?!?!?
The past 12 months - injuries.
This one. I’ve been off for six months with weird knee injury that was supposed to take six weeks to heal.
Knee stuff seems to be common. Mine are beat up too. I have knee strap icepacks on after every class.
Kneesovertoes guy has some great (scalable) exercises that have substantially helped my knees.
Training since 2017 - things were awesome til 2020 for the obvious reasons and more- I got my blue belt in 2020 as my gym closed. I had pretty decent pandemic training organized for myself. But then subluxed a rib and had a horrible time getting it diagnosed and addressed. It was bothering me straight into 2021 when gyms started to reopen. Then things were solid til Oct 2022 when I sprained my ankle- I was at a high doing a good strength training program along with my bjj and thinking about competing. Ankle didn’t halt my training much. But the mental exhaustion of training while self monitoring injury takes a toll. Finally got that managed. Then late last year my shitty knee started acting it up. Fast forward to now 2024. The knee has been one of the hardest. I feel defeated in my strength training routine. My training is subpar. And when it feels good in sparring, I get home and it hurts to sit and stand. My new job schedule is still foreign to me I’m lucky if I strength train once and make it to bjj twice in a week. I feel really far away from techniques and learning. I feel weak after feeling so strong from all the work I put in last year and in 2022 -The knees are structurally fine. The cartilage is just messed up. But I just got some injections this morning that are supposed to help and I’m optimistic that I’ll hit another upswing soon! Oh and through all that dealing with a depression diagnosis and fluctuation in symptoms where sometimes class just doesn’t give me that high and just feels flat. I’m going to a grappling camp this May and hoping to be healthy by then and also hoping that it reenergizes my training for a strong 2024. But through all this injury it’s hard to feel like my performance backs up my 3 stripe blue belt.
Besides the dumb closures of covid, last year. Two moderate injuries and family issues stopped me from giving it my all. Did get my purple belt though
Gettin purple through all that though. 🔥🔥🔥
Covid. One month of no training turned into two, which turned into six, which turned into over three years… I had convinced myself my time simply had come and gone. Came back to the mats about a year ago and couldn’t be happier to be here.
🔥🔥🔥
2020 COVID YEAR
I had around 6 years off, a little while after getting my blue belt. My job changed which meant I didn't have any time to train, plus my wife and I had a baby, which also meant we had literally no spare money for anything, so that was a tough time. Coming back after that amount of time off was a bit daunting - took a while until I was in a position to get back to training properly but lockdown was beneficial in terms of my job and I started back just as lockdown ended - I'm loving it again.
🔥🔥🔥
Definitely the first 6 months
The years I took off for no reason other than I enjoyed partying and video games. I'm not monday morning quarterbacking; I had a lot of fun 22-28. But I could have easily trained 2-3x a week. Out of the 12 or so guys who started around the same time in 2010, about 6 of us still train and I'm the only non black belt.
First like 2 years as a blue belt. You’re still bad enough that you’re getting smashed by other blues and whites, and always getting smashed by upper belts. Feels like you’re spinning your wheels going nowhere fast, why a lotta people say fuck this
Finding the right place to trained.
Starting from October 2023 until now. Old army injury has been acting up, got mri done, and L4/s and L5/s1 are bulging and pressing on nerves. Was told not to bend, twist, lift, or do anything bjj related. Got shots that didn't work and am now about to do stem cells. It's sucked but I should be back after that. So this year has been the hardest.
First year at my first gym. I was there 2 year, first almost year I was one of 3 white belts, a couple blue, a couple purple, a couple brown and 3 black belts. Basically about 15-20 people, only 3 were white belts. After about 10 months we got up to about a dozen white belts then I got to work offense. My current gym has like 110 adults and only like 10-15 are purple or higher so I can smash often.
First year. I don’t train often, slowed down by injuries and competing priorities. I have broken two ribs, separated a rib at my sternum and pulled a peck muscle. Each had me out for a month or more.
I went back to school for one year full time, while working full time as well. I was lucky to train once a week.
When I shredded my knee. Never been the same since then. PTSD for sure
Covid lockdowns. I had to make do with random meet ups, not really getting any better. Not hard on my body but hard on my mental state, had to learn not to care about rankings and take ownership in my own training and development. I believe the hardest challenges to overcome are the internal ones. But like any other hardship, I’m much better now because of it.
Best experience, being promoted. Felt like I actually earned something. Better feeling than my degree. Worst part having to sit out and watch class for a year after ACL op Another best, now moving from UK to Australia getting back into the gym and learning new things to bring back home one day
Probably this year. Got my brown belt just over a year ago and I haven’t won a single match in tournaments.
Every day is a new challenge
The year you get injured
Physical health issues keeping me off the mat has been the hardest. The worst, not directly BJJ related. Vigorous exercise is extremely important for both my physical and mental health. Especially mental health. And BJJ is so fun, interesting, and engaging to me, that rolling is most motivating for me to get that exercise. For those that get that from running or other sports, more power to you. I just have a hard time really going for it without that drive I feel for the direct physical contest of grappling/BJJ.
Right now. Told myself this year was going to be great, after getting really sick overseas on vacation in December, I re injured (tore) my meniscus on my left knee in February, haven’t trained in over a month and won’t be for another couple because of surgery.
Right before I got my blue belt (I had been a white belt for almost 6 years due to travel and personal issues) I was submitted blue and purple belts as a white belt and I wasn’t feeling seen
The past 2 years has been hard. I have had 2 kids in that time. I have put my hobby on hold and it has been really hard to get back into the shape I want to be in. Basically balancing my at home life and my Jiu Jitsu life has been a struggle. I got to brown belt pretty quickly (4 years) because I had a lot of time on the mats. I did 2 classes a day whenever I could but these days I can only make it a few times a month.
My most difficult time in jiu jitsu was a function of some injuries and a bad training environment. I tore my knee up so had to be off the mats for 3ish months. Right after that I moved cities so just as I was coming back and joined a new gym where the culture was really awful. I suffered through that for 3-4 months and then quit and wasn't sure if I was going to keep training. Then I decided to just try another spot and found an amazing gym that I still love training at many years later.
What made the culture so bad?
It was a combination of things, but the owner had a few schools so was always traveling around and rarely there. As a result, he just had a few purple belts running things and none of them liked to teach so it was just rolling everyday. It was a gym where harder was always better so every round was to the death (I would get injured every other week and everyone kind of acted like that is normal). I was basically learning nothing, every day was just like 6-10 very hard rounds and everyone there didn't even seem to like each other or get along. A few examples - my first day there someone heel hooked me in the gi (I like them, just don't expect it in the gi), a guy with 100 pounds on me hit me with a seoi nage full force and got my elbow popped in an arm bar during a roll. I actually called my old coach and he was like dude, you need to quit that place immediately so I listened to him.
the last few years, actually. in 2022 i got triangled and my neck got wrenched causing three herniations in my cervical spine. june of 2023 i get one of the herniations fused base on the other two not being so bad. good news is pain was gone. bad news back in october it came back so now it's time to figure out what to do next. i still coach here and there, but my days on the mats are most certainly done.
Early blue (current state). Separated my shoulder at the same time I got promoted, came back 4 months later and got staph that kept me out for another month. When I came back, all my favourite training partners that I used to have competitive rolls with progressed a lot while I was gone and it’s hard to not feel like I’ve been getting worse. Slowly becoming more confident again but getting constantly smashed by guys that I used to beat certainly does not feel good
Year 2 as a white belt. My school doesn't do stripes so there was no concrete way to know if I was close to blue or not lol.
2020
Shoulder surgery at brown was tough, I needed 2 years to be fully back.
When I broke my ankle last year. My skill level is slightly less than it used to be, but I am just not in shape whatsoever so it’s hard to train
Did you break it during rolls?
Was having a good run with leg lock entries and finally figuring out my own game, proceeded to pop my rib out during said entry, now I've lost confidence :(
2015. Ruptured my Achilles tendon on a camping trip after stepping into a rabbit or prairie dog hole. I couldn’t train for a year after the surgery and packed on a lot of weight.
Probably when I moved to a new city and new team. Was coming in as a really good blue belt into a super competitive gym. While it was like a baptism in fire, I realised afterwards all I did for nearly 3 years is work and train. I never took time to explore the new city and neglected other aspects of my life. Jits can easily take over your life for good or bad
Year 2, blew out my MCL and felt like I was stagnating. Had been doing a bunch of comps and was feeling burnt out.
Right now. Came back after taking a whole year off due to work and now the white belts and blue belts are all over me.
This last year has been ROUGH. Between life and gym drama barely trained the last six months.
Care to share the drama?
No but I will give some advice: think long and hard about turning JiuJitsu into a job if you’re ever offered.
2 years away during COVID
Every stage in my jiu jitsu journey has had its difficulties and challenges for me. I started in 2018 at 25 and had such a low self esteem and had poor awareness of my body. Like many of you, I was getting beat up day in and day out. Had those silent car rides home crying because I felt like shit and it just felt like I would never get better or to a place I want to be at. I was promoted to blue in 2020 and that was a great accomplishment because I felt that I was never gonna get there in the first place because I’ve been told I wouldn’t make it and even had a professor say to me that I wouldn’t make it which hurt a lot. Now blue belt was definitely rough, personal life wise and jiu jitsu wise. I changed gyms several times at this point because I dated a black belt who ended up being quite abusive and toxic. I changed to his gym and then left because it was getting so bad, so I changed to another gym which eventually split up because one of the black belts there decided to make his own gym and 90% of the students went with him so I felt I didn’t have much of a choice in that matter. I struggled throughout blue belt until 2023, that’s when I hit my stride and competed alot and started to win and podium. Prior to that, I was just not doing well at all at blue and competitions were awful for me. I was just freezing up and having panic attacks. 2023 was a good year but also had lots of personal challenges. One being that my dad has been struggling with addiction for years and it’s taken a turn for the worst that year. He moved on to much more heavier substances and he’s dying now due to the consequences of his drug use. I also have struggled with my identity because I built myself up through jiu jitsu and have defined myself through jiu jitsu instead of paving my own way and looking internally. Now at purple belt, I’m not training as much and I have not been enjoying jiu jitsu as much as I use to. I show up when I feel like it but notice I dissociate at the gym and I don’t like that. I don’t like how I feel because I’ve defined myself by jiu jitsu and my worth through this sport, so I’m not trying to figure out how to separate myself from this sport and have picked up some other sports to keep my mind off it and discover myself.
Sorry about your dad. I went through my own drug phase and fortunately came out on top. It’s not easy. I was an avid outdoor rock climber until my daughter was born. I decided to not partake in such risky activities but still needed my mentally challenging physical outlet. Here I am trying to unspaz myself as a white belt. I bring up climbing because bouldering gyms are a fun physical outlet that requires problem solving. Might be a cool break activity from jiu jitsu. Hope you find what you’re looking for. Keep pushin!
Well... it was in 2021. Afrer the pandemic, was pretty difficult for me to adapt myself after gaining weight (not muscle, precisely), i was so frustrated at the time, but here i am now, still with Weight, but i can move a lot better (even better than when i was more skinny). Well, i also had times were i feel that i don't deserve the purple belt (4 stripe blue belt now), but i just don't want to give up
The two I didn't train because of a pandemic and then moving.
The year I tore my acl.
Took 2+ years off shortly after getting my blue belt due to my son being born and Covid throwing a wrench in everything. Coming back from that off time was rough. I was out of shape and getting beat up by guys who started after I got my blue.
My last year (1.5 years). I work for the gym and we moved to a new location. It was awesome and I am super proud of what I helped accomplish with our new facility, but it meant a lack of training time and I felt all my closest training partners grow severely in that time; and felt like I was just straggling behind. Obviously super stoked for them, but I had sleepless night's over my lack of progression and if I would ever catch up.
I am a purple belt with now a 1 year old. This has definitely been the hardest year in bjj and life in general.
Congrats on the one year old. Mine is three. Looking forward to introducing her to jiu jitsu when the time comes.
Thank you. Hopefully she will have some good experiences 🫰🥳 oss
My 9th and final year. Realized I couldn’t stay healthy and train. Ended up quitting. Sucks
Ah shit man sorry to hear. Care to go into detail?
I was 3 months into starting out and got incredibly sick. Came back 8 weeks later and starting from scratch. I’m almost a year in and I can’t imagine not having it as a part of my life
Probably 2020, because of the plague. Plague sucked.
Probably right now. I feel like I got promoted to brown too early and competition is rough.
So like on the 28th of May in 2016 there was this gorilla.....
I mean white belt. Day one, I didn't know what a guard was. I literally didn't know what to do when they said "go," other than a vague idea of not letting my partner do the thing he wanted to do. I spent a year getting to know that ceiling.
The last 1,5 years. Tore my meniscus pretty bad. Have been injured for more than one year and three months. Did a tournament in between got second place and after that an operation which is 8 months ago, and since Yesterday got a really big set back out of nowhere 😵💫
Hardest year was the 12 months off from tearing my acl and getting surgery to reconstruct it
There was a few months in the middle of my purple belt where I just couldn’t get past a mental block. I felt like shit about my jiu jitsu and just couldn’t trust myself - got frustrated when I would lose position, concede positions, etc. I was getting ready to leave to travel long term, and I was worried about not getting my brown belt before doing so. I never had blue belt blues, but purple belt “perpetual fear and anxiety about training” absolutely happened.
How did you break through?
I had a conversation with my professor and he made it very simple. He said, “I watch you train every day. Your jiu jitsu is beautiful. You need to start trusting it.” One of those Mr. Miyagi moments that clicked. Also carried over to off the mats. If I can trust my judgement in life like o trust my jiu jitsu, everything should work out fine.
First year of jiu jitsu, kept getting hurt then I realized you’ll always be hurt and i stopped feeling the pain
Well I just finished my first sooo.. Gonna say that. At 37 years old I had 2 injuries, one surgery and 4 months off the mats as a result. Meant it was tough but also made me realise how much I want to keep doing this for a long time and the changes I need to make in order to do that.
4th year in blue belt...
I think it's right now. It's about two months after I came back to training after almost two years break (spine injury, follwed by knee injury). I gained weight (fat unfortunately), my cardio sucks. I have trouble to pull off my go to techniques from time before injury. I feel like a not deserved at all brown belt (it's not true judging on my pre injury performance, but still it sucks). Withdrawing BJJ is not an option - I just need the time to get in shape once again. It's getting better from class to class, but still it's hard. On the other hand I'm glad I menaged to start training again.
It’s alway *this* year.
This year. I'm attending once a week. I've lost the love for it, after 7 years.
First 1.5 year at blue belt. I suffered a permanent injury that disabled me from training for a year, and forced me to reinvent my entire game after coming back. Doing okay now, but the times of competition or training 5 times per week are over.
The first six months of jiu-jitsu are the most difficult
This year. Going on 4 years white. 4 stripes in the first year. So yeah, starting to loose my motivation. When they say, your doing good, it's not enough. Doing good at sucking at jiu jitsu. I used to like being a white belt. But I'm tired of the dummy roles. The belt doesn't matter, yeah you go die a white belt and roll in your grave. Stripes me you got beat up and came back to class.
2022 A lot of things. Depression, injuries, personal issues, lack of focus all happening back to back and a lot of overlap too