Alright, you've got that blue belt wrapped around your waist, feeling a mix of pride and the weight of responsibility. You’re feeling pretty good, right? That sense of accomplishment? The pride in knowing you’ve leveled up? It’s all well-deserved.

But here’s the thing—this isn’t the time to get too comfortable. If anything, that blue belt is a wake-up call that the real work is just beginning. I’ve been there, and the journey from white to blue is just the first step on a much longer, more challenging path.

The Journey from White to Blue

Do you remember first stepping onto the mats as a white belt? You were probably just trying not to get ragdolled by someone half your size who knew how to make your life miserable in ways you hadn’t imagined. Every class was a battle, and it felt like you were drowning in a sea of armbars, chokes, and guard passes. But somewhere along the way, something clicked. Maybe you finally nailed that armbar or escaped a choke that used to feel like a death sentence. Every class was a lesson in humility, a test of your ability to keep showing up despite the constant taps and the feeling that you were drowning in a sea of techniques.

Whatever it was, you started to realize that BJJ wasn’t just about surviving—it was about adapting to constant struggle. That’s when your instructor recognized your progress and slapped that blue belt on you.

The Blue Belt Reality Check

The day you receive your blue belt is a memorable one. But being a blue belt really means that you’re still at the beginning of your journey. That belt around your waist is a reminder that you’ve moved beyond the basics, but you’re still just scratching the surface.

When I got my blue belt, I honestly felt a fleeting moment of pride that quickly turned into a pressure. Suddenly, I was expected to know more, do more, and be more. The expectations from my training partners and instructors seemed to double overnight. When I get tapped by a white belt, the ego takes a hit harder than ever before. It was a reality check. It makes you realize that the blue belt wasn’t just a reward for your efforts, but a challenge to keep pushing forward.

The days of being the clueless white belt are over.

Now, you’re expected to start putting the pieces together, to transition from being purely reactive to becoming more strategic in your approach.

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In those early days of blue belt, I realized that having a solid defense was crucial. BJJ is about survival, sure, but it’s also about learning to thrive those situations. It wasn’t glamorous work spending hours on the mats working on escapes, but it felt necessary. You finally learn to breath, soak-in the chaos, and get out of shitty situations.

The Shift to Concepts

As a white belt, I was all about collecting techniques—learning as many moves as possible, trying to cram them into my brain and hope they’d stick. But as a blue belt, I started to see the bigger picture. It wasn’t just about knowing a bunch of moves; it was about understanding the principles that made those moves work. I began to focus less on memorizing techniques and more on grasping the concepts behind them.

This shift was a game-changer. Instead of just executing techniques by rote, I started to see the connections between them. I learned that BJJ is like a language—once you understand the grammar, you can start to create your own sentences. It’s not about following a script; it’s about improvising, adapting, and finding your own voice on the mats.

Becoming a Role Model

One of the most surprising aspects of being a blue belt was the realization that I had become a role model for the white belts. It felt strange at first—after all, I was still figuring things out myself. But then I remembered how much I looked up to the blue belts when I was starting out. They were the ones who showed me the ropes, who helped me refine my technique, and who set the standard for what it meant to progress in BJJ.

Now, it was my turn to pay it forward. Being a blue belt means your capable of helping others along their BJJ journey. Whether it was giving a tip during drills or simply being a supportive training partner, I found that teaching others helped reinforce my own learning. It was a reminder that BJJ is as much about community as it is about individual progress.

The Curse of the Blue Belt

But let’s talk about something that no one warns you about—the infamous “blue belt curse.” It’s this strange phenomenon where a lot of people, after earning their blue belt, start to disappear from the mats. Maybe it’s because they feel like they’ve reached a point where they know enough to defend themselves, or perhaps the road to the next belt seems too long and daunting. Whatever the reason, it’s a real challenge to keep going when the initial excitement wears off.

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As a quick aside on the self-defense argument: just because you’ve earned your blue belt doesn’t mean you’re invincible. In fact, you’re far from it. One of the most respected voices in the BJJ community, John Danaher, has pointed out a crucial gap in traditional BJJ training that should give every practitioner pause. He’s critiqued the common practice in BJJ of escaping into a guard position rather than standing back up. Think about it—how often do you perform an escape that simply transitions you from a bad spot back into guard? It’s almost second nature, right? Here’s the catch: while this might work well in the controlled environment of a BJJ gym, it’s a different story when you step onto a wrestling mat or into an MMA cage or in a real street fight. This critique isn’t just theoretical—it’s a wake-up call and a reminder that there’s always more to learn, always more to refine. BJJ is a complex, evolving art, and if you think you’re safe just because you’ve mastered a few escapes or submissions and have a pretty blue belt, walking around with your chin held high, you’re missing the bigger picture.

Anyway, back to my original point, I’ll admit, there are times when I feel the weight of that curse. The grind can get monotonous, the progress can feel slow, and life outside the gym can start to demand more of your attention. But here’s the thing—I didn’t start BJJ to quit halfway through. I started because I wanted to push myself, to see how far I could go, and to embrace the discomfort that comes with growth.

So, keep showing up. Put in the hours, even on the days when you don’t feel like it. Slowly but surely, you’ll start to see progress in both your technique and mindset. The key to overcoming the blue belt curse is simple: just don’t quit. Keep that white belt mentality, stay humble, and remember that every belt is just another step on your journey.

At a certain point, you look back on the weeks, months, and (hopefully) years of consistent training and realize how far you’ve come. In those "in-between" moments, it’s easy to call it quits. It's easy to have the feeling of not being “good enough”, but in reality, it's just the constant pressure felt when you’re on the edge of your abilities, giving it 100%. Steph Smith (@StephSmithio), indie creator and host of the “Sh*t You Didn’t Learn in School” argues that to become “great,” you just need to be “good” consistently. She sums up this thesis in her blog post, “How to Be Great? Just Be Good, Repeatably.” Steph argues that you just need to continue in the direction that’s proven to work and not allowing yourself to quit in those moments:

“If you have an understanding of what inputs equal favourable outputs then continue moving in that direction. As you move past the local minima and maxima, you’ll soon be beating out the 50% that quit at X time, the 75% that quit at Y time, and the 90% that quit at Z time. Soon enough, you’ll be the great one that was once just “good” among the rest, but stuck with it and learned something along the way.”

— Steph Smith

5 Tips for Faster Progress Through Blue Belt

1. Don’t Forget the Fundamentals: It’s tempting to dive into advanced techniques now that you’ve earned your blue belt, but don’t neglect the basics. The fundamental movements—bridging, hip escapes, pummeling—are the bedrock of your BJJ game. Keep them sharp.

2. Strength, Conditioning, & Mobility: Technique is everything in BJJ, but don’t underestimate the power of being in shape. You need to survive those grueling rounds when fatigue sets in. And you need to be less prone to injury if you want to continue training what you love. Make time for conditioning and mobility. Your body will thank you.

3. Study BJJ Matches: Learning doesn’t stop when you leave the gym. Spend time watching high-level BJJ matches to see how the pros apply techniques in real-time. Study their strategies, and try to incorporate what you learn into your own game.

4. Keep a BJJ Journal: Keeping track of your progress can be a game-changer. Write down the techniques you learn, reflect on what’s working and what isn’t, and track your improvement over time. It’s a simple habit that can yield significant results. The Kimura app can help you with that.

5. Drill, Drill, Drill: Sparring is fun, but drilling is where you truly refine your techniques. Make drilling a priority in your training routine—it’s the best way to make techniques second nature and ready for live action.

Enjoy the process. Embrace the grind. And most importantly, keep training.

At the end of the day, the belt you wear is only there to hold up your gi.

BJJ is about the journey, the people you meet, and the lessons you learn along the way. So tie that belt tight, step onto the mats, and keep moving forward. The best is yet to come.