The BJJ Belt is a Trap! Choose This Mindset Instead

[@kias3531]

This is my mentality. I've been at white belt for a while(Had to stop training for a while) but it's a nice feeling when people in nogi ask if i'm blue belt, but I say i'm white. I could be at white forever, as long as I keep improving, I could care less about the belt.

[@bellliberty4500]

Exact same scenario with me, and same mindset. I just care about getting better. Belts are just a formality

[@Soulful_Oatmilk]

I was a sandbagging white belt for a long time too lol I do miss not having expectations sometimes, but my skill being validated has its perks

[@anarchic_ramblings]

You mean you like being a big fish in a small pond. Everyone is anxious about getting promoted. Promotion actually keeps people humble.

[@kias3531]

@@anarchic_ramblings it's not like I can just give myself a blue belt, so I do not understand what you're talking about.

[@shelbukowski1443]

Let's see if you feel the same way in two years.

[@RGTomoenage11]

My judo instructor said: You need technique but you also needs strength. If you are not strong enough you can’t apply the technique because you need the strength to throw your opponent. He also said if you also need to have heart or else …

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

All true.

[@Italiangentleman2394]

Reading rickson book breathe helped me just focus on the skill and just keep training and let the process happen

[@maxplosivo]

This was the talk I needed. Just got given my blue belt 2 days ago and tonight I had some anxiety on the mat. I didn't get beaten up, I won some and I tapped out. Can't wait to go back again soon

[@stangdude5593]

Plus there are lower belts that are starting to figure out the higher belt techniques, and it only takes one to get caught. Getting caught by a lower belt should only make you improve and be more attentive the next time you spar.

[@natwilliams4076]

As a 48yo 4 stripe blue who's not even sure if he wants a purple belt this was very helpful to hear. I find it super difficult to remove myself from the " I must be able to tap lower belts" mentality even though I know it's silly.

[@Docinaplane]

Whenever I got a promotion, I would work twice as hard to feel I deserved it. I was the same in school. After a test, I looked up all the questions and actually learned more than before the test. Maybe that was, "Once you know the way broadly, you see it in all things."

[@John-bq9bj]

This video is a sign to focus on skill acquisition and not the belt.

[@Thed00dp00d]

"You hurt your student when you give him a belt he can't carry". - Firas Zahabi

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

Very true

[@benpascua2192]

Aloha Bruddah Ryan! I am a 0 stripe blue belt. I decided a few months ago that I don't need a black belt in order to develop a black belt mentality. The Jiu Jitsu gym is my lab and I like trying all sorts of experiments. I focus heavily on fundamentals. In my experiments when I roll with someone if I notice my partner has crappy fundamentals, that gives me the window of opportunity to counter or escape. That is what I like about Master Rickson, he is all about the fundamentals, not anything fancy. Regarding my promotion I can care less.

[@scottbelanger9531]

I'm a 52-year-old guy. I was a white belt for 3 years and 10 months and it was driving me crazy! I had no idea why I was not being promoted, more importantly WHAT I was doing wrong. especially seeing as I was beating all of the blue belts my instructor promoted around the time, I was at 2 years. I received my blue belt and have now had it for 2 years. I am at zero-stripes and again have no idea why. I sat with a brown belt and asked him what he thought I was doing wrong, and he said I am a solid blue belt, but I am very gifted, and pretty strong and I still rely a lot on that. While I agree to a certain extent, I am 52, and most of the guys I roll with are 20 years younger than me, allot faster, and have gas tanks that never empty. These guys simply don't seem to understand that at 52, my mind sometimes says, hey! He's moving there! stop him! and my body says NO!!!! I really do not understand the mindset.

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

Don’t play the strength game for a year and get back to me

[@tededo]

51 yo here. 20 years of grappling and still blue. Vintage blue, grizzled seasoned grappler. VERY hard to submit. I used to be ashamed of telling people how long I've been a blue. But now, If I have one thing I've specialized in. I was told by several instructors that I am one of the toughest grappler to submit. You heard of Priit Mihkelson. I love to replicate his style, but a personal touch of my game which is to sweep once every student I roll with, after defending the whole round. I may not be a black belt, but I have an old bag of tricks that forces most grapplers to respect me. THAT to me is more important than wearing any belt color you can imagine. I might never ear a purple. Dont care. I will make you pay a steep price for trying to submit me. I love the face most blue belts make when they realize by the end of each round, that they havent submitted me. priceless. I take pride in that as a 51 yo vs younger stronger students. I have seen one 62 yo guy at this academy, purple belt, but decided to NEVER roll with others, only his 55 yo blue belt best friend. Believe me, I am proud to see, 51, and still rolling and hanging with purples, as a vintage blue belt holder.

[@jesseblaha1025]

I loved hearing your perspective on the ranking systems and proficiency of different practitioners. I'm a white belt but I have always assumed there was much more nuance to the hierarchy of skill ability than the belts implied. Also I find that when it comes to combat sports in general that we are plowed by so much media that sometimes we lose perspective on reality of balancing skill, size, and just general human competency.

[@TexasAristocrat]

Well said! I usually get bored through long videos but this felt short… you are a great speaker 💯

[@sirpibble]

Jiujitsu is well on it's way to becoming karate where if you look hard you can find people teaching the right way as passion project, but most just want to sell memberships and use a belt as a carrot to keep them Seeing the level of local black and brown belts around here decline so rapidly in real time year over year is really something to behold

[@sevourn]

Yes, absolutely, then when you tap or outpoint them they try to turn it around and complain that you're too physical or accuse you of sandbagging. BJJ has the following it has because when it first came into the US, a blue belt in BJJ meant more than a black belt in most other arts. Now greedy McDojo owners are diluting the belts to the point they aren't going to mean anything more than when a 9 year old has a black belt in TKD.

[@badxradxandy]

gracie barra is already like this

[@-whackd]

@@sevourn This is what happens for you, you regularly tap the black belts at your gym and they accuse you of spazzing out? Maybe you should listen to them if this is a trend.

[@sevourn]

@@-whackd I should listen to someone who has 10-15 years to my 2 that I am tapping out? Why, so I can grow up to be a hobbyist who walks around with a black belt, loses to blue belts and deflects by taking the Akido approach and claiming its all totally about spiritual development? Maybe Nicky rod should stop spazzing out and tapping all those black belts at ADCC.

[@TheSQLPro]

Great stories, great advice!

[@nerigiron7704]

I've been a white belt for more than 10 years most because it's my fault And dealing with life as such But now that I went back I understand and Really appreciate jiu jitsy for what it is and blessed for every day that I get to learn on the mat that's most important it was never about the belts just getting better

[@HadrianHalePhotograp]

Hi Ryan, I really enjoyed listening to your insight on this topic. I’m curious as to how you do grade people who don’t have the physicality but do put in the time? This is a question I’ve often pondered as it relates to some of my own students…

[@Jindsing]

Very well said. Ive seen blues tap out browns. It doesnt mean anything really. Just means the blue is better grappler, but the brown may be a better teacher and more knowledgeable (which is what its really about). People forget jits is a martial art first, and a sport second. Most people train for an attacker, not a competitor/grappler.

[@bio-fitwellnessdiagnostics897]

Love this video and he is 100% correct. I've been a white belt for years(fair enough I stopped for many of them due to work, injury, projects ect) but when I roll I have no pressure on me and can simply focus on what's infront of me. Had a friend that got his blue belt and quickly noticed how agitated he became as he felt he was expecting to perform and that everyone was coming for him. Guess he wasn't comfortable with the belt. Great video. This is why I like nogi, helps even out the curve.

[@johnbon4272]

Thanks needed this video!

[@nabilanabila3358]

Strong video thanks a lot

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

👍

[@timothyblunck701]

That's such a cool approach!

[@Jamijitsu]

What a video, thank you for posting this.

[@hapkidoroy]

Professor as always enjoy your insight!!

[@Aceinthehole1179]

This is sooo Good.. Outstanding Professor!

[@wm6549]

Thank you for this.

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

You’re very welcome!

[@BboyCorrosive]

I've had my blue belt for 3 years, but with covid restrictions on training, plus just coming back after a year off from snapping my ACL, in reality I've had it about 4 months 😄 I consider myself a white belt with a couple stripes after all the gaps in training

[@Schoolboy-Q]

Thank you for this video.

[@dstoglin1]

Awesome video!

[@rhoadspga]

Brilliant.

[@bobbydabutcha]

Belts are for the Ego, learning and training is for the SOUL.

[@Mdrnsamurai]

The system will always be flawed because people are flawed... I have always looked at people and their ability to stay out of trouble or once they're in trouble getting out of it... That's the really judge of ability imo when it comes to promotion...

[@guitarfan84]

thank you sir. I needed this

[@javiazar]

If you exclusively do nogi you can't really tell who's what belt and all you're focusing on is improving Another reason to only do nogi 😄

[@stevemcmeansunprofessional4652]

Thank you for this! I wonder if you could comment on any of Gracie‘s habit of wearing a blue belt in his retirement. I’m nearly 60 years old, and belts don’t mean as much to me as they once did. Though my master is wanting me to train for my purple belt. Thanks again!

[@blockaderunner]

I'm in my first week at this, and they've given me nothing but blue belts. The first one went easy on me, more of a "teacher" type. Tonight, I got a multistriped blue belt who was absolutely not a teacher (no advice) and went pretty hard on me (the hand fighting). He was 23, I'm in my mid-40s, but tall, fit (just not wrestling "fit" cardio-wise) and strong (grip strength/forearms). He armbarred me, knee to the chest. What hurt the most though was the knee driving into my right leg to pass. I would rather him change legs cause my right thigh was shot. I'm 200, he was probably 160 170 and a bit angry it seemed.

[@-whackd]

Nice blog

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

Thank you!

[@analogman3070]

When you stop caring about the belt it finds you.

[@zeehutt7876]

I don’t care about the belt but I care about the principle behind the belt. If the professor is being fair across the board and it’s reflective of skill level than if I haven’t earned whatever belt fair enough, I ask what my game needs and I apply as needed. However, at my first school the promotions were questionable and I never asked to straight up be a blue belt but I asked “what do I need to earn it”. When I saw my first professor give the attention and belts to the people he personally favored, it was time to go. And I have discussions with his current students and they see the same thing. I get you shouldn’t focus on belts, but I also believe actions should match words.

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

True

[@ChristopherCarpenter]

Love the car videos!!!!!

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

Thank you! Sometimes it’s the only quiet environment I can find.

[@formersomethingsomething3273]

Belts are in my honest opinion the bane of a martial art, everyone gets focused on colors and stripes and what they need to know to progress up the belt ladder.

[@TheProdigy260592]

Purple belt and never learnt kimura from side? 🤨

[@thos1618]

I'm a 12 year old Black Belt and this is deep.

[@russbilderback]

14:12 one more time for the people in the back.

[@Yassin.ibn.farouk]

My gym has collegiate wrestlers who wear white belts in the gi. So yea, a lot is subjective.

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

Wrestlers are grapplers and have part of the skill set we use in Jiu-Jitsu when they walk in the door. So, they typically rank up the early belts quicker.

[@mikeylitchfield4651]

I don't fully understand what belts mean. They seem to be knowledge based rather than performance based from my experience. I know purple belts and even a couple of black belts in BJJ that can drill almost every technique and name it. They're not the people who are always getting the sweeps and subs on the matt. I don't have a massive problem with this. I think weaker and less fit Jujitsu practitioners should be rewarded for good knowledge retention but I will say belts can be misleading.

[@HMAWorldwide1]

One man out of billions came up with the belt system. And we are still using it. Why is that? The belt system has been one of the WORST inventions ever created in martial arts, and even still, people all across the martial arts world will defend the belt system saying things like "we need it to show progress" or "it's good for instructors to see where students are", the list goes on. The belt system does nothing more than hijack a person's self worth and value, and puts them "on hold" so that instructors can exercise their own egos upon their students. Yes, there are some out there who do not abuse the belt system in this way, but they are a few. I was a gymnastics coach for over 23 years, and is still considered the hardest sport in the world, and my athletes NEVER needed to wear any colored garment which displayed their level. I knew the level of every one of my athletes without seeing colored clothing on them, and most of them went on to win and even become champions. We don't need the belt system.

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

You’re absolutely right on several points. BUT, while few sports use a belt system, they use SOME sort of classification to separate out skill (D1, D2, D3, varsity, JV, intermediate, A, B, C team, etc etc). Even gymnastics has levels.

[@HMAWorldwide1]

@@KamaJiuJitsu A classification system, yes, but my point still stands that belts are not needed. I'm aware of classifications as they pertain to college sports, but no one is wearing a colored garment which fills them with any sense of belief as to what they are or what they are not. Classifications are intrinsic while the belt system is extrinsic. The athletes I coached KNEW what level they were, and I knew what level they were, all the time, everyday, and no one needed to wear anything special in order to know that, every reward they received was intrinsic. Sure they won trophies and medals, but that happened less than 1% of the time. My athletes over those two decades also knew when they were getting better and when they improved in real time. Most to all athletes do. Classifications are a much different concept than belt systems and what has been done with them. Btw, what other sports besides anything in the martial arts world uses a belt system?

[@-whackd]

We really need the belt system. In boxing and wrestling we don't have it and that has made us totally incapable. Once you get belts, your martial art skills become competent. However, instead of belts I recommend we tie coloured ribbons on our penises.

[@sevourn]

@@KamaJiuJitsu and the beautiful, beautiful part of that classification in wrestling is that you get that classification by wrestling off or by winning. Coach absolutely hates your style and thinks you are a terrible wrestler who has no business on the mat? Doesn't matter if you can beat the guy in front of you. Not part of the cool kids group who sucks up to coach? Doesn't matter if you can beat the guy in front of you. College scout doesn't come to your meets because you aren't in the Academy league that costs 10k a year? They don't have to attend to see that you beat everyone you stepped on a mat with. Meanwhile, at this point BJJ belts are given at worst through attendance and how much you contributed toward professor's F-150, and at best at the whim of a professor who may occasionally glance you and likely sometimes gets you mixed up with one of his other 200 students.

[@sevourn]

Hard agree. In the end it fucks up the social fabric of BJJ. Higher belts preach about ego but freak out when they lose to lower belts. Overpromoted belts end up getting mindfucked and sometimes quitting because they start to see themselves as a belt instead of a human who can catch anyone or get caught on any given day. Wrestling had a tiny fraction of the hurt feelings and drama of BJJ. Sometimes people would start worse and then surpass you, but no one had to wear a belt that made the process artificially embarrassing. Actually getting better was the goal, not hoping the coach would notice you. No one got their Wrestling blue belt and quit, no one had cause to complain that coach didn't appreciate how good you were because your success was 100% in your own hands.

[@tirexgun2845]

Hi, one question. Do you teach Gracie Jujitsu or Kama jujitsu? Or the Kama Jujitsu is Gracie Jujitsu but just with a different name?

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

Kama Jiu-Jitsu = Rickson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu

[@IBleedBolts]

How did a guy who won silver at Pans perform that poorly? Something doesn't add up.

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

Here’s a scenario. Guy enters tournament. He and opponent are only entries. Match happens. Winner gets gold. Loser gets silver. He now tells everyone, “I ‘won’ silver at XYZ tournament.” Lots of that going on when you look at a school owner’s list of accomplishments. There ARE legit medal winners, but there’s no way to separate them out from the frauds.

[@IBleedBolts]

@@KamaJiuJitsu Yikes. If that's what happened to that guy, he shouldn't be telling people he "got silver in PANS".

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

Here’s another one. Two guys enter the IBJJF World Masters Championship. They are the only two in the category. The match starts, and by the time that time runs off the clock, you have 0-0, zero advantages. So, the ref chooses one of them to win. The guy who “wins” is crowned Masters World Champion/gold medalist and gets his purple belt awarded on the podium. He can now say, “i was awarded my purple on the podium when i took gold in Masters Worlds.” The other guy can now say (if he chooses to), “I took silver at Masters Worlds.” Regardless, i’m just glad the two went through the effort to train for, enter, and compete. It’s not their fault they’re were only two competitors and it’s not their call to be awarded a belt on the podium.

[@nicolasalpuin5175]

i found khabib's comment to renzo a bit provoking. but isn't he right? maybe time for bjj guys to learn combat sambo & then say: sambo is a cool sport (after beating the dagestan army). this sh*t got personal.. yeah welcome to mma, you gotta be a jack of all trades, your art should not be your religion. it's about winning.

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

I didn’t hear the comment, but Renzo fought bare knuckle, no rules, no ref. So, 🤷‍♂️

[@nicolasalpuin5175]

@@KamaJiuJitsu give it a quick search on insta/youtube. i found it as offensive as true. we need to incorporate combat sambo as they did incorporate bjj. lets not marry our art/sport if we want to continue to set a statement? not seeing good results lately. its not anymore about one art or sport vs the other but who can be the better jack of all trades. rickson himself trained sambo, didnt he? back to our roots!

[@KamaJiuJitsu]

IIRC, rickson did NOT “train” in sambo. He entered a sambo tournament, or two, though. I know Rolls won some high level championship, though. Keep in mind, if you’re an accomplished grappler in ANY grappling art, learning some concepts in the other grappling arts to “fill gaps” is very beneficial. But if one is spectacular at just ONE of the grappling arts, it’ll be hard for most people to be able to deal with you. Remember, the key is to make your opponent fight in your realm.

[@RGTomoenage11]

That means you were a strong black belt…