why blue belts quit bjj?

Jiu Jitsu X Course
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0:00 intro
1:25 Plateauing
3:12 Injury
4:13 Time constraints
4:50 Burnout
6:34 Personal reasons

[@realjaytruth]

Jiujitsu is so hard. Eventually people want to live their lives and do whatever with their family. They never really make it their lifestyle. I say this because I've seen all the moments when I could have stopped, but I keep going with support of my family. Now I'm a four stripe purple belt.

[@determinedlyunmotivated4300]

Amen brother!

[@adamthompson9269]

I'm towards the end of my blue belt and looking back I think the best thing you can do at this level is become more playful in your rolls and your training. Like a lot of people, I was obsessed with bjj when I started. I thought there was a direct correlation between intensity and progress. A lot of the issues, burnout, injury, plateauing, will greatly be reduced if learn to relax and play around with techniques. Not to make this about Gordon Ryan but in his instructionals he always says "I play a game where....", and thats all bjj really is. I see every position as a bunch of little mini games to play. So get as much mat time as you can, chill out, and have some fun!

[@Leopar525]

Very important point!

[@herethere5637]

i just started bjj 3 weeks ago and the first few days in thats how i saw it. bjj originally started as a self defense martial arts. but when the americans integrated it, it all became about competition. thats not to say bjj isnt good for you. it is a grappling martial art that teaches discipline, from all ages. whether you're a man or women. Especially men, of course. And so far, until i get seriously injured, ive been having fun every session. It is literally just a game. Whether i wanna go to tournies or not idk tbh. too much steroid use

[@joncooke9515]

Just got my blue belt this weekend! 53 years-old. I train twice a week. Recovery for me seems to be key to continuing the journey.

[@michaelkruppenbacher1711]

The worst part is the guilt. After blue belt I started college, got out of the military and now have a new job. Work and school and other life interruptions are hard to balance and the guilt of training less sucks, but it’s a lot to balance and sacrifices have to be made sometimes.

[@laviothmartel9813]

Damn 6 months to a year . Took me 2 years of training 5 days a week. Maybe allot of people quit because there not ready for blue belt yet if there getting it that quick. I think with the mass amounts you need to learn 10 years for a black belt is reasonable.

[@zezuntxiduntxi]

I trained for 3 years and only got to 3 stripe white belt...2 injuries to the knee, back to back...and I stopped... :(

[@realtruth1448]

@@zezuntxiduntxibjj is for idiots lol, chronic injuries & sucks for street fighting

[@cking509]

@@zezuntxiduntxi Same, bad knee injury at white belt (from wrestling). BJJ was great fun but the injuries turned me away, as well as other life events.

[@tomc.2367]

Also took me that long. I'm athletic and learn quickly. Some schools have lower standards.

[@rodrigobarba930]

​@@zezuntxiduntxisorry to hear that man. But even making it to three stripes is pretty good. At least you know the only thing stopping you was your injuries.

[@Idojiujitsu]

Love the channel and glad i found you! very informative and real video! lets go BJJ community!

[@justintrout3535]

It all boils down to enduring the pain and the pride setbacks. I am 12 years, purple belt. As I aged I found it frustrating. I couldn't get to where I needed to anymore. I just wanted to quit. I was a blue belt for 7 years. When people say they don't have time, this is incorrect. We all have that hour a day to do jiu jitsu, what we get tired of is having our ego and pain inflicted on us. We also get tired of the countless injuries. However, keeping on will always develop you as a person.

[@AA-to3tv]

I never wanted my blue belt, I even contacted my Professor before grading to tell him I wasn’t ready. He told me that I wasn’t the professor and he felt that I would grow quicker if he gave me my blue belt. Looking back now he was right, my whole game changed when he gave me my blue belt, everyone’s journey is different, just enjoy the ride and be the best version of yourself.

[@alexmac2010]

Love this. About to get mine and feel exactly the same. Hoping I’ll have the same reaction as you 🙌

[@SamuraiKidMusic]

great video, thx

[@AlecBaulding]

🙏🏾

[@williamdickenson9514]

For me I’m 6 months in and I got obsessed I train everyday but sometimes when I feel like I’m burning out I’ll just drill for that day or for just that week and it helps a lot for me

[@garydeperio8630]

Good video! I’m 4 th stripe white belt and I’ve been a white belt for almost 2 years! I’m fine with that! At our academy our blue belts are at least 3 years plus! It’s a journey and all promotions are great but we are always striving to get better and better ! If you really love bjj never concentrate on the Belt! Just learn the art and get better every day you train ! Keep going don’t quit

[@hagenanon9484]

Wait what? 6 months-1year into white belt until blue belt? Where??? :D

[@shrimuyopa8117]

Gracie Barra

[@steejansbigeagle1505]

I hear ya bro 4 1/4 years at white belt n I competed tons lol got my blue belt but with that much time no whitebelt stands a chance anymore lol

[@realjaytruth]

Took me three years!

[@gymlaxbro]

Mcdojos aka Gracie barra

[@iliriandisha9099]

I’m going on 5 years as a white belt and I still feel like a nube half the time😅

[@slowdown3415]

Taking a break makes it harder when you come back as you can lose the ability to do things you were able to before. This can be frustrating

[@TattooGames]

I'm purple for the last 6 months. I'm seeing the struggle the new blue belts are having....they look around on a small afternoon class where there's a seasoned blue belt, 2 purple belts and 2 browns, then they say things like 'man I miss the fundamental white belt class.' It puts a smile on my face....I know they haven't even experienced the blue belt blues yet, but I know that I have....but I also know that some days (like yesterday) where ill feel like a lost blue belt. My instructor decided to give me my purple belt, not me, therefore I must be one and it could be as early as tomorrow when I could be firing on all cylinders, not the nail but the hammer. For all blue belts out there....never quit, you'll always bounce back from anything you've endured already, it's never as bad as it seems and you've got to take the rough with the smooth.

[@78logistics]

64 years old here...4 stripe white. Perfectly happy at this belt forever. If blue ever does come I am seriously thinking of never wearing it and switching 100% to no Gi. So sort of drop out.

[@Kookko94]

I hate leg locks, knees getting injured more easily than torso.

[@3nt3rtain]

4 strie blue here... Honestly, blue belt was not too bad. I just embraced the grind. Approaching purple, my professors both are openly saying another guy, and I will be promoted to purple soon... They're inviting people from other gyms to roll with us. My issue is not that I want to quit, I'm trying to adjust to the complete removal of my training wheels... I trust my professors, but imposter syndrome is here and I don't even have the 🟣 belt... I'm hanging in there. Edit: White belt for about 3 years... blue belt for two now... fast approaching purple 💜

[@tonyb.3902]

So my experience was, I tried doing this at 50 years old and within eight months, I pulled my hamstring twice and my calf, and my neck strained as well. I love doing it, but trying to compete with young guys being the oldest in the room is very difficult on the body especially at a heavy sparring school. guys would come in and start competing right away and start getting striped quickly which is another blow to my psyche. I left a one stripe white and then ended up going to a Gracie CTC center and I fell back in love with jujitsu. It’s just a little bit of adjustment because there is no sparring in their beginning program so I have to wait until I finish that and then there is open rolling but for me safety is a priority, so I say to all who I have quit because of injuries and being older I would take a look at a Gracie CTC center.

[@chonskeee]

Blue belt here….great video. Needed to hear some of this

[@SimplyHappy101]

I am still a bjj white belt, but have been promoted in Japanese Jiu Jitsu. The hardest thing for me to learn was that the belt doesn’t make you better. It’s the time on the mats!

[@808BJJ_Black_Belt]

I agree it’s very sad when blue belts quit. Every level up is a new challenge so don’t give up reassess make new goals and keep training 😎🤙🏻

[@AlecBaulding]

💪🏾

[@AntoineFabri]

Training "6 months to a year at wb and then you make it to blue belts". Man I'm 1.5 years at wb and see myself get it in another 1.5. 6 months seems really short to me.

[@BobBob-il2ku]

It took me almost 3 years 3 days a week

[@bobbydabutcha]

For me at middle Blue belt I need to keep it playful and don't be so hard on myself. Plus, whatever developing skill set I am working on is simply NOT enough to control and defeat; another with a sizeable advantage (50-100lbs.+ advantage), any sort of previous grappling experience, life long wrestlers, super strong and athletic cross-fitters, someone with better skill sets at White belts.

[@shatrack]

love how I get recommended these videos when I haven't trained in a while....

[@AceBoogie_]

Great vid bro. I think a lot of people join BJJ purely for self defence reasons. A good, athletic blue belt will do well against most people their size in the street. So from that point of view it’s mission accomplished.

[@lastmanstanding5423]

Yep... that's how I see it. Blue belt level skill for the ground is plenty enough. I'd rather invest time and effort in wrestling and then boxing. Also to a "blue belt" level. And when I finish with that... just do calisthenics or hit the gym.... something to keep me in shape with the less chance of injury. All black belts have a whole collection of permanent injuries.... the type of injury that you start feeling for real in your 60s onward. Don't need that.

[@af4396]

I wouldn't say mission accomplished (as in, stop training now). I've seen blue belts, and higher, take even just a couple of months off and the rust is real. If you do anything for the purpose of self-defense, it's an ongoing thing. You need to stay fresh, you need to keep that muscle memory, and you need to refine so that in a real confrontation, you're not wasting precious time, but you really know what you're doing.

[@pinkydavis6113]

It took me twenty years to become a black-belt because I kept quitting and restarting. Everyones got to do it their own way. Lots of lessons about perseverance within BJJ training.

[@tededo]

Love to read your whole story. Please. 20 years ???!!! Wow. When do instructors began to promote you ?

[@pinkydavis6113]

@@tededo Professors want to see you showing up day after day. People who do that will always begin to dominate when it’s time to roll. Just do it in a way that’s controlled and helpful and you’ll have a darker color around your waist in due course.

[@user-sg8kq7ii3y]

@@pinkydavis6113 Better yet, don't even worry about what belt you have around your waist, and just train.

[@tonio9672]

Did you have some type of injury during those twenty years?

[@pinkydavis6113]

@@tonio9672 No, just a career with rotating shifts and a divorce. .

[@af4396]

As a "advanced white belt" I feel like there's no shortage of things to learn. Whether that's getting good at open guard and guard retention (and I mean good, against colored belts, not "good" against other white belts), or whether they're small things like "Oh, to make this choke more effective do this and that, and move your hips with it" or "when you roll out of mount, make sure they don't continue rolling you into mount AGAIN" lol. And then there's takedowns. Unless you're a prior wrestler or Judoka, I really doubt you've made any decent takedown progress in your time as a white belt. How many good throws do you have in all directions, that you can actually pull off? For me, I feel like the hardest thing about blue belt will be my mindset and my physical limitations (and having to probably swallow losses against good white belts lol)... but definitely not a shortage of things to learn.

[@user-sg8kq7ii3y]

Why do people make SUCH A BIG DEAL about "Why do people quit jiu-jitsu?" or "Why do people quit at blue belt?" etc? People quit Zumba class. People buy fishing gear, use them for a few months, then never use them again. People start college, then quit. People start a new job, realize it's not for them, and they quit. People get married and divorce. People go into business with a partner, realize it won't work out, so they split up. People start jogging programs at the start of the new year, and they quit by March. People go out and buy stationary bikes or treadmills for their homes, and in three months time, they're no longer using them and now hanging their laundry on them. So my point is that people quit jiu-jitsu for the EXACT SAME REASON they quit other things in life: They no longer want to do it. Jiu-jitsu isn't special. It's like any other activity.

[@chocolateshogun2511]

What’s positive reinforcement and feedback? So they’re not just suppose to sit on their phone half the class?

[@danieldelanoche2015]

For me it was because I severely injured my back because of a very...inconsiderate training partner and it just hasn't been the same since

[@Leopar525]

A blue belt broke my rib with illegal body lock when I was a white belt. And it was a friendly sparring……

[@danieldelanoche2015]

@L P what do you mean by "illegal body lock"? Also, man that sucks.

[@g4mm4io]

After 2.5 years of training multiple times a week, I'm still a white belt. Although I was motivated for the first 12 months, I wonder if I'll ever get promoted.

[@viking_sasquatch]

Currently I'm a 4 stripe purple belt. Having purple for going on 13 months now. I was a blue belt for 13 months, white belt for 6 months. I've seen a lot of people come and go. A lot of people quit right after getting blue. I've never really understood it other than u just gotta love the grind. I makes my day to go train. But I only get to the gym 1-3 times a week due to life. But I watch a lot of video instructionals on KZbin every day. And I'm a visual learner. So I can usually watch a technique 2-3 times then pull it off rolling with someone. It's helped me tremendously. I'm not going to stop until I can't physically do it anymore!

[@mikelobao]

Something doesn't sound right here. You have been doing bjj for 2years and 8months and your just about to get up brown belt. On top of this you got achieved this by only going 1 to 3 times a week. I think your gym is giving away belts. Test yourself at other gyms to make sure.

[@viking_sasquatch]

@@mikelobao absolutely agree with you on my gym giving away belts. It's something I've worried about myself. But I do drop in other gyms for time to time. And I pick up private training with other black belts when I can. I've ducked promotions a couple times. I started jiu jitsu 15 years ago. Started nogi only for a couple years then took a BIG break (like 10years) then I just started back at it about 3 years ago.

[@mikelobao]

@viking_sasquatch Regardless, keep going. As long as your enjoying it, learning, exercise your winning. It's always better to be under promoted than over promoted.

[@tra1in1]

How many colour belts (blue, purple, brown) have you given out as a bjj black belt?

[@AlecBaulding]

I probably only promoted a hand full of adults over the years lol

[@justinjex1]

Most people quit. People generally don’t do things that are hard. This is the fundamental issue. Same thing with wrestling. Another issue is there are NO standard benchmarks. I am at 4 stripe blue belt for a while and there is no indication of when I can test or earn my purple belt. This seems to be the norm. I come from a great gym, yet there is no standard curriculum. I’m training 10 hours a week or more. I am fine with this, but I also wrestled my whole life. I think I understand the grind. Most people don’t know the grind, are willing to give what it requires and finally can’t see a destination.

[@bw5187]

@@tededo Thats not the point. . . wow. The point is to ensure you have a complete game and are actually at that level. But you want to goof off so. . . .you do it to yourself. And like you said, you don't care, so why should they?

[@JJDon5150]

@@user-sg8kq7ii3y Its an activity that requires a great deal of physical fitness, so IT IS a harder activity than most. How many 60 year old wrestlers do you see on the mats? Exactly. You're comparing an activity that requires brain power to one that requires physical fitness, which deteriorates with age.

[@JuanDiaz-tj4do]

I can talk about my personal experience, and why I always advice people to stay as far away of BJJ as they can: I spent one year and a half practicing BJJ, when I quit I was a three stripes white belt. The level of injuries in the classes were crazy, most people have to skip class most of the time for being injured, and I am talking about really serious injured. What made me quit was being hurt during class with an permanent injury (Yes, I an a cripple right now because of BJJ) and then being called a pussy by the instructor for complaining. Also the insistence of training every day (Sorry, I have a life) of training for competition (I have never cared for sports) or discovering all the "selling points" of BJJ (Gracies created the guard, 90% of fights end in the floor, it is safe for practice, is technique and not strenght) are just a bunch of lies. I simply once day discovered that I hated going to class and I stopped going. Today I wish I had never entered a BJJ school in my life. There are a lot of better things to do with your time, so stay away from it and do not fall for its lies.

[@nef-one8640]

Sounds like that gym had a toxic culture. There are lots of better gyms out there.

[@JuanDiaz-tj4do]

@@nef-one8640 Are you telling me there are no regular injuries in your school, that people are not supposed to go there every day and that the "selling points" of BJJ are not a bunch of lies in your school? I really do not care, I will never go to a BJJ school again in my life, I can guarantee you that.

[@nef-one8640]

@@JuanDiaz-tj4do honestly no, no one has been seriously injured the past year I've been training. We train hard but we give time to tap and don't crank submissions. We're trying to get better but not hurt each other. Otherwise we'll have no one to train with.

[@juanlopez154]

I respect your views, but if you are done completely with BJJ why are you still watching BJJ content ?

[@JuanDiaz-tj4do]

@@juanlopez154 To prevent others to make the same mistake that I did. And I also have curiosity about when the BJJ world is going to implode (It looks quite soon)

[@chutchings4795]

Great advice especially for an older grappler like me.

[@bujindork]

Should be why do young blue belts quit. Us older folks dont go through the ego thing as much IMO. We just want to remain injury free so we can make it to class semi regularly and train. If older folks quit its because of health or injuries.

[@localrudeboy4987]

How am I going to play the guitar with my fingers wrecked from playing spider guard XD

[@mikekassai]

In all honesty, blue belt is kinda all you need, beyond blue belt youre just training to fight other jiu jitsu guys. If youre a true blue belt you should be able to handle someone bigger than you without training. And thats what most people are looking for. And the sport aspect of it is just not spectator friendly so it fails to keep people as spectators either.

[@neon_belly19]

"6 months - 1 year"? lol you talking about BJ Penn maybe? 😂

[@Pabliski577]

I feel most people just want to be able to say "I know bjj" and leave

[@JohnLynch0]

Six months to a year at white belt? Umm 2 years usually,

[@tededo]

There are BJJ black belts who think about giving up sometimes ??? We never get more details on that. You guys keep a lot to yourselves. Tell us more. Please.

[@AlecBaulding]

I think most of us do haha

[@twinsunsurvivor8564]

been training 4.5 year 4 to 5 time a week im still white im confused , i give hard time to blue , purple and even brown on my lucky days still white. fuck their belt

[@nef-one8640]

Have you taken long breaks or changed gyms over the years?

[@twinsunsurvivor8564]

@@nef-one8640 never ever ... still at same gym I am a bit scare to go other gym. In used to mine. I know everyone and many new guy from other gym comes at open Matt. I just social anxiety a bit to go somewhere else open Matt

[@shaneshafer5324]

Sounds like you’re sandbagging pretty hard

[@twinsunsurvivor8564]

got my blue belt 2 weeks ago !! @@shaneshafer5324

[@markuslepisto7824]

I would actually love to see some EMPIRICAL data over thi matter. And of course I would love to understand the significance and this claim since there's lot's of shit people are quitting..🤷‍♂️

[@mordi2537]

Because blue belt is enough for 99% of self defence situations.Move on to Boxing,Combat Sambo,Cqc,etc.

[@ray5549]

This has been disproven time and time again, I’ve disproven it…..when the pure bjj guys come to mma practice they look like deer in headlights when they get hit

[@AyeJordan7]

@@ray5549he just said that’s why u gotta move on to boxing😂

[@MatthewMontgomeryUSMC]

Six months to a year?! Maybe for a collegiate wrestler… average Joe with average training tempo should take a couple years.

[@kajsilee]

2.5 years in white belt. Submitting lighter blue belts in practice. Sensei didnt even give me my fourth stripe. Whats up.

[@adrianprincipe2370]

Tell him straight up, give me my blue belt or I quit.

[@user-yh2km6dd8c]

They get tired of doing forward rolls!

[@drbaraka95]

imma quit the SECOND I get my blue belt.

[@DarkLight-Ascending]

Im eternally blue belt... Because blue is my favorite color. And i dont care about belt coveting.

[@radiantmind8729]

People quit because there isn’t a clear path to follow.

[@ifassnacht]

He said birfs

[@jujitsuman9934]

That’s when you people should quit 😂 spare yourself the life of pain.

[@falcosbejoboo2971]

Bjj charge a lot ($200), Bjj does not have sportmanship!!! Boo!!!

[@falcosbejoboo2971]

Have you seen the Bjj (Black Belt) got killed in Brazil (Cocky).

[@3tomnguyen797]

@@falcosbejoboo2971 he got killed after taking the guy down and then disarmed him and then gave the gun back to him and then got shot

[@3nt3rtain]

​@falcosbejo Boo!!! He was stolen from 1st. Then he physically dominated the thief... Then the thief, a COP, shot him 💔💔💔

[@Nethryllen]

20 dollars per month!

[@falcosbejoboo2971]

@@Nethryllen Where?

[@Neviksir]

Because coaches don't promote you

[@aikighost]

Boredom.

[@Godisahomo]

People may just quit because life gets in the way, people get bored, or they want to do something else. Nobody asks why people quit a basketball or softball league so why for bjj? I don’t get it 🤷‍♀️

[@chrisvillarreal2752]

The practicality outside the cult is useless after blue belt.

[@ablabla880]

6 to 12 month to get to Blue Belt? WTF man! What kind of BlueBelts are you raising? I train 5 times a week and have won 5 Tournaments and got mine after 2 and a half years and defintily didnt feel like I deserved one at any Point before that.

[@AlecBaulding]

Its getting tough at white belts now a days lol

[@justinjex1]

Time to find a new gym. Your doing it for the gym’s ego. A year is reasonable. 2.5, well that seems like they are stacking the white belts to win tournaments. You do you and if it takes 20 years to get your black belt, I am sure you will be excellent. Hard to justify having a white belt after 2 years in any martial art. Keep rolling

[@AntoineFabri]

I think blue belts are generally given after 150 to 250 hours of mat time. That's a lot to achieve in 6 months.

[@AntoineFabri]

I feel like I train all the time but counting everything, injuries vacations etc I'm under 200 after 1.5 years, and I feel I need a good 150 more before deserving a blue belt.

[@kevinbergman6830]

Coaches suck at promoting people and keeping them inspired.

[@JakeNukem3D]

I gave up right after getting blue. Got enough of the bjj cult. Every video is either cringy inspirational crap or a video on how to not train too hard, but every class is all gas, no brakes. Everybody just full on ego modes it (including instructors) and guilt trip you into burning yourself out in every session or else you're a bitch. Stop while you still have legs to walk with.

[@JakeNukem3D]

@@gyrated sure thing little buddy

[@JakeNukem3D]

@@gyrated people feel sorry for you and go light on you. Also pulling guard and stalling is not that hard. Now jog on.

[@JakeNukem3D]

@@gyrated i bet you're one of those attendance based brown belts. I competed. Anyway, good luck with your cult shit. I got better things to do.

[@JakeNukem3D]

@@gyrated i didn't want to be that attendance based brown belt who gets their ass kicked by competing blue belts. Fuck jiu jitsu and have fun.

[@JakeNukem3D]

@@gyrated i won't waste my time arguig with some hobbyist "brown belt"