Blue Belt AKA Bullseye

2.5 years for the blue and another 2 years for the purple.
 
im a little nervous about purple I feel like a target gets slapped on your back as soon as you get the purple. As a blue I dont get it as much the whites definitely roll hard but being its still a novice belt I feel like the purple is when people really turn it up on you and judge your every roll
 
it depends alot on the competition in your area also . if the general level is lower you'll see the blue belt faster. in europe the gap between competitors and non competitors blue belts is incredible.
 
I can understand a higher belt pushing you a bit harder when you get your blue, but if a white belt goes harder against you then all I can say is that person is an idiot.

Funny how much ego is involved in this sport, but all you hear is how you have to put your ego away, and that sparring isn't a competition.
 
3.5 years to get it. I had been training for about 2 years when we became affiliated with our current instructor. Understandably, he took time getting to know us all and promotions came in time. I say understandable because as martial artists being promoted should be as much about attitude / maturity as it is about mat skill.

The first school I started at promoted at is completely dissolved now after a number of instances where mat skill grossly outweighed attitude / maturity. The former brown belt instructor was recently arrested for using his bjj to beat his wife and the reason we originally left was because a purple belt maliciously injured several white belts because he was upset about the divorce he and his wife were going through at the time. Those are just two examples, but you get my point.

I don't begrudge anyone who gets promoted quickly; just pointing out why I understand promotions taking longer some times - even for guys who train 10 classes a week like I do.

As for the bullseye, absolutely. Not every white belt acts that way, but a handful of the 6 month to 1 year ones do. The more experienced ones who are knocking on the door for their blue haven't acted like that.
 
The first school I started at promoted at is completely dissolved now after a number of instances where mat skill grossly outweighed attitude / maturity. The former brown belt instructor was recently arrested for using his bjj to beat his wife and the reason we originally left was because a purple belt maliciously injured several white belts because he was upset about the divorce he and his wife were going through at the time. Those are just two examples, but you get my point.QUOTE]

This is crazy.........
 
two years here, and yes, the friendly rolls are now few and far in between, now it's survival
 
There is a lot of truth in this. It's funny, because I use sparring not measure myself against another, but as a classroom to work whatever I am working at that moment. Which usually means I'm leaving myself open all over the place, but that's ok. That's how I learn.

Exactly.
 
Jasond, it's funny that you had that happen to you about the purple belt busting people over their love life.

I too had that happen as a 1 month white belt. Had a purple belt that was going through a messy divorce with kids and all, and decided that going to roll and smash all the noobies made him feel better. He hurt some people, and nearly fractured my elbow. It was really bad.

So...yeah...this stuff happens. Shame too. Thankfully, I'm no longer training with that person. LOL
 
shit, people are going from blue to brown in a month now, keep up with the times.
 
I'm still trying to work on my instructor on having thoughts of my first white belt stripe
 
i received mine in 6 months training about 4-6hrs a week
 
I can understand a higher belt pushing you a bit harder when you get your blue, but if a white belt goes harder against you then all I can say is that person is an idiot.

Funny how much ego is involved in this sport, but all you hear is how you have to put your ego away, and that sparring isn't a competition.

Exactly. That is the most annoying thing I read on here. About how I tap this guy or that guy. Go with the flow.
 
I think I will get mine pretty soon or at least my coach has been hinting to me that I'm due. However I am in no hurry to get it because IMO it brings on more responsibility and not just avoiding every whitebelt in the Gym trying to tap you...

Example: There is a blue belt in my Gym that tries to crush all the new guys in class and I have seen a few not return because of it. To me that is not the attitude to have as a blue belt. To me your supposed to try and keep them coming because it helps everyone when more folks are coming to class. Whats even more disgusting is when he rolls with guys his skill level he pisses and moans about what hurts before they roll and has an excuse every time he is submitted. Just a few days ago he was rolling with a white belt (Of Course) and he was elbowed in the nose. He jumps up, growls and walks to the bathroom passing all the heavy bags and punching the wall instead. Needless to say my coach got pissed and told him that is not the way a blue belt is supposed to act.

So I guess my point is there's also a certain maturity level that you should reach before you get your Blue belt so your not a total Douche to every new guy off the street.

And no, even though maturity comes with age that doesn't mean you don't deserve a belt because your younger then the white belt next to you.
 
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Exactly. That is the most annoying thing I read on here. About how I tap this guy or that guy. Go with the flow.

Sadly that is the way it is a lot. Makes it hard to try new stuff when rolling sometimes.
 
Jasond, it's funny that you had that happen to you about the purple belt busting people over their love life.

Same story here, except I was a 9 month white belt at the time. We quit that gym that night. Another purple there told me he had injured a number of white belts that night because he and his wife were going through a messy divorce, fighting for custody, etc. and that he was taking it out on a bunch of new white belts.

Actually, we didn't quit because of what he did, but because of the instructor's attitude in trying to cover it up / justify it. Of course, this same brown belt instructor is the one who was recently arrested for battery on his spouse and has since "retired" from BJJ (ie: no one will allow him to teach at their gym anymore).
 
Example: There is a blue belt in my Gym that tries to crush all the new guys in class and I have seen a few not return because of it. To me that is not the attitude to have as a blue belt. To me your supposed to try and keep them coming because it helps everyone when more folks are coming to class. Whats even more disgusting is when he rolls with guys his skill level he pisses and moans about what hurts before they roll and has an excuse every time he is submitted. Just a few days ago he was rolling with a white belt (Of Course) and he was elbowed in the nose. He jumps up, growls and walks to the bathroom passing all the heavy bags and punching the wall instead. Needless to say my coach got pissed and told him that is not the way a blue belt is supposed to act.

What a horrible attitude. When I roll with white belts, especially new guys, I consciously work defense WAY more than I do offense. I'll let guys pass, get me in really bad positions (like side control with both of my arms out of position), work subs, etc. That way I get to work on my defense AND they get to see the big picture instead of just trying to survive the whole time.

If they constantly make the same mistake despite being told, then yeah, I'll sweep or sub them. Or if the roll's been going for a while and I've been defending for most of it, then I'll work some offense. But even then, I'm not trying to crush them unless it's the kind of new guy who's going way too hard and needs to be taught to understand how to tune it down a notch when rolling.


On the flip side, when I first got my blue, I worked ZERO offense on white belts (new or not). I guess without thinking about it, I was subconsciously being way too meek because I didn't want to be like the guy you mentioned. Eventually, I recognized what I was doing and got back to that happy middle ground when rolling. Another blue that got promoted right after me said that he had done the same thing; trying so hard not to be a "bully" that you go too far the other way and roll too easy with white belts.



So I guess my point is there's also a certain maturity level that you should reach before you get your Blue belt so your not a total Douche to every new guy off the street.

And no, even though maturity comes with age that doesn't mean you don't deserve a belt because your younger then the white belt next to you.

Totally agree. This is what I was talking about earlier when I said that promotions should reflect more than mat skill and also include attitude, maturity, etc.
 
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