Competing as a blue belt for the first time (BJJ)

[IJD1990]

I will be competing as a blue belt for the first time in about a month. I'm just curious about how different it "feels" competing at blue as opposed to competing at white. Competing at white was sort of spazzy and people use a ton of strength. I didn't do very well as a white belt because I was always sort of panicked by how crazy the matches got. Blue belt matches seem a little more technical and slower paced which is better for me! (from what I've seen anyway). Just wondering if anyone can attest to this.

PS: I don't compete a lot, just wanting to get myself out there and see how my skills stack up against other blues.

 

[raines513]

well, for me they were quite a bit more difficult, at white belt you can go against someone who has been training a month and cant even tie his belt right. At blue belt people generally know what there doing. So it depends, the matches seem to be more competitive which is a good thing.

 

[Commissar]

I find blue belts are a lot more gameplan and technique based, but the standard of blue belts still aren't, say, purples or browns.

 

[TeamKenpo]

Came on here tonight to actually make the same thread for myself. This saturday I will competing for the first time as a blue. I've been a blue for about a month. Sorry to kinda hijack your thread.

Anyway, I'm worried about a lot of the same things you are.

 

[NateTx4112]

I lost 90% of my white belt matches.

I won 50% of my blue belt tournaments. Just go out and do your best and learn from your mistakes.

 

[IJD1990]

I find blue belts are a lot more gameplan and technique based, but the standard of blue belts still aren't, say, purples or browns.

Good point. I haven't been a blue belt for long so I'll likely face other new blues as well as blues nearing their purple belt. I've never been very athletic or strong so technique and gameplan has always been my priority. Obviously matches in competition are going to be more rough than in training but at white belt it seemed like people literally wanted to kill each other.

I forgot to mention earlier, I used to cut weight to compete at 154 (with gi) but now I plan to just go at my natural weight class of 168 (with gi). I would rather have all my energy at 168 than be completely sapped at 154. Any opinions on that?

 

[TeamKenpo]

Good point. I haven't been a blue belt for long so I'll likely face other new blues as well as blues nearing their purple belt. I've never been very athletic or strong so technique and gameplan has always been my priority. Obviously matches in competition are going to be more rough than in training but at white belt it seemed like people literally wanted to kill each other.

I forgot to mention earlier, I used to cut weight to compete at 154 (with gi) but now I plan to just go at my natural weight class of 168 (with gi). I would rather have all my energy at 168 than be completely sapped at 154. Any opinions on that?

I think this is a good idea. Unless you're great at weight cutting or something.
For my very first tournament, I cut down to 181. It was difficult, and I was like a zombie.
Since then, I've competed at medium-heavy (194) and have been much more successful.

 

[IJD1990]

Came on here tonight to actually make the same thread for myself. This saturday I will competing for the first time as a blue. I've been a blue for about a month. Sorry to kinda hijack your thread.

Anyway, I'm worried about a lot of the same things you are.

Congrats on getting your blue bro! And don't worry, you didn't hijack my thread. I'm glad to hear that there are others out there with the same concerns haha. As new blues though, our instructors probably aren't expecting too much of us which takes some pressure off. I felt more pressure as a white belt trying to prove myself haha.

 

[IJD1990]

I lost 90% of my white belt matches.

I won 50% of my blue belt tournaments. Just go out and do your best and learn from your mistakes.

Good to hear. I feel like I never lived up to my potential at white belt so maybe blue belt will be better for me. I've been training smarter and doing my best to fill holes in my game. Let's hope it pays off!

 

[TeamKenpo]

I felt more pressure as a white belt trying to prove myself haha.

Agreed. He's probably expecting me to get owned but won't say it because I'm a sensitive guy. lol
But yeah, my last comp as a white belt was pretty close to my blue belt test. So I def felt A LOT of pressure to perform then.

I don't know about you, but in general I get really nervous for competitions. Without a doubt it hinders my performance. Hopefully that'll pass with more tournaments under my belt.

 

[IJD1990]

I don't know about you, but in general I get really nervous for competitions. Without a doubt it hinders my performance. Hopefully that'll pass with more tournaments under my belt.

Yup! I get extremely nervous and barely compete because of it to be honest. Luckily I have instructors who understand that nerves get in the way and don't judge my skills based on competition. I don't think I'll ever feel extremely comfortable with it, I'm just trying to treat competition as a fun experience rather than something stressful.

 

[TeamKenpo]

Yup! I get extremely nervous and barely compete because of it to be honest. Luckily I have instructors who understand that nerves get in the way and don't judge my skills based on competition. I don't think I'll ever feel extremely comfortable with it, I'm just trying to treat competition as a fun experience rather than something stressful.

Thats definitely the right mentality, and I'm gonna try to have that same energy too. Good luck dude.

 

[IJD1990]

Thats definitely the right mentality, and I'm gonna try to have that same energy too. Good luck dude.

Thanks man, same to you!

 

[JustCuz]

I lost 90% of my white belt matches.

I won 50% of my blue belt tournaments. Just go out and do your best and learn from your mistakes.

It's surprising... I've heard a lot of people saying the same thing recently - "I couldn't win a match until I got my blue belt"....

...I wonder what it is

And does that mean that there are a bunch of people who cleaned up at white belt but just couldn't make anything happen at blue?

These questions keep me up at night.

<edit> I should add that they keep me up at night because I can't win a match at white belt. Hahaha </edit>

 

[Allan san]

I look forward to competing at blue whenever i get it. i enjoy the more strategized level of competition in my gym than the 'hulk smash' of the white belt divisions. All the whites in my gym that I train with are all past their 1 year marks, so no one is a complete clown. catches me off guard at every tournament when i face that 3 or 4 dudes that is all over the place

 

[stile0]

I like competing at blue. I'm not a very good competitor as I have a 50% win percentage. I've been a blue for about a year and I have yet to get completely dominated (thankfully). People are a lot more consistent at blue and you can kind of expect what you're going up against because people have more developed games. White belt was just too crazy..

 

[yovan]

Pretty wide disparity of skill at blue belt.

That being said - my first comp at blue belt went better than my second. Just stick to what you do well and you'll be fine.

 

[Shadowbox]

just go out and fucking roll. Ya'll overthink this shit...