Getting Promoted in BJJ too quickly :(

[cugnao]

I think you should not worry if you feel you will be promoted too early, several parameters have to be considered:

- First your instructor/professor is legit for SURE

- The quality of the training, the BJJ teaching has improved over the years with the systematization of the drillings, as well if you train methodologically (example: positionnal sparring/technical sparring instead of hard sparring all the time).

- The empirical improvement of BJJ teaching, your teacher has already experimented high level competition and is a world class champion so he knows the extreme details and provide more accurate explanations in your native language than the first generations of BJJ brazilians instructors.

- your physical attributes and combats sports background: prior BJJ, have you been a judo player or a wrestler? Are you naturally fit/athetic/flexible/tall/strong/big/small/light?

- The consistency: we should estimate the amount of training not in years but in hours: depends of the number of hours in one classes as said previously, is it a class of 1 hour each or 1.5 hour each or 2 hours each? If we estimate your hours it could be like this:
if it's a 1 hour class
the minima 52*3*3= 468 hours
you 4/5 times a week 52*4.5*3= 702 hours

if it's a 1.5 hour class
the minima 52*3*1.5*3=702
you 4/5 times a week 52*3*1.5*4.5=1053 hours

if it's a 2 hour class
the minima 52*3*2*3= 936 hours
you 4/5 times a week 52*3*2*4.5=1404 hours

700 hours in only 3 years is a fairly good amount of time. Moreover you prove you can handle without any problem other blue belts opponent during tournaments.

I know this is a topic that is done to death, but I can't help but remain concerned over this.

At my academy, if you come and train at least 3 times a week, you will get your blue at 1 year and purple at 3 years, brown at 5, and black at 7 years.

I'm pretty consistent, train 4 - 5 times a week, and now as a 4 stripe blue I am basically 4-5 months away from getting my purple which makes it exactly 3 years to get purple.

There is no question my professor is legit as hell, multiple Pan am and even a Worlds no-gi gold. Countless smaller comp wins.

I've only competed 4 times so far, all as blue. Got a gold, two silvers, and a bronze. So I do all right against other academies I guess, but not stellar by any means.

At what point is getting a belt in BJJ too quick to be considered a fake, mcDojo belt? is getting a purple at 3 years a joke? I am hardly a phenom at all, pretty decent but nothing special.

Basically, based on your experience and thoughts, what would you consider as the most legit number of years to get to each belt? And any less than that number you would consider that person to be not as legit?

Speaking of normal people, not prodigies who compete and medal 12 times a year.

Thanks!

 

[cugnao]

Regarding your comment, I tell you the estimation of the amount of training hours in BJJ as a hobbyist of 40 years old working in a more than decent paid job, single and no kids.

I started BJJ in the end of February 2013:
- I spent 1 year and 5 months as a white belt training one or twice a day (1.5 hour per classes) 5/6 days a week so I estimated 515 hours and only competing twice before been graduated blue belt in August 2014.

- I moved back to my country so I changed academy, I spent nearly 3 years and 3 months as a blue belt and competing more than dozen of times (national and international IBJJF competitions in Europe) and I spent between twice a week to twice a day training per week (1.5 h per class) due to work / studies committments so roughly 972 hours before being promoted purple belt so 4 years and 8 months in november 2017.

- Actually I have been awarded my stripe on my purple belt in december 2018 after 335 hours training twice a day 3 days per week (1.5 hours per classes) , and I clock today 352 hours.

So I have roughly more than 1800 hours of training in nearly 6 years of BJJ, recently I have a narrow loss of an advantage against a IBJJF European medallist in the master category.

Of course, I have to train consistently because I am a lightfeather guys in my gym and an old lightfeather and I have hard times against junior blue belts who have 3 lunges and heavier than me but have 8 years of BJJ training (they are underaged to be promoted purple belt!), or against athletic blue belts in their 20s with 4-5 years of BJJ training but outweights me of 60-70 lbs!

The remark of the number of hours of practice vs the number of years of practice is true, a 48 years old BJJ purple belt and black belt of judo from another BJJ academy joined our team and he got his purple belt after 1 year and half of white belt and 2 years of blue belt as a hobbyist, each time I spar with him I tap him 5-6 times as he lacks some basics and as well he has far less hours of practice than me, 800 hours in 4 years of training vs 1850 hours in 6 years of training is a huge gap.
But be in his place, my purple belt new teammate is married, 2 kids and a job, and the age is a real significant factor if I was in his situation I won't be able to put 1800 hours in nearly 6 years for sure whereas many young practionners dropped BJJ even before the first year of training. Only a few human specimens can become a world class competitor.

But remember these things:
1) enjoy your training and have fun with your teammates and leave your ego
2) focus on learning and mastering techniques not earning a belt
3) don't get injured nor injure your partners
4) BJJ doesn't pay my food nor my bills

I just wish everyone stopped using years. I should have this rant autofilled.

1 year of 2x per week is not equal to 1 year of 4-5 times per week. But people measure in years.

And more doesn't equal better. In today's world- if it takes more than 2 years or so to get someone to a solid blue belt level- etiher the student sucks or the instructor sucks. "tough standards" in my mind usually means either shitty instructor, or old fashioned approach to not wanting to promote anyone to black belt so they don't open a gym and compete wtih you.

 

[dmwalking]

I know this is a topic that is done to death, but I can't help but remain concerned over this.

At my academy, if you come and train at least 3 times a week, you will get your blue at 1 year and purple at 3 years, brown at 5, and black at 7 years.

I'm pretty consistent, train 4 - 5 times a week, and now as a 4 stripe blue I am basically 4-5 months away from getting my purple which makes it exactly 3 years to get purple.

There is no question my professor is legit as hell, multiple Pan am and even a Worlds no-gi gold. Countless smaller comp wins.

I've only competed 4 times so far, all as blue. Got a gold, two silvers, and a bronze. So I do all right against other academies I guess, but not stellar by any means.

At what point is getting a belt in BJJ too quick to be considered a fake, mcDojo belt? is getting a purple at 3 years a joke? I am hardly a phenom at all, pretty decent but nothing special.

Basically, based on your experience and thoughts, what would you consider as the most legit number of years to get to each belt? And any less than that number you would consider that person to be not as legit?

Speaking of normal people, not prodigies who compete and medal 12 times a year.

Thanks!

I'm of the belief that you should trust your instructor. If he's legit from a legit lineage, and he's willing to put his name on the line with your promotion, the odds are that he believes you're ready. You're likely suffering from impostor syndrome. Just because you're not the best doesn't mean you're not good. Like I said, if your professor says you're ready, you're ready. Unless they're a fake BB.