Belt testing

[Andy Lopez]

I have known some people to do it in 6 to 7 months and have known others who take a year and a half to do it. Really it depends on who your instructor is my buddy who trained at another gym on the other side of town got a blue belt in 5 months. That was a combination of him just being really good and learning fast and the fact that that gym promotes partially based on attendance. My school doesn't do it based on attendance and even if you complete all the testing for blue belts they won't promote you just for doing that it is merely the minimum requirement to even be considered for promotion. Competing isn't required but it helps if your trying to gain rank but like Scott phillips has said, he has been a white belt for a year, competes, and has beaten 8 blue belts and still has not been promoted. long story short, unless you have an uncommonly short learning curve to jiu jitsu, prepare to spend on average a yearish as a white belt, but you may be able to get ranked faster if you have prior training just depends. My tip to you is if you want to rank faster, attend as much as possible, even if the school does not promote based on attendance they will notice your dedication if you train frequently, and correctly. No point in training a bunch if your technique shows no improvement. If your school offers a belt test, take it! Even if you fail it trying shows them initiative (obviously don't test if your no where near ready), OH and if your at a gi school, train with the gi 90% of the time. My school allows people to train no gi but if they ignore the gi all together they will never be ranked no matter how amazing their skills are. Most important of all, make it a point to form a descent connection with your master, most schools are crowded and it is very easy to be overlooked my the head instructor if you don't communicate with him frequently enough for him to put a name to your face.

[John Hickman]

Thanks for the info, bro. And yes, it's a gi school that I'll be attending.

[John Hickman]

Really, the trick is to go to class a ton. Eventually, you'll notice that you are tapping people more than you're getting tapped, you know everyone and notice when new people show up, people are starting to ask you for tips, you tell people things and they look at you like you have 3 eyes even though you pulled the same technique off on a 270 pound white belt 2 minutes ago (maybe even over and over again)... wait what the fuck? Did you just hand me a blue belt? That's how I've seen it happen alot.

Awesome. I know it's just a "blue belt" but I think I might shed a tear or two if I earn one. lol

[Art "ART OF WAR" Belarde]

Awesome. I know it's just a "blue belt" but I think I might shed a tear or two if I earn one. lol

Getting your blue is a big deal. It shows the amount of hard work and effort you put toward BJJ. Plus no one cares if they tap a white belt. They will be gunning for your. *evil laugh.

Took me 1 1/2 years to make blue when I started to wear the GI.

[Scott Philips]

Honestly, I think it's mostly about who you train with and believe some schools have much higher expectations of their blue belts. We also only have belt promotion roughly once a year and last time was in February where I got my first stripe. I honestly feel I am, at the very least, on the same level as many blue belts that I've rolled and seen in competition. That being said, I'm completely comfortable reppin my white until someone promotes me. If I win Naga Beginner in Feb that will definitely be my last white belt tourny no matter the belt.