Stereotypes

Stereotypes exist in BJJ for a reason, as much as we hate to admit it. And although some people get a harder rep for it than others (i.e., the heavyweight white belt dudes), everyone is guilty of these behaviors, it’s just that many times women are smaller with less muscle mass and therefore can be a bit easier to control than the body builder exerting all of their force. Do blue belts truly quit more than any other rank? Are purple belts notorious for skipping warm ups? Have white belts really solidified their spastic technique? Are all brown belts training while their bodies are pretty much held together with Elmer’s glue? While true, not everyone falls neatly into place in the expectations and prejudices of each belt, the majority due happen to bear semblances of the stereotype set forth for them. I will be the first to admit that I have been incredibly guilty of many of these stereotypes, and even cringe to myself thinking about some of the things I said and did. I’m just glad these online forums weren’t quite as popular in my early days of BJJ. Let’s break down the stereotypes by their respective belt ranks, and delve into a bit deeper of what they all entail.

Oh, white belts, often discriminated against when it comes to free rolls, but mostly for good reason. You do not yet understand all of the ramifications that occur with a micro-movement of your body, should you choose the “incorrect” way to maneuver your limbs when executing a move. As a white belt, you don’t know what you don’t know and everything that is happening to you causes lots of confusion as you can’t fully grasp how you are ending up in negative spots. You spend most of the time on bottom, tapping often, gasping for any semblance of oxygen, trying to convince your brain not to panic, and trying your hardest to learn how to survive. Even when you know you’re in a safe gym environment, your body is being put through things it is unfamiliar with and tends to resort to instinctual flailing and ripping for self-preservation, which can actually cause further injury as seen recently in the press. This is why it can make it somewhat dangerous rolling with them. The confusion coupled with the strength is a risky gamble, and we were all once the person using strength over prowess, flailing and jerking around and being the person others avoided until we learned more and adapted. Very grateful to the skilled upper belts who took the time to teach and the patience to allow those skills and techniques to develop and help control the pace of the roll.

Now when it comes to blue belt, to be perfectly honest, I have more fear of being injured rolling with them than even white belt. At blue belt, you know a little bit of Jiu Jitsu, not enough to be thoroughly proficient, but enough that you can kind of figure out where things are going and how to set up some attacks and escapes. At blue belt, you also tend to develop a bit of an ego when it comes to outranking the white belts and being better than them, often trying hard to “win” every role and prove your worth. When I was a blue belt, I cringe now thinking about how I had no idea when people were basically playing with me and going much lighter than their actual skill level would indicate. I would often think to myself that they were ‘okay’ at Jiu Jitsu, but not as good as some people exclaimed. I also thought to myself that “now I know things” and I would try so hard to show that with every roll, often hurting more than I was helping; especially with ‘advice.’ Little did I know I was just too ignorant to perceive the skill level of those going light with me. They could have obliterated me at a moment’s notice and I was too green to have any idea. Blue belts also love to ‘teach’ the newer belts, because they often think they know much more than they actually do. Once they hit about 3 stripes on that belt, they begin to understand much more.

Purple belt is such a wonderful phase of growth, learning your game, and flourishing under a bunch of different instructors. At purple belt, you are quickly humbled by the skills and finesse of the lower belts, but simultaneously achieving new levels of feat with the upper belts. I competed quite often at purple belt, securing some truly outstanding finishes but also some devastating losses. I really began to hone in my game at purple belt, and started developing the kind of grappler I was striving to be. Even now, my rolls that feel like a constant battle mixing both cerebral capabilities, speed, and agility are always with purple belts. And yes, they often do meander in late to the gym, magically just after the warm ups have taken place. Then they become brown belts, where they not only now have their game plans fully developed, but also have learned the skills necessary to shut down someone else’s game plan so that theirs may reign supreme. The brown belt, where they are often both wise and withered, nursing injury after injury but ignoring the voice in their head telling them that it is probably wise to rest and pushing through anyway, aggravating their joints and ligaments even further. Brown belt is often just a hair’s breadth away from black belt. You have now fully understood your game and are just working on fine-tuning it before that coveted black belt gets tied around your waist.

Finally, the black belt. What stereotypes come with that new color? Perhaps wizardry and mastery of the art? False. I have been a black belt for approximately 3 weeks now, and I am utterly devastated at the lack of new prowess to just randomly envelop my body and course through my veins. Still the same old Sam, trying as hard as ever, maybe floundering a bit less, and still, always learning. There are so many levels to black belt as well, as it is the only belt to formally award degrees based on length of time and duration of that belt versus instructor’s discretion and attendance. I will now be competing against people who have the possibility of being a black belt for well over a decade, twice as long training as I have, and with much more knowledge as well. I have watched my husband compete against 5th degree black belts, those who have been training Jiu Jitsu longer than I have been alive. I went from swimming in a pond, to diving in the ocean. At least I have a life jacket to help me float, but that pales in comparison to the scuba equipment some of those expert black belts posses. Luckily I will keep training, keep learning, and keep trying my hardest to be better. Perhaps the most important stereotype of all of us BJJ practitioners is the almost obsessive love we have for the sport, the respect that goes into earning each rank, and the strong bonds and friendships we build along the way.

The face you make when you discover black belt grips are way stronger than previous belts

Jumping into the black belt pool