By Bethany-May Rowe
If you train Jiu-Jitsu, you’ve probably wondered: What does it actually take to get my blue belt? I came into BJJ from a football background. In football, there are no belts, just leagues, scoreboards and whether you’re in the starting eleven. Your place is crystal clear.
So stepping into a sport where your ability is graded felt strange. Stranger still was realising there’s no standard grading criteria for each belt. It’s subjective, based purely on your coach’s judgment. One coach’s criteria may look different from another’s. So when we inevitably ask, What gets me to the next level? There’s rarely a neat, one-size-fits-all answer.
From conversations with coaches and higher-ranked belts, I identified a few principles that most seemed to agree on. Here’s what they tend to look for when promoting to blue:
A Strong Defensive Foundation
Think about practicing:
- Guard retention
- Using technical escapes from mount, side control and back control
- Hand fighting, stripping grips, hunting underhooks
- Using positions like turtle intelligently
It’s not an exhaustive list, but these are core survival skills every white belt should spend good time on.
Build on Principles, Not Just Moves
As a white belt, memorising every sweep or submission isn’t the goal. Understanding why a move works is. Knowing the principle of off-balancing is more valuable than learning ten sweeps early on in your Jiu-Jitsu. Likewise, understanding pinning and control is more useful than collecting every armbar variation. When you grasp the “why,” it will show in your rounds and your techniques will work more consistently.
Start Chaining Positions and Submissions
The more problems you create for your opponent, the harder it is for them to solve any of them. Try threaten different submissions from one position. Chain positions so they’re always reacting. When you start thinking beyond the moment, to one or two moves ahead, you can start to play a more complex game, where you disguise your intentions.
Spar With Intention
There are no winners or losers in the gym, just lessons. It’s a place to learn, so go into each round with a purpose:
- Decide what aspect of your game to focus on
- Be willing to “lose” the round if it means developing new skills
- Put aside your A-game to work on weak spots
The gym is your laboratory. Test things. Fail, adjust and keep experimenting.
Consistency Is Queen
Coaches notice who’s showing up to classes and pay attention to how everyone is progressing. That doesn’t mean you need to train every day to be on the radar. Just consistently show up to the sessions you can make and set realistic goals for training that you can sustain long-term. Everyone’s juggling things in their lives, so do what you can, when you can.
Quality Over Quantity
Training with focus beats training on autopilot. It’s better to attend fewer classes with full attention than to grind yourself into exhaustion trying to make every session. When you train, be present. That’s how you grow faster.
Keep Going
Only about 10% of people who start BJJ ever make it to blue belt. Not because they can’t, but because they quit. On average, it takes about two years of steady training. If you keep showing up, you’ll get there. The biggest secret? Don’t stop.
The Bigger Picture
Blue belt is just an early milestone in what can be a lifelong journey. There’s no set finish line, no race. You’ll have ups and downs, times when progress feels slow and breaks when life demands it. That’s part of the magic. So if you’re a white belt reading this: trust the process. Develop your skills in these areas, keep turning up, and know that every round is moving you closer. You’re learning. You’re growing. You’re well on your way.
