Being a white belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) can be daunting. You have to step out of your comfort zone and start at the bottom. You’ll start fresh and won’t know where you’re really ahead. It’s like sailing in the middle of an ocean without a map but without the actual risk.
That said, once you begin, you’ll find yourself wanting more. You’ll be eager to continue training to see more results. It’s an addictive feeling! So it’s definitely worth overcoming, although I know how frightening it can be.
Some things you can implement today can boost your progression rate and allow you to start seeing results sooner. Here’s a short brief of some of those:
BJJ white belts can progress faster by setting small milestones and focusing on staying consistent and dedicated to Jiu-Jitsu. Waking up early in the morning and heading to your martial arts gym—is difficult. So setting small milestones will boost your motivation since it’ll be something to focus on.
You’ll expect to gain results on the things you’re setting your eyes to. If, for instance, you set a small milestone to attain the first white belt stripe, you’ll be more motivated to get to training than if you set a goal to achieve the black belt, which can take upwards of 10 years!
But more on that later.
This is what this article will focus on:
- What BJJ white belts should focus on
- Tips to progress faster
- Common characteristics
- Q&A
- Reviewing novice BJJ mistakes
- Offering practical solutions to fix these mistakes
- Giving you a motivational boost
Without further introduction, let’s dive into the first section.
What BJJ White Belts Should Focus On
This first part of the article will cover specific things you want to focus on as a BJJ white belt. Focusing on these things will ensure you eventually attain the blue belt, a more respectable rank.
Likewise, focusing on these things will allow you to stay on track with your training. The last thing you want to do is head in the wrong direction. You can prevent that by maintaining your attention on the right things.
Let’s start reviewing them one by one (there are 4.)
Staying consistent
The first and most important thing you want to focus on as a BJJ white belt is staying consistent. This will also be the most difficult out of all the 4 goals you want to set your eyes on—because you’ll constantly be stepping out of your comfort zone.
It can be frightening to put yourself against more experienced and bigger opponents than you. You might be afraid of getting beaten.
But these fears will disappear when you begin training since BJJ trainees are incredible, encouraging people. They’ll help you stay more motivated by giving notes you might want to emphasize and making you feel yourself progressing.
However, you must put yourself out there before you reach that stage. You won’t understand many techniques and when you should use them, such as the full mount, Triangle Choke, and Kimura. Nonetheless, you’ll begin grasping them with time and experience.
Staying consistent in the first year is more difficult than in the following five. Therefore, you must understand that you’ll go through this relatively unmotivating phase. And you have to implement all the other tips to stay more consistent.
Let’s dive into the 2nd thing you want to focus on.
Learning the basics
The color white in martial arts symbolizes freshness, a new beginning, if I shall. So it’s only common sense that you must focus on learning the basics to stay on track.
If you haven’t built a solid foundation, how can you expect to learn and understand the more advanced techniques a year or two into training? A building will fall if it’s 5 stories tall and has a weak base. The same applies to your BJJ training.
You’re a beginner, and you should embrace that. Please never feel ashamed for being a white belt; you want to be proud of that, as it’s a sign you’re working to improve your current situation.
First, focus on learning the basic dominant positions:
Then, drive your attention toward learning the essential submissions:
And, of course, learn to pass the opponent’s guard swiftly using the following guard passes:
If you think that’s a lot of information, this will only be the beginning; you’ll likely learn more than triple the techniques in your first few months of training.
You can follow each link to read about each technique or move.
Starting to spar (roll)
The 3rd thing you want to focus on as a BJJ white belt is starting to roll more often. This can be a significant obstacle for many trainees, as they’re afraid of putting themselves out there and checking where their skill level is at.
However, sparring is the most beneficial exercise you can do in training. Competing will also be helpful, but it’s more for seeing where your skill level is at.
Sparring will give you a different point of view on what you learned and used in your training. For example, you’re more likely to use the closed guard more often in fights if you learn and train it more often.
So let’s say you notice that and want to use the side control position as well; you can begin to try and attain side control more often in your spars. Your grappling skills will skyrocket if you use sparring to better yourself that way.
You’ll also see what works and what doesn’t. You can then remove some of the techniques that don’t work from your roster (for now) and start using others.
This is why sparring is critical when you’re just starting. Don’t wait for the later belts to start sparring. Instead, begin rolling as soon as you feel just a bit ready.
Finding your real purpose
Alright, we’re in the last thing you want to focus on. Hopefully, you can take a few insights from this article’s part thus far to start implementing in your following BJJ session.
The last thing you want to focus on when you’re a white belt—is finding your real purpose for training. About 90% of all BJJ white belts quit before attaining the blue belt. So 9 out of 10 novice grapplers will quit before even making it to the 2nd belt, blue.
If you don’t want to be a part of that statistic, you better find your purpose. This is a long process. However, you can begin to reveal your true purpose by considering why you first wanted to attain a BJJ class.
Did you want to:
- Learn to fight?
- Learn self-defense?
- Better yourself physically?
- Better yourself mentally?
- Become a more reliable person?
- Become mentally tougher?
- Not care what others think of you?
These are all entirely valid purposes for training BJJ. The critical thing is that your purpose will fuel your consistency and dedication in the long term.
My purpose for this website, Blinklift, is to make more people interested in martial arts. That’s why I wake up each morning and write. I wouldn’t have been able to stay consistent for the time I’ve worked on Blinklift if I didn’t have this purpose.
Find your purpose and say goodbye to all consistency issues in the present and future.
BJJ White Belts – Tips to Progress Faster
Progressing through BJJ’s belt system is a difficult thing to do. It can take upwards of 10 years before you attain the mighty black belt. Indeed, a long-term commitment.
Committing to one partner in life is complicated. You always feel like you’re missing out, and that’s why some folks aren’t as consistent in their relationships.
So why am I telling you about my relationship problems, you might ask? Well, because it’s the same with BJJ. Many white belts end up not progressing in their relationships with Jiu-Jitsu because they never commit themselves.
Now let’s dive deeply into the 4 tips that’ll help you progress faster through the white belt in BJJ.
Tip #1 – Commit yourself to BJJ
The most reliable way you want to adopt to progress faster in BJJ and all martial arts is to commit yourself fully. That means that you should strive to adapt as much of your lifestyle to BJJ.
No more junk food if that makes you weaker in training. No more late nights and late dinners if that makes you gain body fat. You want to commit yourself fully to the craft of Jiu-Jitsu.
Doing so will allow you to: 1. learn quicker, and 2. see more results. And guess what? That will fuel your motivation tank to the full bar. How can you not stay consistent with such an abundance of results? Why would you quit if you’re seeing more results than your training partners?
Adapt your lifestyle to the craft of Jiu-Jitsu by implementing all the tips I’ll review in this part. So make sure to stay tuned for the following tips.
Tip #2 – Set small and big goals
The primary concern you should have is the statistic that says that 1 out of 10 white belts will advance further to the blue belt. An even smaller number than that will attain the more attractive purple belt.
However, that shouldn’t be your focus. Instead, your attention should be in the direction of staying consistent by setting short and long-term milestones.
Let’s start with your big goal, long-term milestone, or purpose. You want to find your purpose for training. What do you want to achieve the most? Set that as your big goal; always have a clear picture of this goal in mind.
You also want to set a few small goals or short-term milestones. These can be anything: losing body fat and becoming fit to attaining the next white belt stripe.
The important thing here is to set both short and long-term milestones. Unfortunately, most grapplers only set either big or small goals and not both. This is a critical mistake.
Following this tip will make you feel more motivated than ever to see more and faster results. I think it’s a win-win situation.
Tip #3 – Ask more questions
The next tip will be to ask more questions. You should have both short and long-term goals by now. It would be best if you also thought of ways to adapt your lifestyle to the craft of Jiu-Jitsu while committing yourself fully to learning and progressing faster.
This is all fantastic. But we also want to focus on the more practical things we can do, not just our mindsets.
We must always ask more questions, even if it makes us look stupid. We’re not stupid for asking questions; we’re eager to learn. But, unfortunately, many grapplers don’t bother asking questions, as they’re shy and don’t want to seem like they don’t understand.
Not asking questions because you don’t want to seem as if you don’t understand—is worse than asking questions and understanding what you’re doing. Understanding the purpose of the move you’re learning is critical before you even practice the technique or move.
If you don’t understand why you must strive to keep your opponent’s posture imbalanced when in the closed guard position, you won’t try and do that when you spar. And having an opponent with a straight posture in the closed guard position can be devastating for your win-loss ratio.
Ask questions, even if you think you might seem stupid for asking.
Tip #4 – Focus on the basics
Basics. We aren’t a fan of them because they’re the basic. We want to learn more advanced techniques and moves as quickly as possible. How else can I say that I’m a master of BJJ? I have to learn everything and quickly.
Wait. Breath deeply. No, really, take a deep breath right now as you’re reading these words. Your journey has only started; what’s the rush? You have many obstacles to overcome and many lessons to learn. So take your time building a solid foundation.
If you take the time to learn the basics and build a solid basis moving forward, it’ll be much easier to progress faster in the rest of your BJJ journey. Focusing on the basics will help you do just that.
I see an interesting mindset among novice grapplers (white belts.) Many seem to think that the basics aren’t sufficient to win fights. Well, let me tell you something. Basic doesn’t mean simple and straightforward; Mastering the Kimura, an essential move, can take a lifetime.
The Kimura is a submission you’ll learn at the beginning of your BJJ training (usually in the first few weeks.) And you’ll use it in the highest leagues when you’re more advanced. Roger Gracie once demonstrated his simple BJJ style, but it’s so effective.
Do you know why? Because his BJJ foundation is likely the best in the world.
Characteristics of a Typical BJJ White Belt & How to Fix
Alright, so we’re in the 3rd part of this article. Wow, how time flies!
This part will be all about the most common negative characteristics of the standard BJJ white belt. These can be tricky to fix, so I encourage you to read each attribute (there are 4) and implement the practical solutions I’ll offer.
Although these might be obvious, you must remember them to ensure consistency in your training to eventually reach the blue belt (and even more!)
#1 – Not asking questions
The first mistake novice grapplers make is not asking enough questions. I’ll be straightforward; you must ask more questions to learn more and progress faster.
Your strive should always be to broaden your knowledge as much as possible. Don’t think that you’ll seem foolish for asking questions. If you don’t understand something, ask it, and don’t hesitate to do so.
#2 – Not sparring
The 2nd mistake BJJ white belts make is avoiding sparring. Rolling is the most beneficial exercise, as it tests your skills.
You’ll see what your weak and strong points are. Can you hold the back mount and finish the fight from there? If your opponents always escape your back mount, it’s time to take a step backward and build a better foundation.
Sparring can be intimidating. However, it’s something you must do to progress faster.
#3 – Not trying new things
Not trying new techniques, moves, and positions is the 3rd mistake BJJ white belts make.
Although you’re focusing on the basics, you want to learn as much as possible. I’m not suggesting you hop to YouTube and watch BJJ videos for hours. This will only tire you mentally.
What you want to do is drive your attention in the direction of new information, but do so wisely. Focus on a few techniques and positions at a time. It’ll be better if you don’t learn the Kimura, Americana, Rear Naked Choke, and Lapel Choke all at once.
Learn them individually and then incorporate them into your style. You’ll see more results by working this way.
You’ll also be attaining the stripes quicker, which you want to strive for, as it takes anywhere from 2-8 months to achieve the following white belt stripe.
#4 – Doesn’t have a purpose
The last mistake novice grapplers make does not have a purpose. Having a clear purpose that’s also not only about you—will help you stay more motivated and consistent in your training.
How can you expect to wake up at 6 am and go to your martial arts gym if you have nothing to reach for? So instead, you want to have a clear purpose in mind, which fuels you in your lowest moments.
You’ll be a part of the statistic if you don’t have a clear purpose in mind.
Now, what should this be? It can be anything that might help you better your life and improve other people’s lives. For instance, you can protect your loved ones if you become an excellent, competent grappler.
Think about your purpose this way, and you’ll find it quickly.
The white belt is the time to find it, not later (because there’ll be no later without a purpose.)
How Many Stripes Does BJJ Have for the White Belt?
BJJ’s belt ranking system has stripes. The stripes are meant to boost your motivation, as it’s a small milestone you can aim toward. Each belt has 4 stripes, not including the clear color. So essentially, 5 levels you must go through before progressing to the next color.
There are 4 stripes in the BJJ white belt. Attaining each will take, on average, 5 months. As such, advancing to the blue belt will take approximately 2 years. However, depending on your BJJ gym and natural talent, it can take much longer or shorter than that.
What you need to do to attain the next stripe depends on your BJJ coach. For instance, some coaches care more about your mindset, especially in the white belt division.
However, others care about how you perform the basic techniques, such as the essential submissions and position.
But, it typically takes 5 months of consistent BJJ training to advance to the next belt stripe.
Why Do Most BJJ White Belts Quit
About 10% of all BJJ white belts will advance to the blue belt. Unfortunately, that means 9 out of 10 novice trainees will quit before advancing through. While I don’t have the statistics for this matter, I’m confident that most of them quit in the first month, if not less.
Most BJJ white belts quit because they don’t see enough results to fuel their motivation early on. The solution is to grind through the beginning until the first batch of results shows up. A suitable way to stay consistent is to set both small and big goals, such as attaining the next white belt stripe.
I encourage you to implement the tips I covered in this article to allow yourself to be more motivated throughout your journey. Motivation, consistency, and dedication—are the first step to success.
How Long Will I Be a BJJ White Belt?
Achieving a blue belt in BJJ may take anywhere from 6 months to 2 years. As a result, most trainees will quit before reaching such a rank. Additionally, BJJ’s belt system has 4-stripes for each belt color. Once earning all 4-stripes, you can advance to the next belt tier.
If you want to learn more about the factors that influence the amount of time you’ll be a white belt in BJJ and how to advance faster, follow this link.
Do You Have to Earn a White Belt?
Most BJJ gyms won’t have you earn a white belt, as it’s the first belt that everyone wears. There’s no BJJ belt color before white, so there would be nothing for you to wear, assuming you’re practicing BJJ with a Gi. As a result, your coach is likely to give you a white belt in your first training session.
If you want to buy the best Gi’s out there, follow this link.
Final Words
I love the topic of white belts because it’s so exciting! While new beginnings are always scary, they’re what makes us stronger.
You might fall in love with the art of Jiu-Jitsu, as millions of people have. However, your life will likely improve once you stay consistent long enough, approximately after a few weeks of intense training.
You’ll meet new friends, get fit, and learn to fight. I don’t think there’s a better way to hone yourself than training in martial arts.
And this is what this website is about. Blinklift is about allowing new people to get into martial arts and improve their lives. So definitely keep up to date with our posts by signing up for our Email Newsletter!
And if you’re interested in this topic, here are other articles you’ll definitely enjoy reading!
BJJ’s Belt Ranking System – The Complete Guide
You’re a BJJ Black Belt – Now What?
BJJ Brown Belts – How Dangerous Are They
The BJJ Purple Belt Paradox – Are They Even Good?
BJJ Blue Belts – Why They’re Dangerous