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The Long Journey to Blue Belt
What is the meaning of the blue belt?
The blue belt is the first belt in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, but within the Gracie family the time standards of when a person reaches the blue belt differ. In some Gracie family academies you may be ready to test within six months, but others will keep you on the path to blue for two to three years. Obviously members of the Gracie family weight the value of a blue belt differently than others. How do we look at the blue belt at Curran Martial Arts?
Following Grand Master Helio Gracie, "...a blue belt should be awarded to anybody who can effectively defend themselves in a real street fight" (quoted by Rener Gracie in the Gracie Combatives course). For us the blue belt is not merely the first mile marker on the long journey to the black belt, but also the "foundational" self defense belt. This is why it takes so long to achieve the blue belt at our academy.
Similar to building a home, your foundation in Jiu-Jitsu is the most important part of the structure. You can have a spacious and beautiful first and second floor, but if the foundation is poor the whole house will come crumbling down under the pressures of the elements. In like manner, you may have a great X-guard and deep half-guard, but if you haven't put in the time working and refining the basic principles of the closed, open and half guard, you will find your Jiu-Jitsu "house" collapsing under the pressure of someone with a simple and solid base. In short, your Jiu-Jitsu will only and ever be as good as your foundation.
I spent over four years attaining to a blue belt under Master Sauer. Although I had more than enough training hours logged in, I realized that the techniques required for the blue belt exam would be tested every time I stepped on the mat and possibly on the street. I still find myself polishing the techniques within the blue belt category.
The blue belt curriculum has everything you need to defend yourself and build a solid foundation. Escapes from headlocks, simple and effective guard passes and devastating submissions. Each technique conforms to the following:
1. The principle of "Maximum efficiency and minimum effort." This axiom from Jigoro Kano is preeminent in Jiu-Jitsu; we push when pulled and "give to get".
2. The priority of self-defense. For example, the "Reverse Dela Riva" is a brilliant guard position, but would prove disastrous if your opponent could punch. As Pedro Sauer Black Belt Matt Strack liked to remind us, it is not primarily "Jiu-Jitsu vs. Jiu-Jitsu" but "Jiu-Jitsu vs. the world".
Jeff Curran lives this out in the cage and on the mat. Not all of the Big Frog's opponents have Jiu-Jitsu at the core. Many are wrestlers or Thai Boxers who cross train in Jiu-Jitsu. Training "Jiu-Jitsu vs. Jiu-Jitsu" only does not prepare you for a real encounter. You sometimes see this when a new student comes and moves like an inexperienced brute, but because they do not move "right" the upper belt has trouble controlling them. The Blue Belt curriculum is the foundation for "Jiu-Jitsu vs. the world." It's movements are "one size fits all" (any body type can do them) and designed to work against people who know Jiu-Jitsu and people who do not.
Where are you at in your journey? If you're a white belt be patient and make the most of your training time. When we separate classes and have you work on the basics, maximize your training time with proper repetition of the techniques we show you.
If you're a blue belt and above, keep refining the techniques found on the blue belt level. Years ago Rickson put on a "black belt only" seminar and proceeded to demonstrate a basic cross choke from the guard. One of the seminar participants complained about paying all that money to be taught such a basic move, yet he couldn't submit the other black belts in attendance with it. Rickson then proceeded to mount and submit each black belt with the simple cross choke. A deeper understanding of the cross choke is better than a thousand new moves.
In 2010 we will test another cadre of candidates for their blue belts. The test will be technically rigorous and display the meaning of the blue belt: a growing proficiency in the basics and growth in the virtue of perseverance. Please congratulate them when you see them.
Thoughts for the Journey,
Adam
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