A Snapshot In Time: Purple Belt

I recently got promoted to the rank of brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. As with any other thing I have accomplished in life, I immediately started to reflect on what I had experienced and learned from the previous level. It is my responsibility to my training partners and anyone else willing to listen to take those lessons and experiences and summarize the journey and its significance, rather than the belt itself.

So first things is first, I have viewed previous belts as more of a snapshot (or multiple snapshots) in time. They can help trigger the memories of the things you got to live through and accomplish. When I think of my white belt days, I think of all the time spend under somebody's high mount and my unnecessary desire to always want to invert. When I think of my blue belt days I immediately think of the BJJ Globetrotters camp and various seminars I attended and the ungodly amount of research I performed to improve. Purple belt was a different set of experiences though...

The amount of time I spent at purple belt was longer than the previous two belts, which right there tends to show that there were more opportunities of growth. This was the first time I traveled outside my immediate area to cross-train at different schools in the country. It was the belt where I started to get interested in learning how to teach. I experienced more desire to compete and managed to gain some awesome opportunities to display my skills in a few BJJ superfights. Most importantly I managed to begin to receive more enjoyment for helping my friends work through their problems and help them improve. Jiu jitsu was starting to become bigger than just me.

Traveling was something I always wanted to do from the start of jiu jitsu, but I had no idea how I was going to do it. My job had kind of forced me to travel a few times for work, so I figured I would pack a gi and ask the internet for any spots worth visiting in the area. With Virginia Beach, San Diego, and Washington D.C. being my work destinations, it wasn't hard to find some awesome places to train and meet some really awesome people. It never seemed possible to meet some legendary players in the game, but the longer you are in the art, the more people you know and the more opportunities you have to meet them.

And then there are the people that you didn't necessarily know about that you meet that are phenomenal teachers and athletes. It is amazing to find what talent is out there. But from place to place that I've had the opportunity to train at so far, the people are overall goodhearted. It's hard to leave those academies without having a big smile.

Learning to teach has been quite the adventure so far. As you may have read in my 'Learning To Teach' blog series, it is a completely new journey itself. The ways that you have to analyze movements that you just naturally do and find a way to present that same information to others so they understand is a very challenging and rewarding process. Time and time again I have already had to rewire the way that I structure classes and present the material. The research continues every day to produce the best possible opportunity for everyone to thrive.

Every class taught helps me understand the moves on a deeper level because I am forced to know the 'whys' and 'what ifs'. It is honestly a never-ending process and that impossible mastery is very exciting for me. Taking a lot of positions that I don't normally use and learn them to improve other training partner's game has also become part of my style of teaching. I cannot limit their growth just because I don't prefer certain things; it is a necessary thing for both me and the team to use to evolve.

Competing more frequently has also increased my confidence and my overall game. Forcing the development due to past performances and making sure to take every match as a learning opportunity is key for key the motivation at an all time high. I am constantly reassessing what works and what doesn't. A common trend is that I just need to work harder, and it's honestly been a huge factor in self-improvement. If you don't want to improve or win, it will be hard to actually do it. The mind is a powerful tool and when used properly, it can add a huge advantage towards your training regime.

The superfights added a whole new aspect to the competition game as well. They forced me to reevaluate the way I prepare, which caused a complete overhaul of my normal focus in the everyday training. Volume is key, but in quality and with consistency. If you don't train technical or for the length of the match, it'll be harder to perform that way. It's a natural thing to default back to your normal training when you begin to tire, so it is crucial to train at that pace and learn to adapt your game to avoid mistakes. My belief is that if you aren't always willing to train your body to adapt to its desired environment, you are setting yourself up for failure. Train the way you play.

I never had a plateau throughout my purple belt. I was always setting goals and working towards some kind of self-improvement. Between all the lists I'd make to accomplish certain moves and scenarios to all the cross-training and media that I filled my head with, I never felt like I was in a stagnant mindset. The constant movement kept me fresh and kept me hungry. All I would think about (and I still do) was how much I wanted to improve. I occasionally got discouraged, but I always found my way back to the path. You have to be willing to accept those losses along the way; they do not define your character, but how you react to them does.

There were some moments along the way where I felt the brown belt was almost here. It was a very sickening feeling to sub-consciously hold that belt with such desire in my heart. Many times I felt physically sick and I'd have nightmares about it. I felt like I was ready one second and the next far from it. It took me awhile to kick that feeling, but I never felt like it impeded my progress. My passion was to improve my skill beyond the means of any belt color, and it began to not matter anymore. It was an easy thing to say in the past, but I finally started to understand it fully within the past year. It doesn't matter how long it takes to move up, it only matters to keep moving.

I feel extremely grateful for all my coaches, training partners, friends, and family that have been so supportive of me over the years. They helped shape me. No questions asked. I could not have gotten here without their help. It truly 'takes a village' to get you here. The journey is far from over, but now more than ever I plan to use this promotion as a huge motivator to dive even deeper into the sea of improvement. Excited is not even close to the amount of positive energy I feel towards continuing this life time progression. I can only say that there is a lot more to do.

Brown belt is going to be one hell of a snapshot in time; I can already feel it.