In this article you will learn how to roll like a black belt!

Black Belt Mentality Concept 1:

Be Like Water, Go With the Flow

Counter to what many within the Jiu Jitsu community have been taught, I don’t necessarily encourage a style of Jiu Jitsu that places an emphasis on heavy pressure, or strength.

Why? Well, let me give you an example with a situation all too common among white and blue belts; Jiu Jitsu in general.

A white belt will get to mount, a seemingly dominate position. Once there, they will apply aggressive pressure on their opponent, as an attempt to keep them pinned on their back, unable to move. While this approach to Jiu Jitsu, and as the example dictates, may work for a period of time, overtime, it will fail to work as a means to securing dominance over your opponent.

In reality, this style of Jiu Jitsu, this mentality, can be very limiting for the person in the dominate position, which for this example, happens to be mount. Their ability to progress their attacks diminishes; they are concentrated on positional pressure and the use of strength, they are not water.

Secondly, for the person on the bottom, their ability to read the movement of the person on top increases. The increased pressure being felt from above is easy to read, its downward, linear and predictable.

Personally, if I give up mount or get mounted, I hope the person on top does pressure me; brute force is what I hope for.  In such moments, I remain calm; reading their energy and body movement. Because, as mentioned, they are easy to predict when relying on strength over technique.

Their efforts, unknown to them, are in reality helping me. However, if I’m mounted and the person on top floats, is light, and in a sense rides out the storm; they are water, and now it’s much harder for me to get out. They ride the storm. They counter my movements to escape, to secure any real defense. They, being more inline with technique and fluidity, have also increased their chance of keeping me on my back, and being a victim of their submission game.

To be like a black belt, remember to simply go with the flow. Approach offense, defense, in a manner that makes your movement, strength and strategy hard to read. The next time, as an example, when you have mount, try to keep your weight light, based and ready to move. You will have far greater success.

Black Belt Mentality Concept 2:

Abandonment in Jiu Jitsu is Ok

This concept is simple and will take you one step closer to the black belt level.

Far too often, whether it is in competitions or within class; I see students secure a position or submission attempt, only to end up losing it. Usually this happens because they get tunnel vision; focusing on the task at hand. They ultimately fail to see the bigger picture.

A good example of this, is with the arm bar. It is very common for someone to secure the grips needed for an arm bar, only to have their opponent clasp their hands together, stopping it.

For those not yet at the next level in their Jiu Jitsu game, they will try eagerly to break those grips, even if it seems like a hopeless task. They, as mentioned in the first concept, get tunnel vision; a limiting mindset within Jiu Jitsu. As a result, their grips have fatigued, their strength has diminished, and more importantly, their intended efforts and poor execution, have resulted in the loss of the arm bar.

There is however, a better approach, a black belt approach to this situation. Firstly, once the arm bar position has been secured, attempt the appropriate technique needed to break the clasp of hands from your opponent. Secondly, when attempting to break the grips of your opponent, only apply the necessary pressure to do so, don’t over do your force exertion; you must be your own judge of this.

If their hands are not breaking free, limit your efforts to a few seconds only. Then, transition to a follow up submission; perhaps a Kimura? Or, equally as strategic, go to the mount position; securing positional dominance. Essentially, with carefully planned abandonment; you can find yourself literal moves ahead of your competition.

This is what it takes to be a black belt.

Black Belt Mentality Concept 3:

Humility on the Mats Will Transfer to Success in all Aspects of Your Life.

With all honesty, I can say I have been submitted, defeated and even embarrassed at times over my years of doing Jiu Jitsu. And I love it. Because of those defeats, setbacks, I have learned to become better from them. And I have, both on the mats, and off.

Again, as with the previous concept, when I was looking at the bigger picture of obtaining my goal… the black belt, it let me eat those defeats and use them as moments of learning and personal growth. But this applies to anything within life, especially when we want something bad enough.

You have to be humble to achieve true success, whether a black belt, your dream job, house, car. The journey won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. Trust me. So many students have come and gone in my time of teaching/coaching and running a gym.

I would have to say, that the reason why so many quit after a short time period has more to do with their egos than anything. Sure they have moments where they become injured, or see little in the way of progression. I still face that as well. But, instead of riding the storm, learning to fix these issues, they simply quit. I can bet you, that if they can walk away from a hobby they enjoy or love, they will also walk away from other aspects of self-improvement in their life.

The moment something becomes difficult, they disembark from the ride. And, in typical fashion, excuses to justify their decision start. I have heard them all. To be a black belt on the mats, to be a black belt in life,  you need to embrace humility. Setbacks will happen. And true progress will only happen when you learn to move past them. You will get tapped, life will knock you down.

Just don’t let it count you out.

-RL