Fighter — cat_Lifestyle

Sorry guys and gals... there is no standard answer nor any magic algorithm that can tell you how often you should train Brazilian jiu jitsu. Everyone's life is different, and everyone's jiu jitsu journey is his/her own.

However, there are a few questions you should ask yourself to figure out how often YOU should train BJJ. Read on... 

How much do you want to? 

How often you should train will be dictated largely by your will; how much do you really want to train? Are you absolutely obsessed with the gentle art and want to train every day, all day, and only that for the rest of your natural born life? Or do you just love it and want to hit the mats a few times a week to get your adrenaline and endorphin fix, in between the days you do other things that you love? Either is fine, and completely normal, believe me. What's most important about this question is that you can answer it honestly and without any outside influence. Make sure you're training only as much as you want to, not as much as someone else wants or expects you to. When it becomes about what someone else wants, you'll quickly find your will to train deteriorating... and nobody wants that. 

How much can you? 

That first question will be significantly tempered by how much you can train. Maybe you have a full-time job and a family. Even if the will to train every day is there, your available "me time" is just not there. You have obligations, which is cool. Congratulations on being a successful adult. But because jiu jitsu is such an excellent vehicle for relieving stress, regardless of how busy you might be in your real life, you should make the time to hit the academy a few times a week... for your own health and sanity (which only has positive effects on your family and work relationships). Or maybe you do have the time, but you have physical limitations on how hard and often you can go. As someone in my 30s, I know that my ability to recover is not what it used to be, so instead of breaking my body to keep up with all these superhuman kids, I train less, but train smarter.

What are your goals? 

Then you have to factor in your goals. Do you want to be a world champion athlete? You're not going to do that by training just a few times a week. There are people out there busting their butts each and every day to make it to the top. You're not going to get there by cruising. Do you just want to stay in shape? You probably don't need to train seven days a week (unless you want to... or like me, you have a terrible addiction to sweets); four or five days a week is fine. Do you want to become a black belt in 8-10 years (that's pretty fast, btw)? Then you should be training often and consistently. If you don't really have any goals, and you're there just to have fun, you can train however often you feel like it. 

How do you feel? 

Which brings me to my final consideration: how do you feel? However often you decide to train, you should always listen to your mind and your body. Have you been training six to seven days a week, hard, and you feel like your 90-year-old grandpa when you get out of bed? Then you should probably tone it down a bit. Are you forcing yourself to get into your car because you feel like crap and you kind of dread going and getting smashed on? Don't go. If your mind and body aren't feeling it that day, you may not be able to perform as well as you can and you might get hurt, or worse, burned out. Of course, there have been times that I've felt a little "meh" and forced myself to go train, only to feel 100x better afterward and glad I did it. But there's a fine line, and you should make an effort to recognize where that line is for you. 

However often you train jiu jitsu, remember to always have fun.

Train on... often. Oss. 

If you're a jiu jitsu competitor, you've probably dreamed of landing a fat sponsorship from some big-time company, so that you can train full-time without a care in the world. That would be the life, right?

Well, not to be a buzzkill, but the percentage of BJJ athletes that can actually live off of sponsorships is depressingly low. That being said, until you become a celebrity jiu jitsu star, you can make your jiu jitsu journey a little easier - and cheaper - by seeking out a sponsor or two. It's possible... but you have to know how to go about it. 

Here are a few things to consider: 

Know Your Value

Bottom line: companies want athletes who will represent their brand in highly-visible ways, in order to attract more customers to their brand... basically, you're a glorified sales person. With that in mind, you have to analyze your value the way the company would. Are you active and visible in the jiu jitsu community? Do you regularly compete - and do well - at tournaments? Do you have a large social media following? Do you post regularly? These are all things a company will look for when considering their ROI ("return on investment") into your jiu jitsu career. When crafting your message to sponsors, you should be able to highlight your value to them, with numbers (of followers, of tournaments, of medals, etc.) if possible. Business people love numbers. 

Know Your Target Sponsor

It makes a huge impression on a potential sponsor if you know what their company and brand is all about. They can tell if you're just peppering the market with generic "Sponsor me please" messages. It's lazy, and it does nothing for your chances of landing a coveted sponsorship with that company. Instead, take some time and do your research. Aside from what they sell, what is their motto? What do they value? Do their values align with yours? Not only will this enable you to craft a more personalized message, it allows you to gauge whether or not you would be a good representative of their brand. 

Reach Out in a Professional Manner

Nothing makes my eyes roll more than when a "jiu jitsu athlete" posts a message in the comment section of a company's random instagram post asking for a sponsorship... usually misspelled and with poor grammar. And an emoji. Ugh. A sponsorship is a contract between you and the company, establishing a professional relationship in which you will represent the brand in exchange for money, gear, or services. Sometimes there is actually a physical contract involved. Does that sound like the kind of thing that can be initiated via Instagram? Granted, more and more companies are using social media to communicate with their customers, but you should at the very least send a well-thought, well-written and proofread direct message, either via email or the company's social media inbox (or both, for good measure).  

Follow Up

Companies, especially in the jiu jitsu industry, receive hundreds - if not thousands - of messages each day asking for sponsorships, or guidance on products, or returns, or any number of thing. Just because you took the time to send out a nice message once, does not mean they will see it and put it on the top of their priority list. It never hurts to follow up. Of course, don't be a pest about it... remember, they have a business to run, so they likely have a million things to do each day. But a friendly reminder a week or two later could mean the difference between not hearing back at all, and getting their attention. 

Think Outside the Box

We all want that fat, high-profile sponsor - like Kingz, Tatami, or Virus - but unless you're hitting it big at all the major IBJJF tournaments, the odds are slim that you'll land one of those. Of course, don't let that stop you from trying! But also consider some lesser known and up-and-coming brands, who would gladly trade some gear or services for some additional exposure. Also, consider brands outside the current jiu jitsu market. There are some companies that would love to step a foot in the door of a new and growing market like jiu jitsu. Don't be afraid to reach out to them. 

Sponsorships are out there, you just have to be willing to sell yourself and put the work in to get them. And always - ALWAYS - remember that once you do get a sponsorship, you are now representing the company. Be aware of what you say or do, because that could affect the relationship you have with your sponsor. 

Train on... Oss. 

Brazilian jiu jitsu is not one of these activities with a nice, shallow slope of a learning curve. On the contrary, you're going to get smashed for a good two or three months before you ever feel like you're getting a tiny little toehold of understanding. 

On the one hand, that's part of what makes being a jiu jitsu practitioner so special; because it is so challenging and so many people give up, sticking with it is a source of pride in and of itself. On the other hand, repeatedly getting beaten by anyone and everyone makes it hard to actually stick with it. When you're repeatedly getting smashed on the mat, it's less your body and more your mind that takes the real beating. If left unmanaged, this constant bruising of your confidence may set you on a path toward quitting jiu jitsu before you've even had a chance to realize how far you've come, and how much you have to look forward to in your jiu jitsu journey.

So here are some pointers on how you can manage your confidence when you're constantly getting smashed. Read on: 

Small Victories

Until you've gathered enough tools in your jiu jitsu toolkit, you're not going to be winning very many matches. Especially if your training partners are better than you are - and you should seek those out - you're going to be out-techniqued a lot. If you focus entirely on the outcome of the match, you'll easily get discouraged about losing time and time again. However, if you focus on the little things you do right - the "small victories" - you'll be able to see your growth, maintain your excitement about learning jiu jitsu and salvage your confidence. Finally passing the guard of a training partner that you don't normally pass, executing a perfect scissor sweep, or having the courage to throw up an arm bar from guard... those are all small victories; the things that you couldn't do before and now you can. That's progress, and you should be proud of that. 

Think Long-Term

Brazilian jiu jitsu is a marathon, not a sprint. If you're trying to become an expert BJJ practitioner as fast as possible, you are going to put a lot of undue stress on yourself to continually improve, and win, win, win. This creates unrealistic expectations, and when you don't meet those, you're going to become more and more frustrated, then maybe even quit altogether. If you remind yourself to think long-term, you'll be better able to take each day at a time and to keep yourself from obsessing about your perceived lack of improvement. With this long-term vision, you'll note that there will be ups and downs, but you're always moving forward, closer and closer to whatever jiu jitsu goals you might have. 

Choose Your Training Partners

As a female athlete, and usually the smallest person on the mat, I've spent many a training session - and still do - getting out-muscled. This is fine. No matter who you are, there will always be someone out there just a little bit - or a lot a bit - stronger than you are. That being said, I never shy away from rolling with stronger opponents, because it just forces me to be even more technical. However, there are some individuals on the mat that I just do not train with, because I know their goal is to win at any cost. They have no problem using their superior strength and/or technique to smash me mercilessly and without conscience. This kind of mentality is toxic for your growth, and death for your confidence. While they are under no obligation to just let you win, your training partners should acknowledge that you're just embarking on your own journey and have an interest in helping you learn. You are well within your right to choose those kinds of training partners, and say "no" to the others. 

Compete

Becoming a "competitor" is not for everyone, but I believe everyone should compete, at least once or twice in their jiu jitsu career. Win or lose, every competition is worth at least two or three months of training, because you come back with a better sense of how far you've come and what you have to improve on. It's hard to see your growth when you're always training with the same mat sharks day in and day out. When you compete, you face someone your own size and experience level, who may have never fought you before and doesn't know anything about your game. So the opportunities for winning - and therefore getting a nice little boost to your ego - are exponentially higher. Even if you don't win, you'll be able to see that, yes, you have actually been retaining some of this jiu jitsu stuff. Which is exciting and only helps to keep you coming back to the mat. 

Regardless of whether you've just started jiu jitsu, or you've been training for a decade or more, you'll continually have to manage your ego and your confidence. The beauty about Brazilian jiu jitsu is that no one is ever on top all the time. One day you could be the best in the world, and another day you could be tapping to a lower belt. It's important to keep in mind that it's "OK".

Hopefully, these tips help keep you moving forward on your jiu jitsu journey. 

Train on... with confidence. Oss. 

If you're the type of person who likes to master a hobby within months - or even weeks - of picking it up, Brazilian jiu jitsu might not be for you. In fact, jiu jitsu is not something that can be learned so easily. Additionally, it quickly becomes more than just a hobby... it becomes a lifestyle. For the majority of practitioners who make it past blue belt, it's as integral to their daily routine as brushing their teeth. 

BJJ is an activity that requires knowledge and practice, so obviously one might ask how long it takes to get a proper understanding of jiu jitsu. However, this is not an easy question to answer.

First of all, obtaining an "understanding" of BJJ is quite relative. The casual observer can gain enough of an understanding of jiu jitsu to know what a sweep, pass, arm bar and choke looks like. But when it comes to understanding the intricacies of a particular sweep, or how one position connects to another, then to another... that takes years of practice and dedicated implementation. For many, obtaining the coveted black belt can take anywhere from six to 15 (or more) years. Even then, many a brand new black belt has been known to say that their real journey of learning the gentle art had just begun!

For those who don't shy away from the long haul, getting a sufficient understanding of jiu jitsu is dependent on 1) how you define an "understanding" and 2) how you learn. I can't address your answer to number 1, but I can give you some tips regarding your number 2:

Be Consistent - An understanding of jiu jitsu - of anything really - requires the cumulation of endless hours of practice. However, if those endless hours are piece meal and inconsistent, you can be guaranteed to have a long, slow journey toward your next belt. Being consistent allows you to easily build off of the previous sessions and build a strong foundation for the next session, without having to go back and review something that you had forgotten because you took a few weeks off.

Identify Your Learning Style - Not everyone learns the same. While jiu jitsu is a very hands-on practice, recognizing how you learn will allow you to modify your individual practice to favor that learning style or supplement your in-class instruction with something that enables you to learn the techniques more easily. 

Study - As much as you'd like to - especially after you've gotten the "jiu jitsu bug" - you can't live on the mat. There's only so much hands-on training that your body can take before your overstrain yourself. So studying is indispensable to your journey. Luckily for you, many high-level professors and academy owners offer online websites full of video instructionals. And of course, there's also YouTube. 

Wherever your journey takes you, and however long it takes, know that your journey is yours and yours alone. 

Train on. Oss.

Now THAT'S the million-dollar question. There is no straight answer to how long it takes to get a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It really all depends on your individual journey. That being said, there are some things that determine whether your journey is relatively fast, or much slower than your peers.

On average, most jiu jitsu practitioners receive their black belt in anywhere from 6 to 15 years. For most academies, this depends on a number of factors: 

Time on the mat

Nothing beats time on the mat. You can't progress in your jiu jitsu career without putting in hours upon hours of time on the mat, and practical experience trumps any other kind of experience. YouTube Cowboys will not receive their black belt without time on the mat, no matter how many John Danaher videos they religiously watch. You have to be able to feel the technique, feel how it works or doesn't work, feel how it must be adapted depending on your opponent's movements or reaction. You can't fully learn a technique unless you apply it. Of course, there's something to be said about supplementing your jiu jitsu practice with study. Jiu jitsu is a physically intensive activity. Depending on how old you are - or even if you're a young whipper snapper - packing in too much jiu jitsu takes a toll on your body or causes burn-out. Exercising your brain will allow you to continually advance in your progress without compromising your body or your journey. 

Amassed knowledge

Every person learns at a different rate. Two people can be training for the exact same time, yet have a very different level of amassed knowledge. And that's okay. Everyone's journey is his or her own. It certainly doesn't mean one person is better than another... nevertheless, this definitely causes some people stress. It's hard not to compare yourself to others, especially when your homeboy that you started with is getting promoted to brown, while you feel like you're stagnating in your purple belt. The worst thing you can do is freak out and quit jiu jitsu. The best thing you can do is assess why you're not learning as fast and come up with strategies to help yourself improve. 

Competitive experience

It's no secret that competitors advance through their belts a lot faster than hobbyists. This isn't because of some inherent bias in the jiu jitsu community. It's because competition affords you an incredible experience to learn what works and what doesn't work, with opponents that are going 100 percent. I tell my students that every competition is worth about three months of solid training. Plus, competition gives your professor the best view of how you compare to others in your belt division. If you're getting smashed, obviously you should spend a little more time developing in your current rank. But if you're dominating your division each and every time you enter a competition, you're probably ready to rank up or risk being called a sand-bagger by the opposing teams. 

Professor's judgment

Ultimately, the decision lies with your professor. Even if you've been sitting on a belt for years, you're dominating your divisions and you've demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of the gentle art, you're professor just might not promote very easily. Or he or she might not like you (I've seen it happen). Or - God forbid - you had actually asked to be promoted. One thing that is ingrained into the Brazilian jiu jitsu culture is: you do not ask for your belt. Don't even give hints. If you ask, you've just added more time onto your journey. And to be really honest, if you're asking for your next belt, why are you really doing jiu jitsu anyway? Are you doing it just to say to the ladies "I'm a BJJ blackbelt"? Pfft. Get out of here. Then you don't deserve it. Sure, work hard toward earning your black belt, but don't let that be the primary reason you're doing jiu jitsu. 

Again, there's no clear cut answer to this question, but hopefully I've provided some enlightenment on how you might advance through your belts and one day - hopefully - achieve that prestigious title of "professor". 

Train on... Oss.