The Brown Belt Survival Guide

"I remember when everything went to sh*t..."

Photo by Giselle Villasenor Photography // Circa 2021

This picture sums up my brown belt experience pretty well.

My hair is pink, my entire head is wrapped because I had a gaping wound above my eye, I was getting ready for the semifinals of the IBJJF No-Gi Pans, and I’m somehow still smiling and having a good time.

Brown belt was hard, but fun.

No.

Brown belt was a shitstorm. In hindsight, I think it was about growing up. However, I’m not really sure I’ve processed everything.

When I was a brown belt, I became a white belt in being a real adult. I finished college, started writing, became a Jiu-Jitsu teacher, and my life, as I knew it, changed forever. I placed in an ADCC Trials, won a $5000 tournament, and nearly destroyed myself in the process.

Brown belt made me think I knew everything, made me realize how little I knew, and it taught me a lot of valuable lessons that I couldn’t fathom at white or blue belt.

This is the Brown Belt Survival Guide.

Let’s dive in…