The Purple Belt Survival Guide

A mega-guide to my favorite belt in BJJ.

2019 IBJJF No-Gi Worlds — Anaheim, CA

For me, purple belt was the most fun belt in Jiu-Jitsu (besides black belt).

I always joke that blue belt was a bit traumatic — injuries, heartbreaks, mental health issues, and dealing with the existential directionlessness of being 19 — but purple belt was the time when I made the best memories of my early 20s.

I was traveling to new cities constantly, competing against people from all over the world, winning medals, going on adventures, meeting new friends, and growing up. It was an amazing time.

However, purple belt isn’t the most fun belt for everyone. Not everyone is willing to do what’s necessary to truly thrive at purple belt.

See, purple belt is the Goldilocks belt. It’s the happy medium between being a real grappler and not knowing anything at all.

Being a purple belt is like being a newlywed (I think?) — you know quite a bit about love and you’ve gained quite a lot of experience, but deep down, do you really know how to play the long game? Have you really experienced pain and struggle?

Purple belt is the test.

How much can you truly struggle in the first few years of getting your blue and purple belts?

The answer is quite a lot, but it’s also not at all. You know something, but you don’t know everything.

For me — someone who’s always had a great deal of anxiety about expectations, this was incredibly freeing.

At purple belt, I thrived on the absence of expectations. I threw myself into competition as much as I could. I spent all my money on competing and traveling and trained with as many of the toughest people as I could. I was also a kid still and didn’t have many responsibilities, but today I’m going to show you how you can make the most out of your purple belt experience regardless of where you’re at.

At purple belt, I also made the decision that Jiu-Jitsu was something that I wanted to pursue “full-time”. I graduated college, began writing online, and began chasing the writing and Jiu-Jitsu dream that would shape my life over the next few years.

About 5 years in, we’re still going.

Lastly, at purple belt, I won a no-gi World Championship. This win would change the way that I think about Jiu-Jitsu, my development, and my future goals.

Purple belt is about experience, investment, and immersion — and that’s what we’re talking about today.