Jiu-Jitsu

BJJ Brown Belt aka Faixa Marrom

By Ruben Avila · January 25, 2016 · @RubenEAvila

brown belt in jiu-jitsu — A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist. – Louis Nizer

Saturday, December 5th I was promoted to brown belt.

It’s taken quite a while for me to sit down and finish this post for many reasons, but, on the bright side, I think it’s helped provide me more time to reflect on the emotions surrounding this achievement at the heraldry of our academy’s winter promotions.

It was a borderline bizarre experience for me to ascend to the rank of brown belt. One belt away from the end, which is, ironically, consistently referred to as the beginning.

What the fuck.

REALLY?

I digress…

I took a keen interest in the martial arts since I was but a wee bit lad.

It’s pretty common for most boys to develop an affinity for martial arts movies and the like. Something about innate male behavior or some such, perhaps. Even still, growing up through childhood, pre-adolescence, and through adolescence, I didn’t actually think I would ever become a martial artist.

If I’m being honest, I feel weird describing myself as a martial artist. Although to be fair, I feel weird describing myself in any manner at all, except handsome AF.

I kid, I kid.

Yet, here I am today. A martial artist. One rank away from becoming a black belt. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. A very long, tumultuous, painful tunnel filled with highs and lows and what not, I tell you.

What a ride it’s been.

My goodness, how things have changed on and off the mats from the beginning. It’s pretty fascinating to ponder the periods in your life and how they coincide with each belt rank. For me, it is, anyway.

A lot has changed from when I was promoted to purple belt.

And, that’s just one rank to the next. C’est la vie, I suppose.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What Does it Mean to be a BJJ Brown Belt?

A BJJ brown belt is the penultimate rank in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and last of the colored belts. It is fair to say that a brown belt in BJJ is commonly perceived as an advanced Jiu-Jitsuoka (or Jiu Jiteiro).

At this level of rank, one should be able to express technique with an unconscious competence.

That is, your body can react without you thinking. To the layman, or person who doesn’t train in the martial arts, that may sound cooky to you. But, if I had to try to illustrate it for you, I would say, you know those “scare punch” videos you see on YouTube?

Well, that’s an immediate yet unconscious reaction.

Similarly, a brown belt in BJJ should have a number of techniques that have been etched into his brain through a combination of in-numerous repetitions and live sparring, and some of these techniques have become so deeply integrated into this person’s brain that he can access them without actively thinking about it.

Would a BJJ brown belt win any and all street fights he entered? I would hesitate to say yes with absolute certainty, but people would be surprised what is possible. Like Ryan Hall eloquently said, “In Jiu-Jitsu, people don’t think it be what it be. But, it do.”

Against an untrained individual, a brown belt could end a confrontation swiftly and without damage (if they wanted to) even if the person was bigger and stronger. More importantly, though, by the time someone reaches brown belt, they should no longer be attached to any superficial need to prove their might and should avoid a physical confrontation as much as possible.

'In Jiu-Jitsu people don't think it be what it be. But, it do.' - Ryan HallClick To Tweet

How Long Does it Take to Get a Brown Belt in BJJ?

The amount of training time required to reach the rank of brown belt typically dwarfs that of other traditional martial arts in pursuit of their respective similar rank. In BJJ there is no black belt for kids like other programs out there. The ranks are clear, few, and difficult to attain.

From what I’ve gleaned, it appears that each promotion is about two to two and a half years for the average person that trains consistently. It is said, on average, it takes ten years to reach the rank of black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Your mileage may vary.

For me, actual training time on the mats, it has been about six years more or less.

If we’re talking about calendar time elapsed from my first day of training until now, it would be eight years.

Yeah, I took a couple of long breaks. I know.

How Long Does it Take to go From Purple Belt to Brown Belt?

At the point receiving my purple belt, I had 128 check-ins to my academy on Foursquare. I’ve been pretty consistent checking in; although, I might have missed some here and there sporadically and I didn’t check in twice when I would train more than once a day. Lastly, this won’t show how many times I’ve visited other academies. I’m too lazy to look that up. But, the day of my brown belt promotion, I had 441 check-ins at my academy.

That’s a difference of 313.

So, looking at it exclusively from a quantifiable standpoint, I had at least 313 training sessions in my transition from purple belt to brown belt.

Conservatively speaking, I put in over 600 hours of mat time to promote to brown belt from purple belt.

However, for a small period of time, I was training all day. In fact, for a period of time, I was doing the morning class, teaching the kids class, doing the pm class, and staying for comp team training thereafter. And a random Judo class, here and there, I would do in between teaching the kids class and doing the adult training class during that period.

Is that a lot? I don’t know. Given that there are 365 days in a year, 313 doesn’t seem like a lot.

Chronologically Speaking:

June 2013 Promoted to Purple Belt
December 2013 – Competed in the first tournament as a purple belt (Bronze Medal)
Early January 2014 – Separated Shoulder (off the mats for weeks)
March 2014 – Back to Light Training
Early April 2014 – Back to Normal Training
Late April 2014 – ACL/MCL Injury (completely off the mats for months)
October 2014 – Back to Very Light Training
December 2014 – Back to Normal Training (modifications made)
January 2015 – San Francisco IBJJF Open (Division Gold, Absolute Silver)
December 2015 – Promoted to Brown Belt

For those of you purple belts that want to explore the transition to brown belt, Roy Harris has some great thoughts on the transition from purple belt to brown belt. I think it’s a good read. However, that’s his perspective. And, I’ve come to learn, there’s more than one way to skin the cat. You or your instructor may not necessarily agree with him.

What Was Your Jiu-Jitsu Brown Belt Test or Exam?

Most BJJ academies do not test, but I am aware that some do. Ultimately, it’s up to the instructor’s discretion to decide whether testing is something he’ll want to do. However, at our academy, we do not do any formal testing. I’ve rolled with my instructor 99.9999999999999% of my training days.

And If I happened to go to training twice a day, guess what shawty, I rolled with my instructor twice.

The universe conspired against me a handful of times where I rolled with him three times in one day. I don’t know about y’all, but we only do ten-minute rounds.

Yeah…

Real hustlaz. All day. Just me. By myself. On the mats. Held down. Belt on my waist. Grimaced face. All day. Not a game. Guard passed. By myself. All of a sudden, woke up. Went back to sleep. Took a nap. You ever go night night!?!?

Sorry, last promotion post, I referenced Chappelle. This time, Hart gets the nod.

Anyway, if I am arriving at any line of reasoning is that my instructor gauges progress by rolling with us directly, watching our rolls with our training partners, and, for those that compete, assessing competition performance.

What are the IBJJF Requirements to Promote to Brown Belt?

Finally, an easy question.

You must be at least 18 years old.
You must have spent a year and a half, minimum, at purple belt.

You’re a Brown Belt Now so, What Now?

I have no illusions that I’ll be a world class elite top brown belt. If I am being honest, I don’t have any desire to make the sacrifices it takes to make that happen.

I know what it takes.

I’ve witnessed my instructor put in the work; he is the epitome of diligence towards skill acquisition, refinement, and overall progression.

For a very short period of my relatively short training history, I even lived it. People don’t understand what the elite do to get where they are. Besides the obvious physical demands, there is a lot of monotony in the life of a “full time” bjj athlete. There’s a lot of sacrifice.

So much sacrifice.

It’s not for everybody, but, if you ever have the opportunity to try it for a while, I suggest you give it a go. It’s a wonderful experience to learn about yourself, as well as mold parts of your character that otherwise wouldn’t be challenged. Although short lived, I had a blast living it up truth be told.

I’m in uncharted territory now, as I don’t currently have any goals at brown belt (not long term at least). At blue, I had a lot of goals (maybe too many). At purple, I definitely had goals. Right now, I’m spread too thin between all of my responsibilities. I’ve developed an endearment towards minimalism. As less is more, it may be time to take a step back and reassess everything.

Time to evaluate what matters most and put all my time and effort into that. My health matters a lot to me, exercise is necessary for optimum health, so BJJ fits right into that. 😉

Truthfully, I just want to enjoy this journey for what it is.

I want to be more present in every class, more appreciative of my training partners, more welcoming to new students, more mindful in my analysis of the art, get lost in every round, and, well.. you get the idea.

If there’s anything in my mind right now, that is akin to a goal, I’d like to see how I could join, and, maybe, add a little of my perspective into the global perception of Jiu-Jitsu and the Martial Arts at large.

How I did regarding my Purple Belt goals:

Improve my wrestling – Check. Still mediocre, but much improved.
Improve my judo – Fail. Did not attend the classes or put in the work.
Improve economy of movement – Check. Huge improvements in this.
Master the purple belt curriculum – Fail. Too much stuff. Not enough work.
Curate an individual style – Eh. Not sure on this one.
Learning how to teach bjj – Work in progress.

I’ve also had the long-term goal of winning a gold medal as well as medaling in an absolute division. I was able to knock two birds with one stone coming back from the big knee injury. I was quite proud for a brief moment until I rolled with my teammates the following Monday and had my ass handed to me.

Thanks for keeping me grounded, guys. Haha.

Well, that’s it. I’m quite exhausted from pondering all of this and putting the proverbial pen to the pad. By now, if you’re still reading this, you’re probably sick of me too.

I don’t blame you. But, thanks for reading. Really, I mean it.

Thank you.

The Moment I Promoted to Brown Belt

BJJ White Belt Tips: Trust Your Instructor

By Ruben Avila · June 30, 2015 · @RubenEAvila

bjj-white-belt-tips — No need to elaborate. Trust your instructor.

Then, learn the lingo.

Don’t Call it a Comeback

By Ruben Avila · March 2, 2015 · @RubenEAvila

How I Came Back to BJJ Competition After a Serious Injury

Where to begin…

Well, two Sundays ago I competed after not having competed since December 2013 (that was my purple belt competition debut after having been promoted that same summer). On February 22, 2015, I won gold in my division, and I won silver in the absolute (had to use a lot of different strategies against a larger opponent).

That Sunday was the first time I had ever made it to the podium of the absolute. I was absolutely devastated after losing in the absolute. I had an opportunity that I failed to capitalize on, and, much to my dismay, my opponent executed better and beat me.

In retrospect, I had nothing to feel bad about. After all the dust has settled, the mats packed up and put away, and the body aches have set in, I know that I am truly lucky.

Last weekend, in and of it self, was a victory, period.

What a Black Belt Used to Mean

By Ruben Avila · July 16, 2014 · @RubenEAvila

What a black belt used to mean, matters less, far less, than what you make your black belt –or your quest to earn your black belt –mean today.

(Some of) The Rules:

There’s no hurry. A black belt earned as fast as you can earn it isn’t something to brag about, it’s a statement of impatience, of confusion about the potential of the training to deeply and permanently empower you and those around you. Your black belt isn’t fast food, it’s the slow food movement, where the process of finding, preparing, and savoring your food, enjoying the company you’re eating it with, and paying close attention to the details, the celebration of living it, is far more important than hurrying through it all. Join the slow belt movement.

Being a “great martial artist” is nearly, if not completely, a monumental waste of your time. Being a martial artist is a very small slice of the pie of your potential; it is easy to be a great martial artist and/or to be a “master” of the martial arts, look how many of of them there are. The challenge isn’t to be a great martial artist, the hardest work is to be a connected, compassionate, engaged, forgiving, participative human being. You learn the martial arts so that you may take what you practice so diligently on the mats –and then apply it to things that genuinely matter in the world.

The higher your rank, the greater your responsibility to lead –and to follow; to both respect tradition and to innovate, to hold onto and to let go of. The higher your rank, the more connected you should be; a peace-maker, a change-maker, a creator, a supporter, a fountain of enthusiasm and patience and drive. The higher your rank, the more you should feel the value, the deep spiritual value, of being engaged with others, with seeking out and solving problems, with joining forces to do, with many, what might never be done alone. The higher your rank the more you respect the novice, the process, the conflict, the hardships, and the simple pleasure of stepping on the mat, working on yourself, helping those around you, and finding meaning in the effort.

Why?

Because we haven’t put ourselves through all of this training, all these hours on the mat, talked all this talk about “the journey” and being “warriors” and about our “philosophy,” to be self-absorbed, superficial, disconnected, ego-maniacs. Because we haven’t done all of this training not to have it ground us, to have it really mean something more than just our ability to fight or perform handsome routines or make money in our schools. Because we have to be smart enough to look beyond the reward, the name of our style, our political affiliations, our desires to line our own nests, our petty conflicts, and our need to look and feel important and valuable. We haven’t done all of this training, dedicated all of this time, and put in all this practice to be any less than we’re capable of –and we’re capable of a lot, despite the fact that we so rarely see people take their practice to that place.

– Tom Callos

What Should Martial Arts for Kids Be Today?

By Ruben Avila · October 21, 2013 · @RubenEAvila

I am sitting here doing research and putting together game plans for a kids jiu-jitsu class I will be teaching at our academy. I am a big picture type of person. I always have been. I need to see the big picture before I go back and fill in the details. Usually, I arrive at my big picture by way of a question.

“What Should Martial Arts for Kids Be Today?”

Here are some questions I’m working on answering:

Benson Henderson Grappling in ADCC vs Leo Nogueira

By Ruben Avila · October 19, 2013 · @RubenEAvila

Benson Henderson Grappling — Benson Henderson is the only UFC champion to wear the UFC belt AND compete in grappling tournaments.

Benson Henderson Grapples with Leo Nogueira in Beijing, China for the 2013 Abu Dhabi Combat Club.

Benson Henderson is someone I deeply respect as an athlete and martial artist. He is one person who, although originally a wrestler, has always repped Jiu-Jitsu strong. Even when he was a UFC champion, he went out and competed in IBJJF events because he loved the challenge. Most UFC fighters would consider grappling tournaments beneath them, or an unnecessary risk.

Not Bendo.

Benson Henderson has improved is grappling exponentially because he embraces the full spectrum of martial arts just like GSP does. Although he lost his title to Anthony Pettis, I’m sure he’ll come back stronger. He is a very resilient person. I am also a fan of his comportment inside and outside of the cage. Something I can’t say of all mma fighters.

Anyway, on to the good stuff.

Check out Benson Henderson grappling against Leo Nogueira.

Such a competitive and BEAUTIFUL match.

As it Turns Out, Martial Arts Improve Confidence, Like For Real

By Ruben Avila · October 4, 2013 · @RubenEAvila

martial arts improves confidence

How I finally experienced the theory that martial arts improves confidence:

A couple of weeks ago, I went to go fill up my car before training. As I was filling up, I couldn’t help but notice a man wandering around approaching people in a very aggressive manner. As this man approached me, I could smell the alcohol on his breath from no less than 15 feet away. It was THAT bad. Although his body language was certainly aggressive as was the volume of speech, it turns out he was just trying to be friendly (from his perspective, at least).

“Heyyyyyyyyyy!! HAHAHAHA! Yeah, man! WHAT’S UP!!!? SPRIIIIINNNNNGGG BREAAAAAAK WOOOOOOOOOO!”

I had my shirt off because it was incredibly hot that day. And, I’m a SoCal kid. That’s how we roll.

“DID YOU JUST COME BACK FROM SPRING BREAK MAN!!!??”

“Uh, no. It’s just really hot today.”

“OH YEAH MAN! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”