BJJ Impostor Syndrome
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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2022
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VIDEO DESCRIPTION
Rick Ellis discusses a very common phenomenon in BJJ: Feeling like you do not deserve the belt you've been awarded. It's called impostor syndrome and it's a common experience.
When you said “I struggle in side control, and I suck at passing the guard.” I felt like you had been eavesdropping on me.
I literally just received my purple belt two weeks ago and you have NO IDEA how much this video is exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks for the words.
Trust the coach. What kind of belt time line have you had just curious
Congrats JM!
I felt the same way when I received my purple belt I’m older than most of the students there so I was always struggling with the younger blue belts.. And I still do at certain times because of my age and going up against younger students
I just received my blue at 54 felt totally unworthy. This has just hit the nail on the head. Thanks soo much.
My goodness, you are a mind-reader Rick, I haven't even received my first stripe yet and already I've been concerned about this. Great advice as always!
This is helpful, because this is something I do. My whole life, I have wanted to represent my affiliations well. This helped me realize that in JJ, that doesn't mean being THE best, but rather being YOUR best, in character and work ethic
I was awarded my brown belt in November and I've felt like an impostor ever since. Thanks for this!
I think that last point you made was what I needed to hear. Thank you for your words.
you always seem to release videos on exactly what I'm struggling with when I'm struggling with it. Thanks for the advice and reality check!
I had this when I was transitioning from white to blue belt.
Standards for promotion can vary even between coaches at the same gym. But the bottom line is to trust your coaches because very few black belts are super eager to promote someone early.
Rick,
I am from Bend,OR but moved to Atlanta, GA in 1996 immediately started training BJJ from 96-99 received my blue belt from Pedro Sauer. I quit for roughly 15 years and went back to another school 5 years ago and been training in my mind harder than I did in the 90s. I’m 50 and on the cusp of getting my purple, mentally I’m more in tune with my body 5’8 196 ( stocky with shorter legs) so some techniques such as the triangle are difficult for me but I’m pushing on!! “The art of skill” is phenomenal and has helped me tremendously. It’s making me push forward through my frustrations (the way I’m built). At this moment my goal is Purple but I’m struggling with my flexibility and ways to overcome my short leg syndrome…….haha!! Your videos are insanely educational and motivating, Jordan’s Purple demo is absolutely mind blowing!!! Thank you for all you do!!
Sincerely,
Aaron Shehan
Thank you Aaron!
I really needed to hear this after getting my first stripe on my purple belt last night.
Just what I needed to hear; many thanks Rik
I needed to hear this. Thanks coach
20k subs, good in you. Well deserved.
Thank you coach! I'm a new blue belt and I'm terrible lol! But you are absolutely right, it really does push you to look at your approach see what parts of your game need work in order to advance yourself.
Fantastic video! Love the content this channel spits out!!!
I wonder do you talk to your students about belt levels and their expectations
Great quality videos man keep it up
Love this Rick! So many applications to life off
the mat as well. Life as a small business owner - yourself as your own coach as well as your superior being your employer! Thanks for the videos, miss your gym so much!
Thank you Professor. I just received my blue belt back in December and I feel this . Thank you for summing this up and I will stop being so hard on myself.
Coach says: who between you and me knows what it takes to be the next belt or stripe?
This is a Great video. My wife needed to hear about how we have all felt from someone other than me. She is a blue-belt and was injured twice. She will not quit but shows doubts about her growing. After seeing this video I see a change in mentality.Thank You 🙏 !!! We all train so an outside point of view helps us All Grow.
Thank you so much for this , my wife and I just received our purple belts. And I was struggling with this big time. You put my mind at ease with this video. Thanks .
Great stuff!
I needed this advice at this junction of my journey. I have been feeling like this as I get closer to the blue. Thank you again & God bless 🙏
Very helpful video. Thank you. I’ve been trying to tell myself all of this but it’s not really taking. Hearing a black belt such as yourself reinforce them will help a lot, I’m sure.
I appreciate the upload
This knowledge helps me so much. Thank you
I got my blue belt today and this video popped up. RUclips is definitely in my head haha
Great video!
Great video! I have blue belt imposter syndrome for sure. Thanks professor for the deep insight.
I needed to hear this
This was great and well timed for me. I’ve travelled the life of the imposter syndrome for some time, though I guess I had never considered it in relation to ranks. Maybe I did and just don’t remember too well.
Where I have definitely felt it is in relation to teaching. Feeling the constant pressure to live up to the role for others combined with the awareness of those far greater than you can lead to serious doubt and introspection.
It can lead to large amounts of motivation and drive too, however. That drive to not fail the people who choose to learn from me has never ceased to keep me moving forward.
Awesome stuff.
Thank you for your Words of wisdom
Well said. When I got my purple belt I felt like I needed to have a deeper understanding of moves. It was as if suddenly my drilling in class became more focused and I understood moves better than before.
This was really great advice! Thank you! What hit me was when you explained that promotion is/could be push (trust from a professor) to step my game up/ up my training,... Thank you!
Rick, you rule, buddy! Thank you 👍🏽
This atruck a nerve. I'm currently a purple belt in Chile and don't suffer the imposter syndrome. No I'm im vacation in Poland and went to train to gym here, and I felt completely unworthy, everybody swept the floor with me, even the white belts. Now, I'm not letting this discourage me, I had a bad jetlag, and the guys here are all bigger than my training parteners un Chile. I need some time to adjust my game ans kill the syndrome.
Thanks again for the great content you're creating!
It's always a challenge to go into a new environment, but it will help you grow. Good luck to you!
I think we all needed to Hear this 100%
I recieved my blue belt recently, this was good info. Oss 🤙
Great 👍🏼 video - I remember feeling like an imposter because I got my blue after only a year - I just got my purple and feel another target 🎯 on my back, but was blue for almost 5 years so feel more comfortable with this transition and learned to trust my instructor’s excellent judgment without question - this video made me realize I am a bit too relaxed at times…need more of a sense of urgency.
Thanks for this
Thanks,, Rick this really helped. Every time I get a stripe I feel that the instructor has made a mistake. A clear case of the Dunning Krueger effect? But the idea that I now need to act "as if" I am at that level makes sense. Great work, as usual, keep it up.
This is exactly how I felt when I received my first stripe! I felt like I do not deserve this. And "how can my coach possibly think I do?" Thank you so much for your insight! You have been very helpful since I started my BJJ journey!
Thanks. As a new blue belt I really needed to hear this!
This was a very good explanation.
Great video, thank you from a very new purple belt feeling a little undeserved
Professor Rick, I think you were speaking to me and about me with this video. Even since I got my brown in Costa Rica from professor Roy, I’ve felt like this. And as you said, I’ve stepped up my game to fill in these big ass shoes I was given. #crewrda. 🙏🏼
Well said and you have given me some things to think about. On Monday I received my brown belt from Jay Jack at the Academy. I def fall into comparting myself to others that I struggle with or the people I look up to in the gym. Having trust in Jay and my other coaches helps lessen the imposter syndrome but a part of it is still there. Thanks for the video.
Small world. I trained at Jack Jack's school for a couple years.
@@TheArtofSkill I remember you! I was a white belt at the time when you trained with us.
Got awarded my blue belt a month ago. Went to a seminar, got my arse ABSOLUTELY handed to me. Thought about all the things someone experiencing imposter syndrome would and just thought I need to step up and flick the switch. This video was perfect and what I needed to hear.
Congratulations!
I was going thru this. I was promoted to purple belt, didn't not expect it and didn't think they I was ready. I just train and focus and what should I improve on. At 43 years old, you notice the difference between athleticism.
I had this but probably was justified…I was competing as a white belt for about 6 months and hadn’t won a single gold. I then deployed to Afghan and my coach awarded me a blue belt before I left. It always felt like a sentimental thing.
Each stripe after that felt sentimental too…
1 stripe- I left the gym because I fell out with the owner but found out my main coach was training elsewhere. We had a big reconciliation and he gave me a stripe.
2 stripe- I used Jiujitsu in a self defense scenario
3 Stripe- I moved to the other side of the country and he gave me it before I left.
Now-5 1/2 years after getting my blue belt I just got my first competition gold and I FINALLY feel like I’m a legit blue belt.
Same here J M. I received mine last month and I felt like I way I’m ready and I still feel like that to this day. Watching this video now I see it’s at real thing feeling that way and I’m having a hard time getting over that hill.
Just got my purple belt a week ago. My imposter syndrome is pretty strong right now. But I know my coach wouldn’t give it to me unless I deserved it.. but still.
As I start to prepare for my black belt demo I am second guessing myself and wondering if I am worthy of that rank. I had to watch this again and trust that Professor Dean sees me worthy of carrying his lineage.
I'm about to get my purple and this is my biggest concern. I want to earn it. Thank you for bringing me back to earth!
Thanks a lot Rick. That's exactly what I felt, one year ago, when I received my Blue Belt. I didn't expect it. That caught me by surprise.... I was about to refuse it.... I thought it wasn't for me.... And, believe it or not, it's even more true actually when you get older (I'm 54...). I often wonder, where the Jiu-Jitsu journey will take me.... It's worth trying, isn't it ? 🙏😉🥋
Struggled with, and continue to for 10 years, since getting a purple belt. I didn't deserve it, i blow on the mat, smaller white and blue belts beat me, bigger dudes smash me and my techniques fail. It sucks when people see the belt and assume they are in for a good game and they're let down.
The quality of movement and criteria listed is being kind but none of that matter if you don't have skill.
Trusted my coaches and was even crushed by the most modest guys in other schools i visited.
I'm like a WWF jobber.
thank you
I got my purple belt 7 years ago and, whereas I don't doubt it does take competency, I lack, to properly assess from the outside, however, there has to be some who do get promoted erroneously.
6:50 nah man. It's almost 10 years and I've never, ever, felt competent once.
Thx
Wisdom, folks. I think we all feel that, I’ve been A black belt now for almost 2 years, and I still do not feel skilled. The only way I sometimes feel worthy is if I tap another black belt.
Perfect!!! I just went through this getting the second stripe on my blue belt because there’s a couple 25 year old jacked white belt wrestlers that give me a hard time….. I’m 50 so it kinda makes sense 😂
Hahahah, they only "gave you a hard time"? I'm 43 and they would have taken my blue belt and choked me with it.
I got my blue belt 4 years ago this month and have been training inconsistently for a couple of years especially since covid started. I was awarded my first 2 stripes on my blue belt last lesson. I feel like I didn't deserve one stripe yet alone 2 but I guess it means I need to start pushing myself more to be comfortable within myself for the rank. Another point is its just two stripes and maybe I am overthinking it.
Same here. I got my blue 4,5 years ago, then I skipped few months during the COVID, then I trained more or less consistent, then in 2023 I got a knee injury then a sugrery, I thought I had to give up because it not worth it at age 40… then in this February I started over again. I got tapped by guy who were absolute beginners at that time when I trained 4 times a week and I was really goof based on my own abilities… Now I have got two stripes for (at least based on my opinion) for nothing…
Thank u I struggle with my blue belt for some month I got my belt n feel like I been getting worse since I don’t think my professor understands this concept as in deep as u but will trust his judgement a little more as I may be lacking the knowledge to access my self. Where r u locate.
time to start over! white belt forever!!!!
One can assess themselves as adult students are not stupid as most black belts think. Self assessment is internalization based upon a criteria. Depending upon a black belts criteria one is belted. If the criteria is upfront in schools then adult students can come to understand their own level. Andragogy teaches that adults bring in experiences that have taught them the level of mastery and that understanding helps them understand beginner to expert. When black belts quench this thought in intelligence people it gets them upset to be put back to pedagogical methods which are for children and that is a shame. Malcolm Knowles education for black belt instructors.
Felt that way once I got my blue belt
This was a really great topic. Earlier this week I was talking with a buddy who just got his 4th stripe on his blue about how it took me almost a year at purple before I could shake the imposter syndrome. I like what you said about recalibration to the new rank and I think that hit the nail on the head for me. I feel like once I accepted I deserved my rank, that I started to act like it. This I think was also because at blue my mentality was to get good at the fundamentals but when I got to purple I gave myself permission to play with new things. This led to my exploring a lot more leg locks and playing in inferior positions, not only in side or mount or back, but from places like a failed single leg. Working from here a lot improved my game and confidence and actually made me really feel like a purple belt.
Great video as always. I really love your content and delivery
Appreciate you sir 🙏🏼
I sat on my blue belt for about 7 years before getting promoted to purple. I definitely didn't feel this.
I have now been at purple for about 3 years. I might get promoted to brown in a year. I am not sure if I will feel ready for that when the time comes.
Jiu Jitsu certainly is humbling...
My coach actually lets me wear a white belt dyed grey. I can’t be promoted I just train for fun, he understood that I had no desire for belts, I didn’t want to be chasing something. The one condition is I couldn’t compete, which I didn’t want to. Never had to be concerned about imposter syndrome, I’m just me lol
I'm a brown belt hobbyists & I feel like a blue belt 😅
Loosely related to imposter syndrome - I heard you mention belt tests. I got my Blue from a (non-UFC) Tinguinha affiliate, Purple from an ATOS affiliate, and now my Brown from a local guy (with a Rickson lineage if you go back far enough). That said, I am 10 years into this and have never taken a single belt test. I am not questioning my capability to perform at Brown since I do fine with other Browns and even Black belts nor the quality of our BJJ (given we win any local tourney we set our sights on and are in the top 20 world wide for one of the big tourney venues), but I do wonder if I could pass one of these belt tests I hear mentioned periodically? Would it be possible for folks to reveal what folks are actually required to do for tests at each belt? I have seen recordings of belt tests being performed before and it looked like so much BJJ Kata to me - almost a demonstration.
Tests are different from different professors, and some don't do tests as you mentioned. But most of the tests I've seen are demonstrations, proof that you can retain and execute proper technique and the application of which move to do under pressure of a 'test'. It makes it a formal ceremony and sets standards for what you can work toward when coming to class. Some tests have rolling at the end, just different ways to show competence.
Every school, organization, and teacher are different but speaking of Rick specifically there are video on this channel and Roy Dean’s that show what their tests are like.
Jason, look up Roy Dean Belt demonstrations on RUclips. You will be blown away.
@@CmkStreetSmart Thanks - I have seen the Roy Dean videos before. That and I think Kama BJJ are the folks I have seen talk about a test before on RUclips. I guess what I am interested in, is what are the things they are required to demonstrate at each belt level. It seems to formalize what each belt level is supposed to be able to do. Historically, there seems to have been a lot of secrecy around this with folks not wanting to reveal what the techniques are they expect from folks at each belt. I am hopeful there are some schools out there that will openly tell you want they think is required. Its all part of my development, which at Brown, includes being able to discern who should be promoted and why. I have my ideas of course and my coach counts on me to mention folks who I think he should be looking at for promotion, but I am also interested in what others have to think. I don't want to have to pay for proprietary instructional guides either to discern what folks think each belt must be able to do. Frankly, I am all for folks across affiliations and schools coming together to establish what some basic standards are and should be - at least for blue belts if nothing else. I realize this art, and all martial arts for that matter, must adapt and evolve to remain effective, but what is the universally agreed upon core of what should be mastered no matter which school you train at? PS: A lot of places say they do principles based BJJ and I feel like where I train right now really does do that, and I also wonder how much application of principles matters in promotion decisions at other schools vice textbook execution of a move by defined steps ?
For the record, I had to roll with everyone that showed up at the gym on the day I got promoted to Blue. For purple it was a complete surprise since I had literally only had my blue for exactly 2 years and there was no test or even mandatory roll with anyone. For Brown, I was foaming at the mouth for it after 4 years at purple and folks were asking Coach to promote me, but that was largely so long because Covid and injury recovery and work added like an extra year worth of wait. Again, nothing special I had to do, except make damn sure that I thoroughly man-handled some visiting Brown belts when coach was watching in the months leading up to my promotion. Anyhow, here is a video of what happens when someone get's their blue or purple belt at the place I got my blue ruclips.net/video/rsGRLOuHopo/видео.html
Ive been training 3-4 times a week since September. 5 months in, my teammates regularly tell me that I am very skilled. Early on in training those compliments were very motivating, but now I get the creeping feeling of being an impostor. Lately I pin complements up to flattery and being positive to a less experienced player (which I take no issue with), but not genuine. So readers have an idea, we have a very competitive team that does well in comp. i’ve made my goal to not get tapped by anyone who isn’t either a purple belt or higher, or at least not in the gym as often as I am. I do well to achieve this most classes. I can only generate meaningful offense on other white belts or blue belts who are inconsistent about attending, however.
As compliments continue, i feel less and less deserving of them. A few higher belts only half jokingly refer to me as a sandbagger. Yesterday, an experienced blue belt was telling me, not knowing i only had one stripe (we were in no gi that day) that I am ready for blue already. Last week my professor was talking to a new student and he was telling him how he thinks I will be tapping newer purple belts soon. I was his example of what “just showing up” does. That is an honor, but such a lofty status puts doubt in my mind.
Compliments have moved from a valued piece of encouragement, to now expectations or observations that I have actually yet to achieve. Most days I quietly tell myself that I will honor that compliment by making it a reality soon, other days I attempt to justify it halfheartedly (“well i guess, I’ve been training a lot”). I know that the former is the better approach, but the conviction to believe that isn’t always there.
Thank you for this video.
Sounds like you're doing great dude. Keep that humble attitude and carry on improving your bjj game. Above all these things, we gotta remember to just have fun with it. Its all that matters at the end of the day.
I definitely feel this way. I'm currently a 4 stripe blue belt. I know my instructor is looking at giving me a purple belt in the next couple of months. I don't feel like I deserve it. I've only been training with the gi for alittle over a year. I did do no gi for about a year, 15 years ago. I just started back Nov 2020. Never wore a gi until then. Now I'm about to get purple in around 1.5 year. I don't feel like I deserve it but I don't want to be disrespectful to my instructor and question him.
blue becomes purple when you add in more red
I recently received my blue belt, after two and a half years of training, but get regularely crushed by the blue belts. So, I still ask why when I'm standing amongst the coloured belts haha.
Does this apply the same for those of us attending large academies with attendance based promotions based on a timeline depicted on the wall? Sometimes the so-called imposter syndrome might actually be a healthy, humble, and accurate assessment that one’s JJ isn’t really at the level according to the chart on the wall.
So, taking the ego out of it is important. I guess if you make a living out of the sport, you may look at it differently, but if you are someone who loves it, no money on the line, you should take the ego out, am I correct?
OMG. Yes. I have imposter syndrome. Exactly.
🙏
As an instructor do you award a belt with reference to a person’s age and strength? If so, Is this another reason why a higher belt should not be expected to beat every person of a lower belt?
Dude! Weren’t we talking about this very thing when you were up here? The thing is…it never completely goes away, and it probably shouldn’t: from what I understand, a certain amount of insecurity, balanced with self-confidence, produces the best practitioners, and not just in BJJ. I just received my second degree on my belt recently, but have been struggling with imposter syndrome for quite some time now. To me, it’s very important to question ourselves and thus maintain humility. In my view, people who try to project supreme confidence and who claim that doubt never enters their minds are full of shit. It’s a kind of “shadow work” that comes up often in BJJ, like a lot of other challenging emotional work. Obviously, we must also cultivate self confidence to do what we do as well. Balance in all things.
Well said David!
Is imposter syndrome possible for white belts? I'm new to jiujitsu, been training about a month, but I don't feel like I deserve to be in it or apart of the team I'm in
BJJ can be very hard at first because you don't have enough technical solutions to be successful. So in a sense, yeah, you can feel like an impostor at white belt.
3 months in ju jitsu game first 2 months I had learned defense and surviving in rolls just learn defense offense will come , become hard to tap , hand fight, grip fight, hide your neck.
I've become a nice opponent for my team mates just escaping and breaking posture.
I always used Big Jay joke about being a clear belt since I trained privately for a long time (I began the journey as a writer, but fell in love with the game). But the day I took my first group training, then I said I was white belt for real, in my mind. I did know a lot! And I realized I had my own game! But that was a step I needed to take.
what is the belt after black belt?
Coral but most people don't need tovworry about that
Just means you’re old af
7:45 is every immaturity
Instructor correct? Couldn't they inadvertently wreck someone's life by mispromoting them?
Organizations mispromote folks often in all other areas of life too.
These videos always scale to it being the student's issue and mental and they just need to will through.
The sad thing is that a lot of these guys should feel like imposters because their coaches gave their belts way too soon. But it’s their coach’s fault.
When is the imposter syndrome true? You just admit you suck, stick with it, but still suck. This aspect never seems to be addressed.
I honestly have to say that I don't think that last point is a good idea for motivation. Like don't get me wrong it works but I think a different type of motivation would be healthier. Cause in this case you're validating this imposter feeling because you really don't think they are deserving of that belt. In fact it's worse than that, cause not only are you saying "no you aren't a purple belt level yet" you're also saying I noticed that you're not just "not purple belt level" but you're stagnating and I don't trust you to actually make it there without the fear that you don't belong at your current level. So honestly I would caution just from a ethical philosophy standpoint here just because if imposter syndrome occurs, you don't want it to last too long, as it is rather painful. Like I've had it before and my instructor just says "I know you, and I think you are there" and it's comforting because over the next practices, I start to think "maybe I am" and there's a mental change as the others accept me as that belt. But if you have this mindset and legitimately are not at that level and people realize that and you realize that over practices, that feeling that pain will stick with you until you actually fully improve enough to prove it to yourself, which could be a long time.