BJJ past blue belt?

'What's the point of learning past blue belt? Isn't it all just fancy, useless guards?'


As a purple, there are still chokes that I can't do reliably (N/S choke, reverse guillotine from side mount, and there are probably some others). My familiarity with the crucifix is still limited. I have never tried a reverse omoplata (unless I've improved one at some point before I knew what it was). The variety of knowledge to gain is vast, and I constantly see new things I want to try--even black belts still, constantly, find new things to try out online.

As for not needing to study past blue, remember: in the real world, not everyone is the same size/strength/speed. I could think of my experience as extending my range of opponents I could beat not just in skill, but in physical attributes. As a 160 lb guy, if I want a chance against a 270 lb weight lifter, the differences between purple and black matter.

I'm puzzled by people who seem to think that all of 'advanced' bjj is fancy weird guards. People like Kron Gracie don't even touch the things. Royler clearly never did either. That really isn't what separates blue from black, fancy guards are just the kind of things that you start to figure out when you're an expert at moving on the ground and play with. They are the result of becoming an expert, not the cause.