When it comes to the purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a lot of people refer to it as ‘the most dangerous belt’. Technically, that pleasure should go towards the black belt for obvious reasons. However, the saying isn’t meant to be taken in literal terms. Instead, it means they are usually the most underrated belt in terms of catching submissions.
Going deeper, a standard purple belt may have an A-game that is on a similar level to the skill of a black belt. In other words, if they happen to chain a few key moves together, then they can catch out an average black belt. At the same time, they are also competent enough to deal with most lower belts due to years of experience. Lastly, most purple belts aren’t that old compared to brown and black BJJ belts, meaning they’re probably more athletic and fresh as a result.
Table of Contents
How dangerous is a BJJ purple belt in a self defense setting?
Against an average Joe of similar size and weight, your average purple belt should almost always come out on top. The reason for this is because by purple belt, your takedown game should be fairly solid at this point. Whether this is wrestling or Judo, by now you should have a few main takedowns that untrained people stand little chance against.
This is why it’s important to develop a takedown game, as guard pulling is great but not as realistic for a self defense scenario. Simply put, if you can take someone down as a purple belt then you should often win the fight. This is because at this point your top game should be effective and pinning people should be fairly easy.
Elsewhere, by now your top pressure should also be naturally starting to come together. This is something that takes time over years. As your typical purple belt has been training for at least 5 years or so, your top game should be tight against untrained people.
On the bottom, you should also have a solid enough guard to be able to offer threats from sweeps or technical stand ups. As a result, a purple belt should be able to handle themselves most of the time. Of course, if caught with a haymaker or a takedown gone wrong can always mean you get beaten up. Remember, just because you’re a purple belt it doesn’t mean you’re indestructible either.
How dangerous is a purple belt in a BJJ gym setting?
As mentioned earlier, in a BJJ gym – purple belts are seen as very solid. Generally, a purple belt should be able to give a competitive roll to most in the gym and handle lower belts. Of course, if there’s a big strength or athletic disparity then a good blue belt could still beat a far weaker purple belt. After white belt, a lot of the belt colors tend to blend into one at certain gyms anyway.
Of course, a skilled wrestler could also cause a purple belt lots of problems – especially in no gi. This means that a purple belt still has to turn up and work on improving as they’re still not near the finished article. Speaking of this, there is also a running joke in the BJJ world that purple belts skip warm ups.
The joke is that by purple belt, people think they’re better than they are and no longer need to show as much dedication to BJJ anymore. For the most part, this is just banter but there possibly is an element of truth behind this.
On the other side of the coin, many people start teaching at purple belt too, which is symbolic of their growth as a martial artist. If you’re good enough to teach, you should be good enough to back up your skills on the mats.
How dangerous is a purple belt in an MMA fight?
So far, we’ve established that a BJJ purple belt is good in a street fight and within a BJJ gym. However, this setting is different in comparison to an actual MMA fight. Here, they will come up against others who are well seasoned in grappling and striking.
Here, a purple belt certainly comes in handy but is probably not as dominant as in the other situations. For example, if someone can stuff your takedowns and has good striking skills then your BJJ would suddenly become less relevant.
Arguably, just as importantly in this scenario is BJJ from a defensive perspective. Sometimes, you will see smart MMA fighters use the halfguard lockdown to stall out the last 30 seconds of a round to avoid defeat or taking big punches. Similarly, an overhook closed guard can offer solid protection against an otherwise difficult situation.
This means that a purple belt certainly has its benefits for fighting in MMA. However, if you’re looking to enter the cage then it’s best to be as rounded as possible. This means combining your purple belt with a bit of wrestling and striking. It’s definitely a good starting point though.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a BJJ purple belt is a skilled fighter and should be respected because of that. In most other martial arts, a BJJ purple belt would probably be a black belt due to the time spent training. This goes for the likes of Karate and Judo where promotion to black belt happens quicker. As a result, a purple belt is no joke.
Having said this, a purple belt still needs to work on their skills and not just stand still. Sometimes, people stop learning at this belt and don’t experiment their game enough. This is where they become stale and don’t improve due to stubbornness and laziness. As a result, it’s best to be active when training as a purple belt and don’t rest on your laurels.
If you continue to train properly then you will develop into a fine martial artist who is incredibly dangerous. At the same time, for the majority of people – a purple belt in BJJ is already an established, dangerous fighter.
Thinking you’ll be a purple belt for many years to come? Check out this nice looking, comfortable Fuji purple belt on Amazon.
