What I learned at each belt level so far

Looking back on my BJJ progression, it is interesting to note what I picked up at each belt level. Not that this is the end all be all for everyone, but just to provide a glimpse of perspective:

White belt: Aside from basics (escapes and a simple move from everywhere), I learned how to do the straight ankle lock and practiced it a very large number of times. In addition to this, I picked up one half guard sweep that was pretty reliable that also set up the foot lock. 100% of my tournament victories at this level were probably because of these 2 moves.

Blue Belt: I began adding a chain of moves from each position, so regardless of which position it was, I had about 3 go to moves I could rely on. In terms of sweeping, I added a butterfly sweep, and the x-guard that I felt very comfortable utilizing. Also, I spent a considerable time rolling with training partners that were far bigger, so my game was shaped around dealing with that problem. Towards the end, I began working on de la riva and deep half.

Purple belt: This is a belt that I've had for a long time now, and I feel that my game began to truly feel like it was "fleshing out" at this point. I've had countless hours to practice de la riva, reverse de la riva, deep half guard, 3-5 moves from each, FULL guard and set ups from there, takedowns, and guard passing. In addition to that, I've focused a good amount on actual submission finishes and transitions for them as well. Although it seems like I learned a lot before I got to this point, I might even go as far as to say I've learned more at this level than I have in the previous levels combined.

now a great video from Robson Moura