What Does It Take To Get a BJJ Black Belt?

I imagine John Danaher’s answer to Lex Fridman’s question probably surprised many people.
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In his podcast episode featuring John Danaher, Lex asked John what it takes to become a BJJ black belt, and John immediately answered that it doesn’t take much.
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I agree with John’s statement.
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It took me many years to become a black belt in BJJ, but I feel like I took a lot of detours, and my journey was never an efficient path.
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I made a huge mistake by focusing too much on what I was good at & wanted to do (triangle & spider) instead of working on what I needed to work on.
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I’d encourage you to train more efficiently by setting effective goals and working on improving your skills in every area of jiu jitsu. In the long run, it will be better for you.
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On a related note, one thing I did right is that I never cared so much about the color of my belt. My coach never used the stripe system, so I didn’t care about stripes either.
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I understand that some people get motivated by unlocking new stripes and belts. If you are like that, that’s cool. I’d encourage you to make sure to pay (more) attention to your skill development, though.
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Keep challenging yourself and do what’s more challenging for you over time. You will be a black belt sooner or later.