Becoming the Black Belt: One Man's Journey in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Warrior's Way #2

by Roy Dean, Nicolas Gregoriades (Foreword)

Black belt Roy Dean retraces the trials and tribulations he faced in learning the sophisticated art of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. From early competition experiences in Southern California, to running a world class academy and sharing that journey online, the lessons he learned are the lessons he shares with you. A must read for martial arts professionals and serious students of the path.

Genres: Martial Arts, Nonfiction

237 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2016

Reviews

[Khaled · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent

I appreciated the lessons shared here from a seasoned professional in the field. The self-reflections are easily relatable and give me something to think about on my own Jiu Jitsu Journey.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was 2 parts biography and 1 part how to become a black belt. That in and of itself, I am sure, would be a fine way to layout a book. The problem, in this case, was that the information in both instances barely scratched the surface and was pretty useless to me as a reader. He never opened up and got down and dirty with his life. He spent an entire chapter on the details of computer coding, that in no way helped move the story along or give some kind of important insight. It just seems shoehorned in there because he liked to talk about it.

This felt more disjointed than an autobiography should be. It felt more like a conversation at a dinner party with a stranger. Random tangents about past careers and surface-level backstories interjected with how hot he found blondes from this country or that country to be...

I don't regret reading it, but knowing what I know now I would have skipped it and unless I learned you were a huge fan of his or trained with him at one point in your life, I wouldn't be recommending this book to you either.

Not a bad book, just not a good read, in my limited and humble opinion.

[Raymond Goss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the author's first book a few years ago and really like it. Since then, I've watched several of Roy's DVDs. I surmise that most readers will have and should have done the same. Roy tells his story of training in BJJ, his struggles with life, competitions, and opening and maintaining a dojo. Ultimately he gives up and describes several of his students' struggles and growth opportunities too. I think the author really wants a lower pressure option for students who make BJj and martial art training a hobby rather than their careers. There needs to be more to training than breaking bones, tearing knees and fighting your way to maintain a school.
I've been training in the martial arts for over 30 years, but I never had a for-profit school. I agree with Roy's alternative path options. It is important to pressure test one's skills, but there should be a limit to the damage that one needs to endure.

[Nickolette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roy Dean is a martial artist and to a certain extend a visual artist and that is already plenty. I now understand what he meant when I heard him say in a podcast that his books are good but he wanted to write a great one. Where this comes short is the style of writing - the repetitive constructions, the attempts to share his experience, ultimately leaving a you-had-to-be-there kind of vibe.
On the other hand I like the person, adore his videos, and I was interested in the story. He has interesting perspectives on the art that indeed could be further developed.
Hungry for anything jiu-jitsu overall this was a welcomed experience.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this book seems a bit confused. It's part BJJ, part business strategy-ish, and part memoir. I gave it three stars only because I enjoyed the part of the book on his path through Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I almost took it back down to two stars because he made me sit through all his failed relationships that he shoe-horned into this book with no relevance to a story arc or anything... and I mean anything interesting. I also didn't need to read about his dirty laundry with students, other instructors, or his weird toe-dipping into... umm... maybe religion or shamanism or cults? Anywho, I did enjoy his take on BJJ and for that... he got three stars.

[Chuck Kechter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about Mr. Dean's journey to black belt in BJJ. It was well written - though it could have used a better copy-editing, there were quite a few spelling errors in it. Other than that it is a well told, compelling tale of his journey on the path to black belt, and somewhat about his growth as a musician.

[Phillip Shapiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book :) if you are interested in the subject I would reccomend reading or listening to it 🎶🏆🥋 #audibleapp #audiobooks

[Mehrzad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great second instalment of the series and even better story since it focuses more on BJJ.

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[Edward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read! The first book in a while that captured me and kept my attention from start to finish.
I really enjoyed sharing the journey and reading about the ups and downs. It was also great to read about many people in the community that I know of or know directly, and seeing it all tie together.

The last parts were especially interesting, since my retirement dream is to run a school somewhere spending my days spreading the knowledge. Even though I know several guys that run their own gyms, it was another perspective to read about. This was also very timely for me, a going on 50 year old purple belt in a rising sea of BJJ players. There are some great lessons and advice I'm taking away from this. Thanks Roy!

While this book is about BJJ - anyone facing a challenging journey, or stuck along one now, would enjoy the read.

[Fabian Garza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful Story

A phenomenal book by Roy Dean detailing his journey not only in martial arts, but through life itself. There are many ups and downs, but Mr. Dean does an excellent job in finding the silver lining and great takeaways from both the positives and negatives.
As someone who is currently a white belt at Gracie Barra in Texas, this was an amazing companion to the daily grind of learning and enjoying JiuJitsu for all it has to offer. Thank you Mr. Dean and it would be an absolute honor to meet and roll with you one day. Oss.

[Martin Klekner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is full of wisdom and it definitely is interesting. However, it suffers from the same faults as The Martial Apprentice - it is somehow all over the place, more like a collection of various thoughts than a coherent narrative. Therefore I feel somehow disappointed after reading it, feel like this book could have been so much more...

[Chuck Kechter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about Mr. Dean's journey to black belt in BJJ. It was well written - though it could have used a better copy-editing, there were quite a few spelling errors in it. Other than that it is a well told, compelling tale of his journey on the path to black belt, and somewhat about his growth as a musician.