It’s easy to say I want to be a *insert belt level* guy/girl. If you really want to be a *insert belt level* guy/girl then do the things that you need to do to earn that belt.

Look at the *insert belt level* people you train with. Do they put themselves in bad positions? Do they roll with a variety of body types and skill levels? Do they vary up their attacks? Chances are that just by watching them for a bit you will learn what you need to do to get to that level. Remember the second stage to mastering something new is emulation.

There is a reason why these people got to where they are. They didn’t just say they wanted a belt. The did the work to get the belt. They forgot the noun and did the verb.