Grading

Graduation System (Belt System and its related ages)

Notes:

•All the following ages must be calculated starting from the year of birth.

Therefore the athlete’s age is the one he is going to have at the end of the current year.

• In order to be graded purple belt at 16 years of age it is required that the athlete has spent at least 2 years as a green belt

• In order to be graded purple belt at 17 years of age it is required that the athlete has spent at least 1 year as a green belt and 1 year as blue belt

•In case an athlete is graded from green belt straight to purple belt,

then the minimum time required before he can be awarded the brown belt is 2 years

• In order to be graded black belt at 19 years of age it is required that the athlete has spent at least 1 year as a brown belt

Belt system and its minimum times

Blue to Purple – 2 years
Purple to Brown – 1 year and 6 months
Brown to Black – 1 year
The minimum required times shown above are to be considered starting from the day the athlete is registered at the IBJJF in each belt.
It is up to each instructor to decide how long it takes for a student to be graded, as long as the minimum times required for each belt are fulfilled.

Belt system and degrees/stripes

First Paragraph - White, grey, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple and brown belts have 5 levels each: clear belt plus 4 degrees/stripes. It is up to each instructor to award the stripes in each of these belts.

Second Paragraph - The black belt is divided in seven different levels: clear black belt plus 6 degrees/stripes that can only be awarded by the IBJJF according to the following criteria:
1. Only athletes who are 19 years of age or older can be awarded a black belt.

2. In order to request the black belt certificate it is necessary to be currently affiliated to the IBJJF, have gone through a first aid course and be approved in the referee course over the previous 12 months.
3. You may request your 1st degree after 3 years as a black belt. In order to do so it is required that you have renewed your IBJJF membership card every year during the period, have gone through a first aid course and be approved in the referee course over the previous 12 months.
4. You may request your 2nd or 3rd degrees 3 years after being awarded the previous degree. It is required that you have renewed your IBJJF membership card every year during the period, have gone through a first aid course and be approved in the referee course over the previous 12 months.
5. You may request your 4th, 5th or 6th degrees 5 years after being awarded the previous degree. In order to do so you need to:

- renew your IBJJF membership card every year during the 5-year period.
- be approved in the IBJJF official referee course over the previous 12 months.

- be listed as the main instructor or assistant instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 5 years OR provide the degree form signed by a certified black belt no lower than 2nd degree who is the main instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 5 years.
6. You may request the red and black belt 7th degree 7 years after being awarded the 6th degree. In order to do so you need to:

- renew your IBJJF membership card every year during the 7-year period.

- be approved in the IBJJF official referee course over the previous 12 months.

- be listed as the main instructor or assistant instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 7 years OR provide the degree form signed by a certified black belt no lower than 2nd degree who is the main instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 7 years.
7. You may request the 8th degree in your red and black belt 7 years after being awarded the 7th degree. In order to do so you need to:

- renew your IBJJF membership card every year during the 7-year period.

- be approved in the IBJJF official referee course over the previous 12 months.

- be listed as the main instructor or assistant instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 7 years OR provide the degree form signed by a certified black belt no lower than 2nd degree who is the main instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 7 years.
8.You may request the red belt 9th degree 10 years after being awarded the 8th degree. In order to do so you need to:

- renew your IBJJF membership card every year during the 10-year period.

- be approved in the IBJJF official referee course over the previous 12 months.

- be listed as the main instructor or assistant instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 10 years OR provide the degree form signed by a certified black belt no lower than 2nd degree who is the main instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 10 years.
9. In case you do not renew your IBJJF membership card and/or your school’s membership to the IBJJF in a specific year, that year will not count in the minimum time required to obtain a new degree.
10. The 10th degree red belt is limited to the pioneers of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Carlos, Oswaldo, George, Gastão and Hélio Gracie, also known as the Gracie Brothers.

Instructors allowed to give grades

The membership form of an athlete graded in the following belts: grey, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple and brown must be signed by a black belt instructor who is certified by the IBJJF

The membership form of an athlete graded black belt must be signed by a black belt instructor no lower than 2nd degree who is certified by the IBJJF

Common usage

The most commonly used belt system is the graduation system as designated by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) and used in all international tournaments. It largely resembles the ranking system currently used by most officiating bodies of Judo, but with some major differences.

One prominent difference being that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (with the notable exception of the white belt, which is used by beginners of all ages) generally awards the first few belts (yellow, orange, and green) exclusively as youth belts. That is, for those 15 and under.

The remaining belts (blue, purple, brown, black, and above) are awarded only to adults, with various age and time-in-grade restrictions for each.

While this is certainly the most prevalent system it is not exclusive, a prominent exception is the system used by American Top Team, which awards green belts to adults as a rank between the IBJJF white and blue belts.

History

In 1907, Kanō Jigorō, the founder of Judo and the individual who would later dispatch Mitsuyo Maeda on the trip to Brazil that resulted in the development of BJJ, introduced the first use of belts (obi) and gi (judogi) within the art of Judo, replacing the practice of training in formal kimonos.

At the time however, Kanō implemented only the use of white and black belts, with white representing the beginner, as a color of purity and simplicity, and black being the opposite, representing one who is filled up with knowledge. Mikonosuke Kawaishi is believed by many to have been the first to introduce additional colored belts. He originated this practice in 1935 when he began teaching Judo in Paris, France. Kawaishi felt that structured system of colored belts would provide the western student with visible rewards to show progress, increasing motivation and retention.

Kawaishi's adoption of colored belts came only 10 years after Carlos Gracie opened his academy in Brazil. Since then, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, and many other martial arts have adopted the use of colored belts as a way to denote a students increasing progress.

Individual adult belt ranks

The following sections are provided as brief synopsis regarding the general themes surrounding each individual belt rank.

White belt (White belt is the beginning rank for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu students.)

White belt is the lowest ranking belt within Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It is the rank held by any practitioner new to the art and does not require any special prerequisites to obtain. It is the rank immediately preceding the blue belt. Some instructors and other high-level practitioners feel that white belt is the rank where most of the student’s training emphasis should be placed on escaping and defensive positioning, as it can be argued that a white belt will do much of his or her fighting from inferior positions (especially when training with higher belts).

While this may be largely true, and forms a solid training base for belts to come, most academies will require a prospective blue belt to show a well-rounded skill-set, with a knowledge of not only survival techniques, but basic offensive moves, such as common submissions and guard passes.

Blue belt (A general estimate of the time required to obtain a blue belt in most academies is 1 to 2 years.)

Blue belt is the second lowest adult rank within the most commonly accepted Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grading system, bridging the way between the beginner rank of white belt and the intermediate rank of purple belt.

To progress to a purple belt, a blue belt level student must acquire a vast technical knowledge regarding all aspects of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and hundreds of hours of mat-time to know how to implement these moves efficiently. Perhaps because of this, blue belt is often known as a rank where a student collects a large number of techniques.

The IBJJF requires that a practitioner be at least 16 years old to receive a blue belt (thereby officially entering into the adult belt system).

Purple belt (A general estimate of the time required to progress from blue belt to purple belt in most academies is 3 to 4 years.)

Purple belt is the intermediate adult ranking within the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, coming after the rank of blue belt and before brown belt. It is often considered one of the longer held ranks, and typically takes at least 4-5 years of dedicated training to achieve.

Even as an “intermediate” rank, the purple belt level practitioner holds a formidable amount of knowledge, and purple belts are generally considered qualified to instruct lower belts in other arts students with a similar amount of time and effort invested would often be ranked as a black (instructor) level belt.

The IBJJF requires that a student be at least 16 years old and have spent a minimum of 2 years ranked as a blue belt to be eligible to receive a purple belt (with slightly different requirements for those transitioning straight from the youth belts).

Brown Belt (A general estimate of the time required to progress from purple belt to brown belt in most academies is 2 to 3 years.)

Aside from the exceptional belts awarded at the highest levels, brown belt is the highest “color” belt rank within the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, providing a transition between the intermediate purple belt rank and the elite black belt. Brown belt is arguably the beginning of the elite ranks in and of itself, typically taking at least 5-6 years of dedicated training to achieve. As a transitional rank, it is often thought of as a time for refining rather then accumulation, where a practitioner hones already acquired technical and practical skills until they reach a black belt level.

The IBJJF requires that a student be at least 18 years old and have spent a minimum of 1.5 years ranked as a purple belt to be eligible to receive a brown belt.

Black Belt (A general estimate of the time required to progress from brown belt to black belt in most academies is 2 to 3 years.)

As with many other martial arts, the black belt is the highest common belt within the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, denoting an expert level of technical and practical skill. Estimates vary on the time required to achieve the rank, with 10 years total (or more) an often heard estimate. No matter how many actual years are required, every Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt will have undoubtedly invested thousands of hours of mat time (randori) into the art and hold a skill-set that demonstrably reflects such.

The IBJJF requires that a student be at least 19 years old and have spent a minimum of 1 year ranked as a brown belt to be eligible to receive a black belt.

Black and Red Belt (Current IBJJF regulations places the time it takes to progress from a 6th degree to 7th degree black-and-red belt at 7 years.)

When a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt reaches the 7th and 8th degree, the practitioner is awarded an alternating red-and-black belt (Similar to the alternating red and white belt earned at the 6th degree in Judo). Black-and-red belt holders are very experienced practitioners, most of whom have made a large impact on the overall art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Some notable current black-and-red belt holders are Carlos Gracie Jr. and Pedro Sauer.

Red Belt (Current IBJJF regulations places the time it takes to progress from a 8th degree red-and-black belt to 9th degree red belt at 10 years.)

In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the red belt is reserved “for those whose influence and fame takes them to the pinnacle of the art”.

It is awarded in lieu of a 9th and 10th degree black belt (identical to the art of Judo). Assuming that someone received his or her black belt at 19 years old (the minimum age to receive a black belt under the IBJJF's graduation system) the earliest they could expect to receive a 9th degree red belt would be at the age of 67.

The 10th degree Red Belt is permanently reserved to the founders of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Carlos, Oswaldo, George, Gastão and Hélio Gracie.

Promotion criteria

There have been few published guidelines or standards that determine when a practitioner is ready for promotion, with the criterion generally determined on an individual instructor and/or academy basis. Even the IBJJF, while maintaining an extensive graduation system that takes into account time-in-grade and membership standing, makes no mention of specific performance or skill requirements. When instructors or academies do comment on the criteria needed to achieve the next belt, the most widely accepted measures are:

■The amount of technical and conceptual knowledge a practitioner can demonstrate, and;
■Performance in grappling within the academy and/or competition.

Technical and conceptual knowledge is judged by the number of techniques a student can perform, and the level of skill with which they are performed in live grappling. This allows for smaller and older practitioners to be recognized for their knowledge though they may not be the strongest fighters in the school. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a distinctly individual sport, and practitioners are encouraged to adapt the techniques to make them work for their body type, strategic preferences, and level of athleticism. The ultimate criterion for promotion is the ability to execute the techniques successfully, rather than strict stylistic compliance.

Informal verses formalized testing

As noted above, the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu historically has had an informal approach to belt promotions, with one or more instructors subjectively agreeing that a given student is ready for the next rank. In recent years however, some academies have moved toward a more systematic, formalized testing approach. This is especially true for the lower ranks, where the decision to promote is arguably the least contentious.

One of the first instructors to publicly publish some of this formalized testing criterion was Roy Harris, who has formalized promotion tests, up to and including black belt. Formalized tests are generally based around the same elements as a normal promotion, that is, technical/conceptual knowledge and the ability to apply those techniques against a resisting opponent. Some tests however, take other aspects into account, such as a student's personal character or a basic knowledge regarding the history of the art.

Formalized testing may also contain conditions more familiar to traditional martial arts, such as testing fees and a required amount of pre-testing private lessons with the instructor.

Competitions

Students are generally encouraged to compete, as it can play an important and often times accelerating role in a practitioner's growth and overall speed of promotion. Competition allows an instructor to gauge a student's abilities while grappling with a fully resisting opponent, and it is not uncommon for a promotion to follow shortly after a good competition performance. In most academies it is not an essential prerequisite for promotion, but there are exceptions to this and in a minority of schools, competing is not only endorsed but required.

Stripes/degrees

In addition to the belt system, many academies award "stripes" as a form of intra-belt recognition of progress and skill. The cumulative amount of stripes earned serves as a rough indication of a practitioners skill level relative to others within the same belt rank (i.e. a blue-belt level practitioner with four stripes would be more adept then blue-belt practitioner with one, but not a purple belt with one.)

Stripes can be as formal as small pieces of cloth sown onto the sleeve of the belt, or as informal as pieces of electrical tape applied to the same general area. Although the exact application (such as the amount of stripes allowed for each belt) varies from school to school, the IBJJF sets out a general system where 4 stripes can be added before the student should be considered for promotion to the next belt.

Stripes are only used for ranks prior to black belt, after black belt is achieved, the markings are known as "degrees" and are only formally awarded (with time-in-grade being as significant a factor as skill level). Unlike the belt system, stripes are not used in every academy and, where they are used, they may not always be applied consistently.

Extra-promotional customs

One long-standing tradition practiced in many Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu schools immediately following a promotion, is a custom known as "running the gauntlet" ("passar no corredor" in portuguese)

Said to have originated in Brazil, the gauntlet can come in many forms, but generally follows two basic patterns:

■The newly-promoted student is hit on their back with belts—once by each of their fellow practitioners—as they walk or run past;
■The newly-promoted student thrown by his instructors, and sometimes also by each of the students with equal or higher grade in the academy.

In recent years some have criticized the practice, citing philosophical and even legal reasons, and it is no longer part of some prominent academies. Advocates for the custom argue that "running the gauntlet" serves as a method of team building and reinforces camaraderie between classmates.

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