Understanding Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Belt Ranks: What You Need to Know

What is Different About Brazilian Jiu Jitsu's Belts?

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art that places significant emphasis on technique, discipline, and personal growth. Unlike some martial arts, where belt promotions can happen relatively quickly, BJJ belts are earned through years of dedication, practice, and perseverance.

Ranking up between belt levels is generally a subjective decision made by your instructors along with factors that go into making that decision. Most commonly skill, time spent training, and your own personal goals within the art are the main contributing factors. Some gyms have tests that are meant to introduce a minimum set of standards for each belt while others promote without tests based on when the instructor feels a student is ready.

In this article, we’ll break down the belt ranks in BJJ, what they signify, and what to expect on your journey.

The Belt Progression in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

The progression of belts in BJJ for adults typically follows this order:

1. White Belt
2. Blue Belt
3. Purple Belt
4. Brown Belt
5. Black Belt

For children, there is a separate system with additional colors (e.g., yellow, orange, and green belts) to accommodate their development before transitioning to adult ranks.

Since there is no official governing body for the sport of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, every gym is responsible for their own standards. This article is aimed to share what our thoughts are at Tackle Jiu Jitsu regarding these standards.

Belt Ranks and Their Significance

White Belt: The Beginning

Average Time Training: None

The white belt is where everyone starts. It's the belt that you earn from walking in the door the first time. As a white belt, the focus is on learning the fundamentals: basic techniques, positions, and concepts. This stage is about building a solid foundation and understanding the principles of leverage and control that make BJJ unique.

At white belt, every day you will most likely be learning something new and you will spend most of your time getting your body comfortable with the movements which can often times feel counter intuitive.

Your goal at this stage is to just keep showing up. Time on the mats is the only way to get better and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable will soon become easier with each passing day.

Key Challenges:

1. Feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of techniques.
2. Learning to stay calm under pressure.
3. Getting your body to adjust to new ways of moving.

Tips for White Belts:

1. Focus on mastering the basics.
2. Be consistent with your training.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
4. It's supposed to be hard, don't be afraid to lose!

Blue Belt: The First Milestone

Average Time Training: 6 months to 3 years

The blue belt represents a significant milestone in BJJ. At this level, practitioners have a grasp of fundamental techniques and start to develop their own personal style. You begin to be able to tie techniques together as opposed to treating each movement as an individual act.

For many, this belt is the first time you feel like "part of the club". Upper belts (generally considered purple belt and above) will often start to try more seriously since they can trust in your ability to defend yourself along with having enough skill to challenge them more.

Key Focus Areas:

1. Expanding your technique library.
2. Understanding positional hierarchies.
3. Improving your defense.
4. Learning to tie together movements in order to chain attacks (and defenses).

Challenges:

1. The infamous "blue belt blues," where progress may feel slow.
2. Maintaining motivation over the long term and during plateaus.
3. Less new techniques and more focus on improving knowledge

Purple Belt: The Technician

Average Time Training: 3 to 8 years

Purple belt is often considered the stage where practitioners truly begin to refine their game. At this rank, you’re expected to have a deep understanding of techniques and be capable of teaching others. There is an expectation that you can transition one sequence naturally into another sequence as you react to what your training partners are doing.

This is often considered the first advanced rank within BJJ. You'll often (but not always) have a much easier time dealing with white and blue belts, and can also pose a real threat to brown and black belts. At this point, things will begin to "click" for you and movements will feel like second nature.

Key Focus Areas:

1. Developing a signature game or set of techniques.
2. Sharpening transitions and setups.
3. Mentoring lower-ranked students.

Challenges:

1. Staying motivated to continue improving when new techniques can become fewer and farther between.
2. Being consistent in training while life can get in the way.
3. Learning how to train with less experienced grapplers.

Brown Belt: The Artist

Average Time Training: 5 to 15 years

As a brown belt, your game is expected to be highly polished. This rank is the final step before achieving black belt, and the focus shifts to mastering the finer details of techniques. To lower belts, the difference between a good brown belt and a black belt can feel indistinguishable.

Often times brown belts will also assist in running classes as they are more veteran members of the gym or will even open gyms of their own. A good analogy is that a brown belt is like a grad student working through their dissertation before getting their PhD.

Key Focus Areas:

1. Perfecting techniques and combinations of techniques.
2. Exploring advanced strategies.
3. Preparing for the responsibilities of being a black belt.

Challenges:

1. As with everything in life, the longer you do something, the more of a toll it can take on your body.
2. Filling in holes in your game.

Black Belt: The Expert

Average Time Training: 8 to 20+ years

Earning a black belt in BJJ is a monumental achievement that can easily take a decade or more of consistent training. Black belts are not only skilled practitioners but also leaders and teachers in the BJJ community.

The black belt is a symbol of expertise within the art. There is an expectation that you have a well rounded approach to pretty much any scenario along with strong personal preferences for certain aspects on how to approach them.

Often times black belts will say this is actually just the beginning as there is still so much to learn. While you will never truly master every single aspect of jiu jitsu, a black belt gives you the ability to learn new techniques and find a spot for them in your expansive toolbelt of moves.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Continuing to learn and evolve.
2. Contributing to the community by teaching and mentoring.
3. Representing the art with integrity.

Tips for Navigating Your BJJ Journey

1. Be Patient: Progress in BJJ is often slow but deeply rewarding. Celebrate small victories along the way.
2. Stay Consistent: Regular training is key to improvement.
3. Embrace Challenges: Each belt comes with its own set of hurdles. Use them as opportunities to grow.
4. Don't Be Afraid to Lose: There are no champions in training. Putting yourself in positions where you lose is the only way you can learn.
5. Support Your Team: A strong community of trustworthy training partners is one of the best parts of BJJ. Help your teammates, and they’ll help you. Without them, the art doesn't work.

Conclusion

Understanding the belt ranks in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is an essential part of appreciating the journey. Each belt signifies growth, both on and off the mats, and serves as a reminder of the dedication required to excel in this art. Whether you’re just starting as a white belt or striving for the coveted black belt, remember that BJJ is not just about the destination but the journey itself.

Growing and learning is a major part of BJJ. Don't be afraid to lose. Training with partners of all experience levels give you the opportunity to work on different parts of your game.

Time on the mat is king and everything comes after!