BJJ Belts and Stripes

BJJ Belts and stripes

Belts in jiu jitsu are not only a significant feature of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but are a traditional way to show skill level, rank, progress measure and help group cohesion. 

Currently, BJJ has eight belts for adults, standardised for BJJ athletes around the world: white, blue, purple, brown, black, red and black, red and white and red. The first five belts have four degrees or stripes each, while the black belt has six degrees. The last three belts are reserved for 7th degree and above, with the 10th degree red belt being the highest honour held for the pioneers of BJJ.

 BJJ belts represent a practitioners skill level, rank, ability, competence and time on the mat. They are awarded by qualified instructors based on factors such as skill, knowledge, attitude, attendance, and age. There are also minimum time requirements for each belt according to the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF), which is the largest and most prestigious BJJ organization in the world.  The belt system is an internationally recognised system used to measure progress.

 The general focus for each BJJ belt is:

White: the first belt within BJJ and held by any practitioner new to the art, there are no prerequisite skills needed. A white belt will learn the basics of BJJ, such as positions, movements, escapes, and submissions. They will also need to develop a solid defence, all while learning to relax.

Blue: the second belt and representing a higher level of knowledge and skill. The practitioner will have improved their guard passing skills and developed a personal style having expanded their repertoire of techniques and strategies.

Purple: the intermediate adult ranking, generally considered as qualified to instruct and teach lower ranked students. Practitioners will have a large amount of knowledge and mastered the fundamentals, all in the meantime having refined their own techniques. They will have developed both a strong offence and defence and become versatile and creative in ability.

Brown: the advanced adult rank, representing a high level of technical knowledge and skill. Their technique will be more consistent and they will be confident in their own abilities.

Black: the expert level of technique and practical skill in BJJ. They have achieved the most recognised level and the main goal among Jiu Jitsu practitioners.

 In addition to the black belt, there are further belts which include:

Red and Black belt (7th Degree Black belt)

Red and White belt (8th Degree Black belt)

Red belt (9th and 10th Degree Black belt)

Stripes

Stripes on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu belts are used to indicate a student’s level within a given belt rank. The significance of stripes on Jiu Jitsu belts is as follows:

Stripes are an indication of a person’s progression through their belt rank, one stripe is further from the next belt than four stripes

More stripes indicate a higher proficiency level within a given belt rank. Each stripe represents a different level of proficiency in specific areas of Jiu Jitsu, such as guard retention, guard passing, sweeping and back attacks.

The belt and stipes method also gives the instructor a way to visually mark the students in the dojo and also letting less experienced students know who the more experienced practitioners are in their own group/club.

It is important to note that the number of stripes and their significance my vary between clubs/schools and also instructors. The number of stripes awarded is determined by the lead instructor/professor and based on the skill level and progress of each individual.