Belt levels in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: The Ultimate Guide | BJJ Success (2024)

Everything you need to know about the journey from white belt to black belt and beyond

Belts are a popular feature of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and one of the key ways you can measure your progress in the art.

There are five primary belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: white, blue, purple, brown and black.

There are also usually four “degrees” or stripes for each belt below black belt, and six degrees at black belt. There are three additional belts after black belt to represent 7th degree and above, with the 10th degree red belt reserved for the pioneers of BJJ.

The IBJJF adult belt system

BeltMinimum age to receive beltMinimum time required at this belt
White belt
Belt levels in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: The Ultimate Guide | BJJ Success (1)
AnyNone
Blue belt
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16 years2 years
Purple belt
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16 years1.5 years
Brown belt
Belt levels in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: The Ultimate Guide | BJJ Success (4)
18 years1 year
Black belt
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19 years31 years
Red and black belt (7th degree black belt)
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50 years7 years
Red and white belt (8th degree black belt)
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57 years10 years
Red belt (9th and 10th degree black belt)
Belt levels in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: The Ultimate Guide | BJJ Success (8)
67 yearsUndefined

Source: IBJJF

For children there are 13 belts explained further below.

The journey towards a black belt is a common goal among many BJJ practitioners, and for most requires a lot of time, hard work and discipline. Read on to see how belt progression works in BJJ, and what you need to do and know at each stage to progress to the next belt.

Table of contents

  • How many belts are there and what do you need to know to get them?
    • White belt
    • Blue belt
    • Purple belt
    • Brown belt
    • Black belt
    • Beyond black belt
    • Kids belts
  • How do you progress to the next belt?
  • Does your belt colour really matter?

How many belts are there in BJJ and what do you need to know to get them?

The below information is based on the IBJJF adult belt system and information gathered from experts. It’s important to note there are other belt systems too such as the Rickson Gracie-led Jiu Jitsu Global Federation (JJGF).

Progression for each BJJ practitioner isn’t overseen by one regulatory body. Instead like many other martial arts, a student’s rank progression is left up to a qualified instructor to evaluate based on factors such as skill, time and age.

Some organisations like the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) have official requirements about the minimum time spent at each belt, and instructor requirements to be allowed to grade others.

For example, a blue belt practitioner must usually hold their belt for two years before they can be promoted to purple belt according to the IBJJF graduation system.

Also, according to IBJJF rules, a black belt promotion can only be made by someone who is at least an IBJJF-accredited 2nd degree black belt. There are also minimum ages for some adult belts. Read on to see everything you should know about each belt.

White belt

Belt levels in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: The Ultimate Guide | BJJ Success (9)
  • Minimum age: Any
  • Minimum time required at this belt: No minimum

White belt is the first belt everyone receives in jiu jitsu. In Jiu-Jitsu University by Saulo Ribeiro, he writes that students should spend 6 – 18 months at white belt before moving onto blue belt. My own journey took about two years.

What should you focus on at white belt?

According to Ribeiro in Jiu-Jitsu University, white belts should focus on learning how to survive.

More specifically, IBJJF World Champion competitor and black belt Bernardo Faria says white belts should focus on fundamentals like posturing in closed guard, how to open and close the guard, three sweeps from the bottom, three basic submissions from closed guard, and escapes.

According to world-class jiu jitsu instructor John Danaher, the three most important techniques a white belt should know are escapes, particularly:

  • Escape from low mount
  • Escape from side control
  • Escape from back control

World renowned MMA coach Firas Zahabi mentions you should drill a lot at the white belt level and focus on finding quality training.

Blue belt

Belt levels in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: The Ultimate Guide | BJJ Success (10)
  • Minimum age: 16 years
  • Minimum time required at this belt for athletes aged 18 years and over: 2 years

The blue belt is the first belt earned in BJJ based on merit. According to Saulo Ribeiro in Jiu-Jitsu University it’s the belt you’ll spend the longest at on the way to black.

Others like Nick Albin AKA “Chewy” from the Chewjitsu YouTube channel mention that blue belt is characterised by experimentation and trying out various techniques to see what works for you.

According to Ryan Young from Kama Jiu Jitsu the blue belt is usually kept for 2 – 5 years.

What should a blue belt know?

Helio Gracie described a blue belt as being someone who can defend themselves against a larger, stronger opponent by using jiu jitsu techniques.

In this great YouTube video about the most important skills a blue belt should know, John Danaher mentions blue belts should:

  • Be equally as effective on top and bottom
  • Be able to escape from someone of roughly the same training experience at will
  • Be able to finish opponents
  • Have a working knowledge of the elbow escape, hook sweep, knee slice guard pass and back strangles

Purple belt

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  • Minimum age: 16 years
  • Minimum time required at this belt for athletes aged 18 years and over: 1.5 years

The purple belt is the next belt after blue. According to world-class MMA coach Firas Zahabi, it should be a difficult belt to attain and should take about 5 years to earn.

What should a purple belt know?

In Jiu-Jitsu University, Saulo Ribeiro mentions that purple belt is not only where you refine your technique, but it’s also where you mentor and have contact with blue belts.

Another key aspect of being a purple belt according to Ribeiro is that a purple belt should believe in his or her skill level, and not let white or blue belts interfere with their confidence.

Ryan Young from Kama Jiu Jitsu thinks that the purple belt is where you take the time to clean up the rough edges in your skillset.

According to Firas Zahabi, being a purple belt means you:

  • Control and submit blue belts on a regular basis
  • Won’t struggle against other blue belts (unless they’re also experienced blue belts)
  • Are a challenge against brown belts
  • Should know your details including combinations and complicated positions

Chewy from Chewjitsu believes the purple belt is a “prototype belt” where you start to specialise in particular areas of your game, and it’s where you start building the “tip” of the iceberg you’ll eventually have when arriving at brown and black belt.

Brown belt

Belt levels in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: The Ultimate Guide | BJJ Success (12)
  • Minimum age: 18 years
  • Minimum time required at this belt for athletes aged 18 years and over: 1 year

Brown belt is the final belt before black. In Saulo Ribeiro’s book Jiu-Jitsu University, he describes the brown belt being mostly about polishing the rough edges of your game to reach black belt. According to Firas Zahabi, brown belts should be able to dominate, control and submit purple belts.

How long do you spend at brown belt?

Ryan Young from Kama Jiu Jitsu thinks that practitioners will usually spend 1 – 2 years at brown belt.

Black belt

Belt levels in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: The Ultimate Guide | BJJ Success (13)
  • Minimum age: 19 years
  • Minimum time required at this belt: 31 years
  • Official requirements to become an IBJJF certified black belt:
    • Must provide a first aid and CPR course certificate
    • Must be IBJJF affiliated
    • Must attend an IBJJF referee course and score over 60%
    • Must either be the head or assistant instructor of an IBJJF affiliated gym or practice in a gym with IBJJF affiliation.
    • Must be promoted by an IBJJF-affiliated 2nd degree black belt instructor

Earning a black belt is one of the most common and most difficult goals for BJJ practitioners. Some like John Danaher see attaining a black belt as simply marking your “passage into training adulthood”:

“It is a symbol that you can now enter into a more serious phase of learning where you know enough to formulate your own developing approach to the game and begin to teach others. You still have a lifetime of learning and development ahead of you.”

There are numerous requirements to receive an IBJJF-certified black belt, including spending the minimum time at each of the other coloured belts, plus having various qualifications in first aid and competition refereeing. Some organisations like Gracie Barra also require black belts to receive instructor certifications.

How long does it take to earn a black belt in BJJ?

The length of time it takes to earn a black belt varies depending on a number of factors. A regularly quoted average amount of time to receive a black belt is approximately 8-12 years, but there are many well known black belts who received their black belts earlier. Some particularly fast examples include:

What should a black belt know?

It goes without saying that a black belt should have expert knowledge of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Here are some of the ingredients required to be a black belt according to various experts:

Red and black belt

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  • Minimum age: 50 years
  • Minimum time required at this belt: 7 years

After spending at least 31 years at black belt, and being at least 50 years of age, the red and black master’s belt can be obtained. This represents a 7th degree black belt.

Red and white belt

Belt levels in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: The Ultimate Guide | BJJ Success (15)
  • Minimum age: 57 years
  • Minimum time required at this belt: 10 years

After spending at least 7 years as a 7th degree red and black belt, eligible practitioners can receive their 8th degree red and white master’s belt.

Red belt

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  • Minimum age: 67 years
  • Minimum time required at this belt: Undefined

The 9th and 10th degree grandmaster’s belts are represented by a red belt with gold and white bars. Receiving a 9th degree grandmaster belt is only possible after at least 10 years from your previous graduation.

The 10th degree red belt was only given to the founders of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: Carlos, Oswaldo, George, Gaston and Helio Gracie.

BJJ Eastern Europe maintains an up-to-date list of 9th degree grandmasters.

Kids BJJ belts: 4 – 15 years of age

BeltMinimum age requirement
WhiteNone
Grey and White4 to 15 years
Grey4 to 15 years
Grey and Black4 to 15 years
Yellow and White7 to 15 years
Yellow7 to 15 years
Yellow and Black7 to 15 years
Orange and White10 to 15 years
Orange10 to 15 years
Orange and Black10 to 15 years
Green and White13 to 15 years
Green13 to 15 years
Green and Black13 to 15 years

Source: IBJJF

There’s no minimum time you’re required to stay at each belt in the kids system outside of the minimum age requirement listed above.

Once you reach 16 years old, your instructor will promote you to one of the adult belts mentioned above. According to IBJJF graduation rules these will depend on your current belt:

Belt before turning 16Promotion belt
White beltWhite belt
Grey belt, yellow belt, orange beltBlue belt
Green beltBlue or purple belt (depending on your instructor’s decision)

Source: IBJJF

How do you progress to the next belt in BJJ?

Belt and stripe (degree) progression is generally decided by your head instructor and can vary significantly between gyms.

The IBJJF graduation system includes four “degrees” or stripes on all belts up to black. This isn’t the only system, and some gyms will not give any stripes below black belt level. Other gyms might give stripes on some belts and not others. For example Kama Jiu Jitsu only gives stripes at blue belt.

Some gyms will hold official gradings for stripes but not for belts, other gyms will grade for belts and not for stripes, and others will do both or neither. It depends on your gym.

There are various ways instructors will recognise students who are ready to receive their next stripe or belt. Generally a student will be evaluated based on a few factors including their:

  • Technical proficiency,
  • Performance in sparring and/or competition
  • How well rounded they are
  • Time spent training and training frequency

There are other innovative systems such as that which Rob Biernacki from BJJ Concepts uses, where stripes represent proficiency in various modules. In his system for reaching blue belt for example one stripe represents guard retention movements and one stripe represents sweeping movements. Stripes can be earned in any order by displaying proficiency in these specific skill sets.

Does your belt colour really matter?

According to some like the respected John Danaher, the colour of your belt below black belt doesn’t matter. Instead he values your performance on the mat:

“At the end of the day – don’t give a damn about what color your belt is – worry about what you can do on the mat. The people we all admire the most are those whose performance level exceeds the expectations of their belt, age and time of training. Make that your goal rather than the superficial concern over whether it took you twenty four months rather than twenty eight months to get a new belt color.”

Belt levels in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: The Ultimate Guide | BJJ Success (2024)

FAQs

Belt levels in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: The Ultimate Guide | BJJ Success? ›

The answer is simple: Rogan has trained himself in MMA, and he is a BJJ black belt. Rogan began his MMA training as a teenager. The former Fear Factor host felt that it was important to know self-defense, and it was under Jean-Jacques Machado, Rogan began his BJJ training.

What is the order of belts in jiu-jitsu? ›

Adult belt ranks
  • White belt. A white belt is the beginning rank for all Brazilian jiu-jitsu students. ...
  • Blue belt. ...
  • Purple belt. ...
  • Brown belt. ...
  • Black belt. ...
  • Red / Black belt (Coral belt) ...
  • Red / White belt (Coral belt) ...
  • Red belt.

What belt is Joe Rogan in BJJ? ›

The answer is simple: Rogan has trained himself in MMA, and he is a BJJ black belt. Rogan began his MMA training as a teenager. The former Fear Factor host felt that it was important to know self-defense, and it was under Jean-Jacques Machado, Rogan began his BJJ training.

What belt takes the longest to get in BJJ? ›

Aside from the exceptional belts awarded at the highest levels, brown belt is the highest ranking color belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Brown belt typically requires at least five years of dedicated training to achieve. It is often thought of as a time for refining techniques.

What belt does Keanu Reeves have in Jiu Jitsu? ›

Keanu Reeves is arguably one of the biggest names in Hollywood. But did you know that the 58-year-old 'John Wick' superstar also holds a White belt in a noted combat sport? Guess what? The Canadian actor holds a White belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

What belt is Conor McGregor in Jiu Jitsu? ›

McGregor took part in a jiu-jitsu class with coach John Kavanagh, and was promoted to black belt after 20 years practicing the discipline. Received my black belt tonight from my coach, friend, and mentor, @coach_kavanagh of @sbgireland!

How hard is it to get a black belt in jiu jitsu? ›

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (10 Years)

A black belt is extremely hard to achieve in this discipline. It is difficult to progress through the ranks; earning just a blue belt takes three to five years. A black belt may be earned in ten years, but it can range around 8-15 years depending on individual situations.

What belt is Jocko Willink? ›

Willink started Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Fabio Santos while in active service and continued training after retirement from the military. He obtained his black belt from Dean Lister. Since then, Willink has been a prominent figure in the sport and has taught many grapplers.

What belt is Ashton Kutcher? ›

With Kutcher's brown belt status, he's just one level from being an esteemed black belt martial artist. With training every day, Kutcher has his eyes on the prize.

What belt is Dave Bautista in BJJ? ›

The "Guardians of the Galaxy" actor has been practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu since 2010, according to his Instagram posts. He received his purple belt in 2014 and his brown belt in 2023. Bautista isn't the only celebrity who's a fan of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

What's the hardest belt to get in BJJ? ›

The white belt is the most difficult stage during the BJJ journey. You'll spend most of your time on the bottom and you'll spend most of your time tapping out to more experienced training partners. You'll feel like you're drowning as everything you do will feel as if it's working against you.

What is a grey belt in Jiu Jitsu? ›

Gray belts will have spent around 6-8 months as a white belt. These belts still receive the tape stripes until the new belt is awarded. Solid gray belts and beyond will need 11 stripes before being promoted to their next belt. This is considered intermediate Jiu Jitsu.

Can you get a BJJ black belt in 2 years? ›

Average Time: On average, it takes about 8 to 12 years of consistent training to achieve a black belt in BJJ. This estimate assumes that the practitioner is training multiple times a week.

What belt is Jason Statham in BJJ? ›

Jason Statham

Jason is a Renzo Gracie purple belt. Not only does Statham train Jiu Jitsu but he also trains karate, kickboxing and more.

Does Nicolas Cage do jiu-jitsu? ›

Yes, that Nicolas Cage, who you may be surprised to know has a black belt in jiu jitsu. The screen legend studied martial arts for years under the guidance of the sport's royalty, Royce Gracie.

Does Jason Momoa do BJJ? ›

In 2017, Momoa began practicing Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

What is the order of the belts? ›

Karate uses colored belts to denote ranking and progression from beginner to expert. The common order is: white, blue, yellow, orange, green, brown, and black. Each color represents greater knowledge and proficiency in karate.

How long is belt progression in Jiu-Jitsu? ›

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Belt System is a far stricter than in most other martial arts. It can take upwards of 10 years to achieve the black belt. As there are only a few belts, you will spend a long time on each one. Also, your progress will not be linear.

What is higher than a black belt? ›

The black belt is generally known as the highest level in the color belt system, although in some arts, there are belts above black such as the red and white belt of Judo.

How many 10th degree black belts are there in the world? ›

“It is so difficult to actually reflect how distinct this is.” He said there are about 20 to 30 10th-degree black belts in the world, and earning one is an amazing achievement that comes after years of dedication.

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