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BJJ belt system

Brazilian jiu-jitsu / Popular

How the belts and stripes work and what each level means.

What coaches agree on

  • Expect the full journey to black belt to take roughly seven to twelve years, with each belt along the way commonly taking one to several years on its own.
  • At blue belt, sample as many different guards and positions as you can; the goal is to discover which style fits you, not to specialize yet.
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  • At purple belt, take what you sampled at blue belt and narrow it into your own signature game; this is also when many coaches say you should start teaching others.

Common mistakes

  • Playing it safe to avoid losing, such as sticking to easy opponents, familiar techniques, or purely defensive positions, is a common mistake; the coaches say real progress comes from embracing losses, not avoiding them.
  • Feeling stuck or burnt out and assuming you have stopped progressing is a common mistake that often hits at blue or purple belt; many quit at this point even though they are often improving the most when it feels hardest.
What Do BJJ Belts Mean?
Beginner

What Do BJJ Belts Mean?

Coach's take: The survival-escape-dominance-submission framework here is genuinely great teaching, one of the better explanations of what a belt actually represents.

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