The BJJ ranking system is used to signify a practitioner’s increasing levels of skill. They are awarded to the practitioner and must be earned through countless hours of hard work and determination. Derived from a similar system as that of Japanese Judo, the BJJ system has evolved into it’s own ranking criteria. It has minor diffreneces than Judo especially when ranking youth practitioners and incorporating stripes to the belt. A belt ranking system was created in 1907 when Kano Jigoro, the founder of Judo, introduced the use of belts and GI's in the martial arts, replacing the practice of training in formal kimonos. In 1914, Kano’s pupil Mitsuyo Maeda arrived in Brazil, a journey which led to the development of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. At the time Kano used only 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 with knowledge. Some believe that Mikonosuke Kawaishi, a Japanese master of judo and jujutsu, was the first to introduce additional colors in 1935 when he began teaching Judo in Paris, 10 years after Carlos Gracie opened his academy in Brazil. Kawaishi thought that a more structured system of colored belts would provide the western student with visible rewards to show progress, increasing motivation and retention. Since then, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo and many other martial arts have adopted the use of colored belts to denote students’ progression in the arts. White Belt: The first belt in BJJ and symbolizes the practitioner’s purity and lack on knowledge in the art. The rank is held by any practitioner new to the art and has no prerequisite. Some instructors and other high-level practitioners think that a white belt training should emphasize escapes and defensive positioning since a white belt will often fight from inferior positions, especially when training with more experienced practitioners. Blue Belt: Blue belt is the second adult rank in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. At the blue belt level students gain technical knowledge of BJJ and undertake countless hours of mat-time to learn how to implement these moves efficiently. Blue belt is often the rank at which the student learns a large number of techniques. Purple Belt: Purple belt is the intermediate adult ranking in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The purple belt level practitioner has gained a large amount of knowledge, and purple belts are generally considered qualified to instruct lower ranked students. In other martial arts, students with a similar amount of experience would often be ranked as a black (instructor) level belt. Brown Belt: Aside from the exceptional belts awarded at the highest levels (Black and Red), brown belt is the highest ranking color belt. Brown belt typically requires at least five years of training to achieve. It is often thought of as a time for refining techniques. Black Belt: The highest common belt within Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, denoting an expert level of technical and practical skill. Estimates of the time required to achieve the rank vary, but all holders of this rank have thousands of hours of experience. The dream of many practitioners, a black belt should be more of a beginning than the end of a journey. Coral Belt: When a black belt reaches the seventh and eighth degree, he or she is awarded an alternating red-and-black belt similar to the one earned at the sixth degree in Judo. This belt is commonly known as the coral belt. Coral belts are very experienced practitioners, most of whom have made a large impact on Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and are often addressed within the art by the title master. Red Belt: The ultimate in BJJ. According to the Gracies, the belt is reserved “for those whose influence and fame takes them to the pinnacle of the art”. It is awarded in lieu of a ninth and tenth degree black belt. If a practitioner receives his or her black belt at 19 years old, the earliest they could expect to receive a ninth degree red belt would be at the age of 67. Brazilian jiu-jitsu red belt holders are often addressed within the art by the title grandmaster. Stripes: In addition to the belt system, many academies award stripes as a form of intra-belt recognition of progress and skill. The cumulative number of stripes earned serves as an indication of the student’s skill level relative to others within the same belt rank. Stripes are only used for ranks prior to black belt. After black belt is achieved, the markings are known as degrees and are awarded formally. Time-in-grade and skill level are both important factors.
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