Jiu-Jitsu Graduation System | Dear White Belt #2
If you are a beginner, you need to know this for future reference.
When joining your first jiu-jitsu class, you might find yourself wondering, “When will I be at the front?”
Jiu-jitsu has its own ranking system, and understanding it from day one can help you avoid unnecessary pressure about how long you remain a white belt.
Not every academy follows the same promotion system. Some teams conduct belt promotion tests, others promote based on time, some have specific times of the year for promotions, and others offer surprise promotions based on individual progress. It’s important to ask your professor how your academy handles promotions so you can mentally prepare (no rush! You’re just starting your journey).
Most academies follow the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) guidelines, which are considered the standard. Professors typically promote students based on the minimum time requirements set by the IBJJF.
If you want a general idea of how long each belt level takes, take notes:
From White Belt to Blue Belt: there is no minimum time, but usually people spend from 1 - 2 years, depending on the frequency
From Blue Belt to Purple Belt: 2 years
From Purple Belt to Brown Belt: 1.5 years
From Brown Belt to Black Belt: 1 year.
This is for practitioners +18 years old. Click here for more references from the IBJJF website.
As I mentioned, times may vary for many personal reasons. If you haven’t been promoted within the typical timeframe, don’t stress. Instead, take some time for self-reflection.
Let me share my own experience.
I expected to receive my Black Belt within a year because I was consistent, loved competing, and rarely missed class. But life had other plans. Since receiving my Brown Belt, everything became chaotic.
I had to switch teams. Three months into training at my new academy, the pandemic hit. I stopped training for months because I lived with my grandparents. Then my dad passed away, and I had to move to another city to help my mom. Have I mentioned my Brown Belt was chaotic?
The following year, I trained, but I didn’t belong to a specific gym, meaning I had no dedicated professor to evaluate my progress. I also struggled with consistency, balancing time between my grandparents' and mom's homes, which were far apart.
Later, I traveled to the U.S. for three months, but despite training on my dream team, I felt unmotivated. When I returned to Brazil, two years had passed as a Brown Belt with no consistent training or competition.
In January 2022, I moved to the U.S., determined to be consistent. But life threw more obstacles my way. I spent my first year dealing with bureaucratic issues, leaving little mental space for training. (Did I put pressure on myself? A LOT. And I don’t recommend it.)
And there was my 3rd year as a Brown Belt. In my fourth year, I finally was being more consistent — I competed at World Masters for the first time (to assume I was a 30-year-old woman). Then I traveled to Brazil to visit family for 18 days but got stuck for four months due to visa issues. I missed that year’s belt promotion.
Finally, at the end of 2024, after five years of ups and downs, I was promoted. The journey wasn’t smooth, and I had my fair share of doubts and struggles. But I learned an important lesson: everyone’s journey is different, and that’s okay.
How about the stripes?
Stripes are part of the graduation system. It’s literally a piece of tape that your professor places on the black part of your belt to indicate improvement and to keep you motivated.
There are no strict rules for stripes—where I train, only white belts and kids receive them.
Receiving stripes up until my purple belt was very important to me. After that, I stopped thinking about them.
Some academies give stripes during belt ceremonies, while others award them by surprise. Unfortunately, some academies even charge for stripes. If your gym charges you a fee for a stripe, I hate to say it, but RUN! 🏃♀️👀 (actually, I don’t hate to say it).
The only stripes that truly follow a structured system are those on the Black Belt.
Picture from the IBJJF website.
People joke that Black Belt stripes just mean you’re getting older. 😂 But in all seriousness, there are formal rules for earning them. Reaching the Red Belt takes a lifetime, and the time between Black Belt stripes is significant.
In my opinion, the stripes on a Black Belt symbolize something beautiful: dedicating a huge part of your life to jiu-jitsu.
Anyway, if you are a white belt and are wondering when you will receive your blue belt, I have only one suggestion: study it, train jiu-jitsu (of course), be consistent, and don't rush—enjoy your journey.