BJJ 101: The Belt Ranking System

Every martial art has their own belt ranking system. Brazilian jiu-jitsu is no exception. If you're here, you're looking to answer a few questions about what exactly that belt system entails. You've come to the right place. 

Whether you're thinking about joining your local jiu-jitsu academy, or you've recently started, you'll have noticed that 1) you've been given a white belt, and 2) there are others on the mat wearing different colors. Maybe you have some idea of what they mean, and maybe all you know is that the "colored belts" can outmaneuver you at every turn. 

The good news is that you've already discovered that the belt represents someone's progress. The bad news is that every academy and affiliation have slightly different ways that they measure that progress, and hence, rank you up. However, there does still tend to be some patterns. 

In the full Kingz USA blog (which you can read here), I break down the BJJ belt ranking system, its structure, and what it means for practitioners at different stages of their BJJ journey.