A promotion, or grading, is the moment a student is awarded the next belt or stripe, by their own instructor or by an examining panel. Judo usually calls the event a grading and runs it as a test; BJJ usually calls it a promotion and leaves it to the head instructor's judgement.
- In judo: kyu gradings are tests of technique, often with a syllabus; judoinfo.com also lists batsugun, an instant promotion through contest results.
- In BJJ: the head instructor decides, with no fixed exam in most academies; bjjheroes.com describes Royce Gracie's black belt ceremony and Roger Gracie's black belt from his uncle.
- Minimum ages: bjjheroes.com records federation rules that gave Royce his blue belt at sixteen and set eighteen as the minimum for black.
How is a judo grading different from a BJJ promotion?
In judo a grading is an examination. You demonstrate the throws, holds and breakfalls on the syllabus for your next kyu, sometimes with a short randori or a written element, and an examiner passes or fails you. The judoinfo.com terms list also records batsugun, an instant promotion, earned by beating a run of opponents in contest. Judoinfo.com's Kimura biography gives an example: Kimura was promoted to 5th dan by defeating eight consecutive opponents at the Kodokan.
In BJJ a promotion is a decision. The instructor has watched you roll for months or years and judges that you are ready. The bjjheroes.com page on Royce Gracie describes his father awarding the black belt in a ceremony co-hosted by his brother Rickson; the Roger Gracie page says his uncle Carlinhos awarded Roger his black belt in 2004.
What are the IBJJF belt promotion rules?
The IBJJF General System of Graduation leaves the pace to the professor and sets the floor:
- Minimum ages: 16 for blue and purple, 18 for brown and black.
- Minimum time: two years at blue, one and a half at purple, one at brown, none at white.
- Black belt promotions are signed by a black belt with at least two IBJJF degrees.
Promoting early has a cost in competition. The IBJJF Rules Book says an athlete promoted before meeting the minimum time or age cannot compete at the new belt or the previous one.
What does the instructor look for?
- Technique that holds up under resistance, against partners of your own grade and above.
- Time on the mat and consistency, measured in years.
- Behaviour: how you treat beginners, how you take a tap, how you look after partners.
- Competition results in some academies, and at the higher grades, teaching ability.
- Minimum ages and times at belt where a federation sets them.
What happens on promotion day?
In judo, know your syllabus cold and bring a partner who knows how to fall. In BJJ, you rarely know the day is coming; the belt appears at the end of class and the room lines up to roll with you or, in some academies, to run the gauntlet. Either way, thank the people who got you there and train the next day.
A promotion is the one occasion grapplers expect a present. Our BJJ gifts collection is where to find one.
Sources
- Judoinfo.com terms list, JudoInfo
- Judoinfo.com's Kimura biography, JudoInfo
- Bjjheroes.com page on Royce Gracie, BJJ Heroes
- Roger Gracie page, BJJ Heroes
- IBJJF General System of Graduation, IBJJF
- IBJJF Rules Book, IBJJF
Related terms
Belt, Stripes, Kyu and dan grades, Blue belt (BJJ), Black belt (BJJ).