OK, so I know there has been some other discussion about BJJ belts around here lately, but this is a bit different, so bear with me.

Today after class at the Gracie Barra school I attend, I overheard a couple senior students talking about the way we hand out belts. A bunch of people from our school, including Tim Shears the head black belt instructor, are down in California training. Word is that we haven't been strictly following the "official" Gracie Barra belt ranking system, and that there are going to be some changes coming in the weeks/months ahead. Specifically, we are now going to be following this chart:

http://graciebarraescondido.com/wp-content/articles/images/belt-system_gba.jpg

Now, this is quite different from the way we've been doing things up until this point. We still use the same belt colours and all that, but I'll guarantee you that there are no 8-month blue belts at our school. We have some two- and three-stripe white belts that have been there for over two years, and they definitely train several times a week. Many of the blue belts at our school assist in teaching classes, and purple belt is definitely an elite rank. By following this chart, our school will see a significant drop in the ability held by people at each belt level.

My question is, should I care so much? I know belt colour doesn't really matter and all that, but I've always looked to BJJ as a system where belt colour still actually means something, and I feel like this might be starting to water it down. How will it look for Gracie Barra schools to have their 8-month blue belts getting subbed by the white belts from other schools? Apparently the theory behind the chart is that belt colour is supposed to imply the amount of knowledge you have acquired in training, and not necessarily your skill at competition. I'm curious to hear what people from other schools think of this idea.

Maybe I'm getting paranoid for no good reason, but I can't help but feel like this is going to lower the quality of training.

EDIT: The chart we have posted at our school has an additional note on the bottom, saying that all the times shown assume training 2x per week. If you train more, you could get promoted even faster.

I personally think the belting system is for kids, no matter the system

This the fucking problem with belt systems. They exist to give external gratification and SWIFTLY become a marketing technique.

Frankly, I approve of this for your school, cause you're the guys I fight in tourneys and if I'm -- at 7 years -- going to be put up against a 8 month blue belt chick I already out weight, I've got gold medals coming out of my ass for the next year.

Edit: by that system -- I train 2-4 times a week depending on my work schedule, I am a black belt in BJJ.

I AM NOT A FUCKING BLACK BELT. :redx:

Yeah, it's going to water down the value of belts in BJJ. But a lot of the more major affiliated schools are going to the attendance thing for belt promotions. We're going to see black belts in BJJ that get totally owned by good competition purples.

That's my prediction.

Belts system work around a level of skill, not an amount of time - at least that is the ideal. I would agree that you should be wary of this, it's the first step to cash-for-rank schools.

Like you said - some people take years to get a blue belt. Once in a blue moon, someone with natural ability or frank determination and drive can go much faster. There are average time ranges that can be calculated sure, but when it becomes "you should be" rather than "you are" in skill level, the art gets watered down.

hmmm, that's really lame
IMO your belt should relate to your skill only, all the way up to brown belt. However it is my belief that a black belt should also be good teacher that has very deep understanding of the subtleties of grappling and can communicate it to others. This would ensure that black belts are truly the most qualified people to learn from.

* signs up at Gracie Barra affiliate school *

I would see that chart as a minimum amount of time to progress to each level, not an expected. I'd double it all. Seriously, I'm only just beginning to not get subbed like crazy by good blues and purples, i don't deserve the same rank as them until I hold my own.

Hey, like I said, by that chart:

I AM A BJJ BLACK BELT.

hmm with that system you would hit black belt in little over 5 years.
It took me like over 7 years to get brown.

Oi. According to that chart, I should have a blue belt with...two stripes? That’s a full belt level above what I actually have, and based on how I compare with guys I roll with, I am about where I deserve to be (I’m a slow learner in jits, it seems).

I rather prefer Tim’s current system (I’m at GB Vancouver, as well; who art thou, Skepticus?). This stuff looks rather bullshitty. I was looking forward to my eventual blue belt as an achievement I could take pride in, no matter how slowly I get there; if this transpires and I’m graded just based on time on the mat rather than what I learn on it—not so much.

Specifically, we are now going to be following this chart:

http://graciebarraescondido.com/wp-content/articles/images/belt-system_gba.jpg


EDIT: The chart we have posted at our school has an additional note on the bottom, saying that all the times shown assume training 2x per week. If you train more, you could get promoted even faster.

Anyone from other GB schools know if this chart is the standard at GB schools in the USA?

It could make sense as MINIMUM times for exceptional students, but 8 months seems way too short a time for the average student to reach blue.

I train at Gracie Barra, our belt system is nothing like that. Our coach rewards skill, persistence and success in competition.

I agree 8 months twice a week is too short to reach blue belt, I got blue just shy of a years worth of training three times per week. There are whites who train there for 1 to 2 years before they get promoted.

I think it should be at the coaches discretion, not x amount of time spent training equals y belt.

Anyone from other GB schools know if this chart is the standard at GB schools in the USA?

It could make sense as MINIMUM times for exceptional students, but 8 months seems way too short a time for the average student to reach blue.

I would swear I have seen one where it takes 10-11 to get a blue, but yeah - that's pretty standard looking. At the school I was at, it was all time in grade. Not much else.

I'll believe it when I personally see it. Then I'll be more than happy to turn it down if I don't feel like I deserve it. I don't think they can force you to accept a belt that you don't feel you deserve.

I'll believe it when I personally see it. Then I'll be more than happy to turn it down if I don't feel like I deserve it. I don't think they can force you to accept a belt that you don't feel you deserve.

Great plan--tell the BJJ black belt he doesn't know what he's doing. That'll go well.

Minimum time-in-grade is fine as long as it A) stays a minimum and B) has additional requirements. My experience is that it often becomes a soft minimum ("well, this guy is really good") at the same time that it becomes a place to give people belts automatically, since they aren't considered for anything else.

"Show up for X months and get a stripe/belt" is not a good way to improve dedication, skill, attitude, ability or knowledge. People have to fail, and people have to wait a variable amount of time, in order for a belt system to be valid. Auto-promotion by calendar is worthless.