When it comes to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, there’s often a lot of confusion surrounding what certain people can and can’t do. As BJJ is a martial art, it is steeped in tradition and culture. Whilst some may stick to these rules strictly, others may not care as much. In general, here’s some of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to BJJ regarding belts and the powers that they possess.
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Can a BJJ blue belt teach?
Whilst many will feel comfortable being taught by black belts, blue belts can actually teach. In some cases, they can be incredibly good teachers too. Generally, the argument against blue belts teaching is that they’re too inexperienced and so they lack knowledge or experience. Some would say they may not understand the intricacies of BJJ enough to be teaching.
However, in some cases, blue belt teachers can be very good. Firstly, there’s the possibility that blue belts have been training for well over 5 years. This isn’t too uncommon, especially if they started training as a teen or child. With this said, they can be good enough to teach most if they’re naturally good, especially lower belts.
Secondly, blue belts can sometimes make better coaches than black belts. The reason for this is that sometimes they’re hungrier and more passionate to teach. Some black belts get complacent and lazy which can lead to a lack of interest and poor teaching as a result.
Especially in geographic areas with few higher belts, blue belt teachers are not too uncommon. The issue is when a blue belt doesn’t know much and is inexperienced, yet still teaches which can lead to sloppy students and training as a result.
Can a BJJ blue belt give stripes?
As mentioned above, BJJ blue belts can and do teach. Especially in slowly-promoting gyms, this isn’t too outlandish. However, technically they aren’t meant to give out new colored belts. Having said this, there’s nothing against them giving out stripes to white belts. In other words, it’s allowed for a blue to give up to 4 stripes on a white belt. Sometimes though, people don’t always follow the rules, especially as BJJ grows – less and less people pay attention to traditions and rules.
Can purple belts promote?
Technically, purple belts can promote. However, they’re not meant to promote to their own belt rank. In other words, a purple belt can promote up to 4 stripes on the blue belt. However, they cannot promote someone to their own rank. This means they can promote white to blue, as brown belts can promote blue to purple.
Technically, black belts are meant to have at least one tab on their belt (3 years at black belt) before they can promote a brown belt to black belt. This is less common though as people generally don’t follow this rule as much, especially if someone doesn’t wear stripes on their belt for various reasons.
How many recognized black belts are there?
The answer to this question is, how long is a piece of string? There are literally tens of thousands of recognized BJJ black belts worldwide. This number literally grows by the day. Like a virus spreading, the longer time goes on, the more black belts there are who are promoted on a daily basis. Because of this, it’s impossible to give a definitive answer or number.
What percentage of blue belts quit?
Roughly speaking, around 60-70% of those who make it to blue belt quit. The reason for this varies, but many people begin to realize how tough BJJ is at this level, or they see blue belt as their ultimate goal. As a result, blue belt is infamously the place where many leave BJJ. This is where the term ‘blue belt blues’ comes from.
Having said this, the belt with the biggest drop-off is unsurprisingly white belt. Here, around 90% or so won’t even make it to blue belt. The good news is that if you make it to purple, statistically you’re likely to get a black belt.
Does no gi BJJ have belts?
In terms of competition, no gi BJJ does use a belt system. That means if you’re a blue belt, you would compete against a fellow blue belt. In gyms, some schools even make students wear their literal belt whilst training in no gi. Some competitions also make it mandatory that you wear a rashguard that also shares the same colors of your belt.
In other words, if you’re a blue belt, you would need to wear a rashguard which is mostly blue. The same goes for other belts, but this is not always the case in more casual settings. Most gyms that are exclusively no gi such as 10th Planet also use a belt grading system.
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