The Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt is often associated with the red bar which is where the stripes are awarded. In some cases, a BJJ black belt can also opt for wearing a belt with a white bar which means they’re an active competitor.
However, what about a BJJ black belt wearing a blue bar? Very little is known about this rare belt combination and why it exists. It’s also something of a new phenomenon that is not in line with the traditions of typical BJJ culture. So, what is the story behind the BJJ black belt with a blue bar?
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Royce Gracie brings in the blue bar in 2015
Royce Gracie is known for being a big advocate of the Gracie family and wears his family colors with pride. That’s why he decided to bring in the blue bar on black belts back in 2015. It’s also no secret that he wears a navy blue belt himself, even though he is eligible to wear a coral belt. Why? Because like Helio Gracie, he wanted to represent the original belt system of BJJ.
Originally, you had a white belt, then a blue belt. If you were a teacher or professor, you could then wear a navy blue belt. This is why towards the end of his life Helio Gracie opted to wear a navy blue belt as he felt his views were more in line with the older values of BJJ. Specifically talking, that means self defense over competition Jiu Jitsu.
The goal of self defense runs through the Gracie family, as seen by Rorion and Rener Gracie who are big on it themselves. It’s the same with Royce too, who decided to not only copy his relative’s actions but also to honor him with his black belt colors.
The blue bar is still new in terms of BJJ’s history
Royce Gracie made the decision to enter the blue bar in 2015 and before then it didn’t exist. Some people even think it has something to do with being in law enforcement or the military, but that is not true. Anyway, because it’s not even been around for 10 years, the blue bar is relatively unheard of and is quite rare. It’s not exactly going to catch on any time soon either as most gyms have no reason to ditch the red bar.
Nonetheless, if you train at Royce Gracie’s then you’ll probably see a few black belts with blue bars. Similarly, affiliate gyms of Royce’s will also follow a similar path. Regardless, this makes up a tiny percentage of the BJJ population so it’s not something you’ll see very often.
It’s not the first unusual belt to be used in BJJ either
As mentioned earlier, the white tab on the black belt has also become more popular over the years with competitors. As well, Rener Gracie also introduced the pink belt for his women’s empowerment program, whilst the IBJJF also use a green and yellow belt to distinguish competitors during their competitions. With this in mind, it seems that the future possibly means more unusual-looking belts are on the horizon. However, is this really needed?
Conclusion
Overall, the black belt with blue bar is an incredibly rare sight in BJJ and is exclusive to Royce Gracie and his own grading system. This doesn’t represent the majority of BJJ practitioners and is something that that is a common sight either.
In conclusion, the black belt with a blue bar is based on maintaining the self defense origins of BJJ and representing the values of Helio Gracie.
