Belt Progression

At Roll Art JJ, promotions are based on merit, not the number of classes attended or simply given out on a set schedule. You can rest assured that if you are promoted by our professors you have EARNED it through your dedication and hard work. Our students are never charged a fee for their promotions or new belts.

Major belt promotions are generally given out at a belt ceremony twice a year. Students are not given advance warning of their promotional status. These events will be scheduled months in advance to ensure the majority of students can plan to be there. There is no guarantee for a belt promotion, again, only those who have earned it will get it. But we do ask that everyone attend these events to show support for others even if they are not getting promoted. It’s a matter of respect.

In between belt ceremonies, our professors may promote individuals who have made notable progress or a major accomplishment. These interim promotions are generally in the form of an additional “stripe” on their current belt, though in some cases a new color belt may also be given out, especially for our younger students on the youth belt track to keep them motivated.

The belt system illustrated here was developed by the IBJJF, the original governing body for the sport. It is widely recognized as the official JJ belt system all over the world. You will notice it is based on two tracks, youth and adult, with each track having a different set of belt colors. Students all start at white belt and progress up the chart based on a minimum age hierarchy. In some rare cases a student may achieve a higher belt despite not meeting the minimum age. Again, this is based on our professors assessment of their skill level.

It is worth noting, however, no student under the age of 16 may start training on the adult track or earn their black belt. It is with very rare exception that any student under the age of 19 can achieve black belt status.

In cases of our competition team students, winning a major title [Gold] such as PANs, Worlds or similar will result in that student being promoted a whole belt color right there on the podium, with a formal promotion given once back at the academy. It is worth noting that we do not favor or give out more promotions to one student over the other because they choose to compete (or not). The scenario mentioned above is a rare exception meant only to recognize an incredible achievement.

If you have any questions about promotions at the Roll Art JJ Academy, please feel free to ask one of our professors for clarification.

Enjoy your journey! – Team RAJJ