BJJ Training

[davidGeddes]

how long does it take until you are awarded a white belt?

 

[Steve]

Getting the white belt is easy. You get that one to start. Expect to wear it for a year or two.

 

[davidGeddes]

do you not start with tabs?

 

[Steve]

At 17, you'll be in the adult classes, so the belts go like this: White, Blue, Purple, Brown and Black. Outside of your school, the only thing people care about is the belt color. What I mean is, when you sign up for competitions, they don't care about stripes... just about the color on the belt.

Tabs or belt stripes depends on the school. Some don't use them at all. Where they are used, they only matter within the school. There aren't any rules or guidelines for stripes. Each coach will have his or her own criteria for awarding them.

Generally, for belt colors, you start with white belt. Blue belt takes most people 1 to 2 years. I was right in the middle, got my blue belt at about 1.5 years. Purple belt takes a couple more years after that. Then brown a couple years after that, and then finally black belt. Figure 10 years for most people. Elite athletes or people with a strong grappling background can get there faster. I've been training for almost 5 years now and have many more miles to put on my purple belt.