White belt

White belt is the first belt within Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The rank is held by any practitioner new to the art and has no prerequisite.

 

Blue belt

The IBJJF requires a practitioner remain a blue belt for a minimum of 2 years.

Blue belt is the second adult rank in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The IBJJF requires that a practitioner be at least 16 years old to receive a blue belt, thereby officially entering into the adult belt system.

 

Purple belt

The IBJJF requires a practitioner remain a purple belt for a minimum of 1.5 years.

Purple belt is the intermediate adult ranking in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. In other martial arts, students with a similar amount of experience are often ranked as a black (instructor) level belt.

 

Brown belt

The IBJJF requires a practitioner remain a brown belt for a minimum of 1 year.

Brown belt typically requires at least five years of dedicated training to achieve. It is often thought of as a time for refining techniques.

The IBJJF requires that students be at least 18 years old and recommends they have spent a minimum of 18 months as a purple belt to be eligible for a brown belt.

 

Black belt

The IBJJF requires a practitioner remain a black belt for a minimum of 31 years.

As with many other martial arts, the black belt is the highest common belt within Brazilian jiu-jitsu, denoting an expert level of technical and practical skill. Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts are often addressed within the art as professor.

The IBJJF requires that a student be at least 19 years old and recommends they have spent a minimum of 1 year ranked as a brown belt to be eligible for a black belt.

 

Black / Red belt (Coral belt)

The IBJJF requires a practitioner remain a black & red belt for a minimum of 7 years.

When a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt reaches the seventh degree, he or she is awarded an alternating red-and-black belt. Coral belts are very experienced practitioners, most of whom have made a large impact on Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and are often addressed within the art by the title master.

 

White / Red belt

The IBJJF requires a practitioner remain a white & red belt for a minimum of 10 years.

 

Red belt

The 9th degree red belt is the highest rank awarded to any currently living practitioner of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

According to Renzo & Royler Gracie, in Brazilian jiu-jitsu the red belt is reserved “for those whose influence and fame takes them to the pinnacle of the art”. It is awarded in lieu of a ninth and tenth degree black belt. If a practitioner receives his or her black belt at 19 years old, the earliest they could expect to receive a ninth degree red belt would be at the age of 67. Brazilian jiu-jitsu red belt holders are often addressed within the art by the title grandmaster.