I’ve been playing around with the idea of building a Jiu-Jitsu syllabus—not one of those “blue belts must know 12 ways to armbar their cousins” kind of deals—but something based on concepts. Each stripe has a job: survive, sweep, pass, finish. Do that at every belt, and by black belt, you’ve basically done laps around the entire art with a bit more clarity each time.
This is just me trying to map out my own learning and stay accountable. I’m less interested in being the local Masters 2 assassin and more interested in figuring out why Z-guard makes me question my life choices.
If you’ve got your own take on what each belt or stripe means, throw it in. The more perspectives, the better. Let’s build something smart together—and ideally, with fewer existential leg entanglements.
WHITE BELT
Theme: Survival, Safety, and Understanding the Landscape
1. Stripe 1 – Survive
> Learn to stay safe. Build frames, posture, and understand the positional hierarchy.
2. Stripe 2 – Sweep
> Basic sweeps to reverse control and regain the initiative.
3. Stripe 3 – Pass
> Introduction to passing principles and how to establish control.
4. Stripe 4 – Submit
> Basic submissions from dominant positions. Understand when and how to attack.
5. Full Belt – Foundation
> You know the basic positions, can roll safely, and understand the flow of the game.
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BLUE BELT
Theme: Build Your Game – Funnel, Specialize, Connect
1. Stripe 1 – Defend Your Game
> Understand the defenses and retention strategies inside your chosen system.
2. Stripe 2 – Sweep from Your Game
> Master sweeping options and transitions from your guard.
3. Stripe 3 – Pass to Your Control
> Pass effectively into the positions where you finish.
4. Stripe 4 – Finish Your Funnel
> Develop reliable submission chains from your best positions.
5. Full Belt – Identity
> You have a game that works. You know your paths, attacks, and escapes.
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PURPLE BELT
Theme: The Generalist – Teach, Understand, Connect the Map
1. Stripe 1 – Know All Positions
> Be able to explain and defend in every major position, not just your own.
2. Stripe 2 – Sweep from Anywhere
> Have functional sweeps in all major guard types.
3. Stripe 3 – Pass Any Guard
> Understand how to pass all common guard systems.
4. Stripe 4 – Submit from Everywhere
> Reliable submissions from every dominant control position.
5. Full Belt – Clarity
> You can teach the “why” behind the art, not just perform it.
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BROWN BELT
Theme: Refine and Sharpen – Depth, Precision, Self-Awareness
1. Stripe 1 – Refine Defense
> Your defenses are tight, efficient, and adapted to high-level pressure.
2. Stripe 2 – Refine Offense
> Sharpen the details of your best sweeps and entries.
3. Stripe 3 – Layered Passing
> Link passes, bait reactions, and control tempo.
4. Stripe 4 – Flow to Finish
> Submissions are traps, transitions, and threats all at once.
5. Full Belt – Ownership
> You know your strengths and weaknesses. You own your style.
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BLACK BELT
Theme: Mastery, Teaching, and Evolution
1. Stripe 1 – Precision
> Techniques are efficient and require little effort.
2. Stripe 2 – Timing
> You act based on rhythm, pressure, and instinct.
3. Stripe 3 – Adaptability
> You adjust to any style, body type, or rule set.
4. Stripe 4 – Contribution
> You mentor, teach, and give back to the community.
5. Full Belt – Legacy
> Jiu-Jitsu is part of who you are. You move, teach, and think in Jiu-Jitsu.
I think everyone who carries the burden of handing out promotions has their own take on what milestones one would have to meet for each promotion (if they even think about it at all) and it seems like your criteria makes sense, with one exception:
Milestones reached for black belt stripes should be altered as such...
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BLACK BELT
Theme: Ability to fog up a mirror
1. Stripe 1 - Continue living on God's green earth for 3 years.
2. Stripe 2 - Remaining above ground for another 3 years.
3. Stripe 3 - Practical application of self defense vs. the Grim Reaper for yet another 3 years.
4. Stripe 4 - Challenging yourself to not die for another 5 years now.
5. Full Belt - How old can you make yourself? Just keep doing that, and you will succeed in leveling up.
I will promote no one to black belt who cannot bring me the sound of cat's foot steps, the beard of a woman, the roots of a mountain, and the breath of a fish.
Also, a shrubbery. Something nice. But not too expensive.
The black belt stripes are definitely not reasonable. Precision and timing are continua and better be pretty good by the time you're black belt, but they can always get better. I would hope a practitioner is already a good teacher by the time he's a multi-stripe brown belt. If you haven't been learning to teach along with your own training, then your coach is doing you a disservice. Your themes seem reasonable (although I have no clue what you mean by "funnel" ) . But I think you're trying to be far too specific in the stripe goals. A lot of teachers promote based on showing specific techniques and skill sets, and to me that's a better metric. Also, nowhere do you mention take downs, and that is an essential, although often overlooked, aspect of BJJ which should begin at white belt and improve through the ranks. In theory a BJJ black belt should be the equivalent of a judo black belt in take downs, but in reality it is almost never the case.
FWIW, I actually think Robert's glib answer to black belt stripes is quite appropriate.
Thanks for the thoughtful reply—there’s a lot of good insight here.
I’ll concede that black belt stripes are a bit tricky. The IBJJF approach is purely time-based, which doesn’t really reflect the knowledge-based progression we expect at the coloured belts. That inconsistency is what I’m trying to reconcile. Since you mentioned Judo: in Judo, dan progression does include knowledge, competition, and contribution to the art. If anything, BJJ handles coloured belt progression quite well but tends to lose depth once you reach black belt. Judo, on the other hand, has that depth after black belt but often lacks consistency in the coloured ranks. I think there’s room to blend the best of both.
On the stripe structure—I definitely take your point that being too specific can box people in. That’s not my aim. I’m trying to build a framework that gives each stripe a conceptual focus (e.g., survive, sweep, pass, submit), but leaves room for individual interpretation. I’m not interested in prescribing what techniques people must know, but more in guiding what kinds of problems they should be able to solve. That way, each person’s path can reflect their style, body, and learning process.
On the topic of technique-based grading: I’m genuinely curious—why do you see that as a better metric? I’ve seen those systems work well in some places, but they can also lead to a kind of box-ticking mentality. For me, grading by concepts and proficiencies allows more freedom for both the coach and the student, especially when people have different strengths or preferences. But I’m open to the argument if there’s something I’m missing.
And yep—you’re absolutely right about takedowns. I left them out of the draft, but they absolutely need to be part of the full system. I'll rework it to include stand-up from white belt upward. That said, I see BJJ and Judo black belts as different animals. BJJ is a predominantly ground-based art, maybe 80/20 or 70/30 in focus compared to Judo’s emphasis on the stand-up game. That doesn’t mean takedowns aren’t essential—it just means the progression should reflect the priorities of the sport while still giving takedowns the space and respect they deserve.
Appreciate the feedback—it’s exactly the kind of discussion that helps refine this whole thing. Let’s keep it going.
Todays Judo is not a good example in my eyes.
The coloured ranks do not exist in original Judo, they are just a motivational invention.
The knowledge of a shodan was cut down in tiny little peaces.
The belt philosophy in Judo starts with the shodan, anything beyond is a beginner.
If You want to compare anyway:
the coloured judobelts should be more like the stripes on a white belt and You have to collect 5 instead of 4 stripes.
Sebastian's point is well taken. In judo, I (somewhat arbitrarily) require each set of the go kyo no waza to be learned and executed reasonably proficiently to be promoted to the next rank. However it is important to remember that in old (pre-Olympic) judo, that groundwork was given equal weight to standing, so old school judo was very much like BJJ today in terms of skill requirements. In addition, judo had striking, kata and kappo (first aid and resuscitation techniques). I still require matwork skills at all levels, and kata for brown belt and higher. So with regard to bjj metrics, I believe strongly that blue belts should be able to demonstrate fundamentals such as various sweeps and common submissions as well as elementary take downs such as are seen in the first set of the go kyo no waza. With each progressive rank, the sweeps, counters, defenses and submissions become more complex and the take downs can follow the judo curriculum. I understand that each instructor will have there own priorities as to what techniques should be learned proficiently at each level, So for me, a purple belt should know standard knee bars, side and rear triangles, de la Riva, etc. By the time you get to brown you should be comfortable with ankle locks, toe holds, heel hooks (but don't use them), and wrist locks (also don't use them) as well as some of the more exotic guards, passes and counters. At black, the repertoire expands, but precision, combinations, and defensive reactions take precedence in terms of demonstrations. I also feel that a black belt should be able to demonstrate rolling at a wide range of intensities and should emphasize safety over domination.
"I will promote no one to black belt who cannot bring me the sound of cat's foot steps, the beard of a woman, the roots of a mountain, and the breath of a fish. Also, a shrubbery. Something nice. But not too expensive."
Ah, the ancient and elusive path to black belt—a journey not just of skill but of mythical scavenger hunting! Fear not, for I have already started my quest:
The sound of a cat's footsteps? Managed to record it between naps—turns out it's just pure, uninterrupted silence.
The beard of a woman? Tracked down a circus performer with an impressive mustache. Mission accomplished!
Roots of a mountain? Decided to interpret this metaphorically and brought back a piece of bedrock.
The breath of a fish? My goldfish blew bubbles at me—I'm counting that.
And as for the shrubbery? Rest assured, it’s both aesthetically pleasing and budget-friendly. Am I ready, or do I need to duel a coconut-laden swallow next?
Very interesting. Personally, I think that every person is a world of their own, and naturally, different tasks should be assigned to practitioners in their progress.
That said, I can say that I completely disagree with fixed-time graduations.
When I graduate my students, I do it based on their abilities and I take into consideration: time, technical ability, fighting ability, competition results (for those who compete), attitude in class, etc.
Cheers
"Ah, the ancient and elusive path to black belt—a journey not just of skill but of mythical scavenger hunting! Fear not, for I have already started my quest: The sound of a cat's footsteps? Managed to record it between naps—turns out it's just pure, uninterrupted silence. The beard of a woman? Tracked down a circus performer with an impressive mustache. Mission accomplished! Roots of a mountain? Decided to interpret this metaphorically and brought back a piece of bedrock. The breath of a fish? My goldfish blew bubbles at me—I'm counting that. And as for the shrubbery? Rest assured, it’s both aesthetically pleasing and budget-friendly. Am I ready, or do I need to duel a coconut-laden swallow next?"
Almost there.
Now we just need you to put your hand in our puppy's mouth, as we put the leash on him, that we made from the things you acquired during your quest.
