how do the belt levels go in bjj?

I just started training with a club and most of them have blue, purple,and brown belts .I didnt want to ask them and look like a moron but how do you calculate that in training time?What are all the belts?I have trained in mma before but they are more bjj and my training is in wrestling muay thai boxing.

 

Belt levels are very subjective. I've seen some schools promote white belts to blue around 6 months to a year and other schools that will keep a person a white belt for 2 years or more. It also depends on the person to. Before i became a blue belt i was regularly tapping blue belts but its not always about skill level. I needed to make some changes in my life and focus more and ease up on partying and so forth and when i made those changes i got promoted.

 

Sounds like a good club - better than a bunch of white belt n00bs.

 

Depends, good guideline is:
White - first year
Blue - 1+ years
Purple - 2+ years
Brown - 3+ years
Black - 5+ years
Red - 40+ years

 

Some schools give stripes and some schools have tests. It just depends on the instructor and the student....

 

Pretty accurate, but add the lower belt's time to the other belt. For instance, it would probably take AT LEAST 3 years total to get a purple. Probably more.

 

So, if I started BJJ today, I'd be 70 by the time I got to red belt, and that's if I was amazing.

 

Red belts only go to those that have founded or helped the growth of jiujitsu. A red belt will take thirty years to obtain after achieving black belt status (and even then you have the difference between white tag "fighter" black belts and red tag "instructor" black belts) and that's only if you train using the gi for the majority of that time.

I actually think mepersoners guideline is a little off since it very rare for someone to get a BB within 6 years and some instructors keep their students at blue and brown belts for a long time, years even, so they can prove that they are truly worthy of promotion.

 

I'd double most of those, except the red belt

 

A slightly improved guide to belts:

Depends, good guideline is:
White - first year
Blue - 1 - 2 years (depending on training regime)
Purple - 3 - 4 years
Brown - 5 - 6 years
Black - 7 - 10 years
Red - 40+ years

And that's only if you keep up a constant training regime of at least 2-3 times a week and don't get sidelined by injuries.

The only people I have met that have got a purple in less that 3 years are "Minotauro" Noguiera and "Shaolin" Ribeiro who are both exceptional talents who competed almost every month in various tournaments to gain quicker promotions. Also Noguiera already had judo experience which aided his promotion. Obviously some will point to other guys like Lloyd Irvin, BJ Penn and others however again the majority of them either competed regularly and won consistently or had previous grappling experience in judo, wrestling, sambo or some similar sport.

 

Everybody always forgets this part:

You gotta look at HOW MANY DAYS PER WEEK you train, too...not JUST years.
Training 4x a week is, duh, twice as much as 2x a week...and makes a huge difference in trying to "predict" when you'll get the next belt...especially when talking about going from white to blue (which is what most people who ask these questions are trying to do).

For example, if I said I got my blue in 1 year (but train 5-6 x a week), you might think you could do the same (even though you're only training 2-3x a week)...which would not be the case.

 

....very important for people to understand, as most do NOT.

 

I'd say these guidelines are closer to reality if you go consistently.....and by the way. Don't even think about a red belt unless you are somehow related to Gracie royalty. Anybody other than that can only expect to receive stripes on their black....period.

 

Here's another pov from Marcio Feitosa.

http://onthemat.com/articles/Marcio_Feitosa_Interview_12_27_2005_page_1.html

Marcio Feitosa:If the person is training regularly there is no reason for this. This is why I follow the CBJJ guidelines where most belts move on after 2 years. This is the system we follow at Gracie Barra in Brazil as well as most of the Brazilian academies, and I see no reason that it should not be followed here. Of course, you do have to train hard! If you are not improving after 2 years per belt either you are probably not focusing, your instructor is not helping you, or you are not training. Remember, it is a good thing to change belts, it allows you to pressure yourself to bring yourself to the next level.

 

yes 4 sure. but 5-6x a week? we're not allowed to go more than 4-5. actually we're told to only go 3 tops. but you look focused if you go 4-5 BUT you are really suseptible 2 injuries if you go that much which is why they don't want noobs going more than 3x a week cuz their bodies will get wore way down