How long does it take to get blue belt?

[xo-karate]

I had a discussion with a junior at our club about graduation. We don't have graduations. You'll get your next belt when instructor says so. For white belt it's from 1 to 9 years. Average might be 2.5 for an active newbie.

What's yours? How long does it take at your club? With out prevous grappling or wrestling background?

[tallgeese]

From white to blue, no previous experience, it's probably around 1.5 to 2 years. That's averaging around 2-3 classes per week with a dedicated attitude.

No scheduled testing, it's when coach says you're ready. It's been that way at both BJJ places I've trained.

[ps1]

With regular training (4 to 6 classes/week) people can do it in about 1.5 years. Previous training would obviously help. I did have a student do it in 1 year. But he was rare.

[xo-karate]

thanks ps1 and tallgeese,

looks like 1.5 to 2 years with about 3 classes per week?

Do you have any competition criteria's?

[tallgeese]

Not really on the criteria as to when people can compete. People can compete when they want. Even real new white belts can, although it might be suggest to hold off a bit if you've joined last week.

The important thing, at least for both places I've been, it representing well in attitude and action while representing the school. No idiocy tolerated while flying the flag at a tournament.

As to criteria for competing for promotion, no. Neither gym I"ve been affiliated with has had any requirement to compete prior to, or as a condition for, promotion.

[xo-karate]

I was thinking about competing as a criteria for promotion. I'm not sure if we really have a criteria that says you need to compete to get a blue belt, but rumor is that you do. (And win some white belt tournaments:-)

BUT I'm quite sure that some of our blue belts have been promoted with out competitions. It just takes a longer time - 3 - 4 years maybe.

All white belts are encourager to compete. (We don't have many tournaments and not enough competitors. So I understand the motive.)

I've said that I'll compete after I'll get my blue belt and in seniors 4 - 5. I'm not interested in competing in white belts where there is no technique - it's muscle and dudes are 30 younger than I am:-) ... Might even be as strong as I am too...

[tallgeese]

There are decent dudes at each level; however, you are correct that technique defiantly rules in the higher divisions. This also holds true in age divisions.

As people get older they get smarter about their roll. Even competitively. The 30+ brackets all, by and large, sport people that actually have to go to work on Monday for a living. This means less explosion and more tight, technically sound games.

I've competed at every rank I've been at. The experience has only gotten better as I've a) gone up in rank, and (surprising) b) advanced in age bracket.

On a totally different subject, 4 years would be an eternity at white belt. Think of it this way, if you spend 4 years as white and 3-4 at blue you're 7-8 years in. That's close to, if not getting, a black belt. Provided that you're in close proximity to a black belt instructor and some upper ranked people to test and expand your game.

10 years used to be the norm. 8 is getting pretty common just because of the sheer number of qualified people to train with frequently has exploded (at least here in the States). Early in my martial career, when the UFC's hit. I'd travel 2 hours from where I went to college to take private lessons (wait for it.....) with a blue belt. Yup. It was that hard to find legit people.

Now, I train at a gym with a black belt coach. A couple of browns. A handful of purples. Enough blues to lose count of and a small army of white belts with stripes. All quality at their rank.

Consider as well, 30 min from us is another academy similarly outfitted. Within an hour are two more on top of that.

The change is incredible.

And the product quality is soooooo much greater. I spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 bucks back in the day, two trips that tallied to at least 8 hours and 6 months of my life just to get a basic Americana from a side mount I could barely outline the important points of.

Of course people rank faster now. You can spend 3 nights a week at a gym being coached thru all your movements and reminded constantly of important points by your black belt coach and his cadre of upper rank guys.

Granted, that's assuming that there are immediate access to black belt level coaching. If the BJJ scene is somewhat more sparse in Finland (and if I remember right from some of your earlier posts, XO it sounds like it might be) then longer times would be the norm.

[ps1]

I was thinking about competing as a criteria for promotion. I'm not sure if we really have a criteria that says you need to compete to get a blue belt, but rumor is that you do. (And win some white belt tournaments:-)

BUT I'm quite sure that some of our blue belts have been promoted with out competitions. It just takes a longer time - 3 - 4 years maybe.

All white belts are encourager to compete. (We don't have many tournaments and not enough competitors. So I understand the motive.)

I've said that I'll compete after I'll get my blue belt and in seniors 4 - 5. I'm not interested in competing in white belts where there is no technique - it's muscle and dudes are 30 younger than I am:-) ... Might even be as strong as I am too...

The promotional criteria varies widely from school to school. If you're in a sport focused school, certainly competition will increase the likelihood of earning a promotion.

Though 4 to 5 years for a blue belt is quite excessive. Training for that length of time would put you in the advanced level in no-gi. In most schools it takes about 5 to 6 years of training to get to the purple belt level.

[xo-karate]

Our head couch is a brown belt and we just got two brown belts more. We have maybe 5 purple belts. We have maybe 4 seminars per year with a black belt instructor. Our instructors are not "Ribeiro's" , but not bad either.

Do you have different classes for white belts and color belts? I think it would raise the level of both groups. ( Not all classes should be separate, but once a week or so.)

I did ask my club if they have a plan what to educate, but they don't. We have a theme for two weeks like techniques for guard top, half guard bottom and so on.

[ps1]

Our head couch is a brown belt and we just got two brown belts more. We have maybe 5 purple belts. We have maybe 4 seminars per year with a black belt instructor. Our instructors are not "Ribeiro's" , but not bad either.

Do you have different classes for white belts and color belts? I think it would raise the level of both groups. ( Not all classes should be separate, but once a week or so.)

I did ask my club if they have a plan what to educate, but they don't. We have a theme for two weeks like techniques for guard top, half guard bottom and so on.

I provide three different classes (not counting kids).

1. Fundamentals: This is a highly fight based class that is designed to teach the fundamental techniques of BJJ. The focus is on what to do if you're being struck. IE: self defense, less focus on jiu-jitsu v jiu-jitsu, but there is a little bit of that. It contains Rickson and Pedro's version of the 88 techniques required to go from White to blue. You can think of this as a beginners class.

2. Positional Mastery: This is a jiu-jitsu v jiu-jitsu focused class designed to develop triggers for action. So if the opponent puts his hand here I do this. If I get grip X I do that. This is an advanced class for sure, but everyone is invited to participate.

3. Sport Class: This is exactly what it says. Jiu-Jitsu for the sport aspect. This is the only class where I talk about points and develop strategies that are designed to win a competition.

I've found that attending all three class styles during the week has helped my students tremendously. The skill level in the school is growing by leaps and bounds.