Grey Belt BJJ

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is becoming a rather common theme for kids wanting to learn Martial Arts. It used to be all about Karate and Kung Fu with the birth of guys like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Chuck Norris starring in Hollywood movies. Nowadays kids are opting for heroes like Roger Gracie, Mikey Muscamesi, Gordon Ryan and Craig Jones. The rise of BJJ has left many kids wondering how long does it take to get a Black belt in bjj.

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What This Article Covers:

• What to Expect When You Walk Into a BJJ Academy
• The White Belt Process
• The Three Grey Belts
• How Long Does It Take to Earn a Grey Belt
• Is There a Rank in Nogi Jiu-Jitsu
• What are the Requirements for a Grey Belt
• Should Kids Train in BJJ

Kids have become enthralled by the high level complexity of Jiu Jitsu and are rushing in the doors at many BJJ academies worldwide. In kids Jiu Jitsu there is a belt ranking system in place that makes it easy for the instructors to grade their students through the learning process. The kids Jiu Jitsu belts system begins with a white belt and goes through the grey belt in jiu jitsu, yellow, orange belts and green belts, each coloured belt has two extra belts one with a white stripe and the other with a black stripe. Each student is awarded four white stripes on the black ranking bar on their belts by their instructors, before they can move up in belt rank. 

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WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU WALK INTO A BJJ ACADEMY 

Kids can often feel shy in social situations, and walking into a Martial Arts academy is even more daunting. Kids don't know what to expect, so they are usually quiet and reserved when they first start BJJ. Parents take their kids into Martial Arts in the hope they will acquire the knowledge needed to defend themselves against bullies, and make several friendships in the process.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academies are widely known for their camaraderie and their exceptional technical application of complex manuevers. It does not take long for a child to start to feel comfortable inside an academy, as they will make plenty of friends and bond with their instructors. Kids will also start to build their confidence in technical Jiu Jitsu by learning many of the concepts involved. 

Children can expect to do a five to ten minute warmup, which usually involves running around the mats and some form of strength exercises. There will also be some animal movements and all of these are directly linked to certain movements within the art. After the warmups kids will then listen to the instructions from their coaches and partner up with another kid to practice the technique. Then kids will experience a couple of rounds of what the BJJ community likes to call rolling, which is like having a wrestle. Finally the coaches will play some skill building and some fun games with the children like, dodgeball, thunder ball and relay races. Some academies won't teach any technique to the real young classes, instead they opt for more technique related games, this is to keep the kids interested.

THE WHITE BELT PROCESS

Kids will start their journey as a white belt and they will usually have no clue about what they are doing. All students wear a Gi uniform, which consists of a jacket and pants that are made of tough fabric. The jacket is tied shut with a Jiu Jitsu belt, each belt has a black ranking bar on it where instructors can add stripes as they improve their skills. All coaches will show children how to tie Jiu Jitsu belt and teach them about how to wash bjj belt and their Gi uniforms. 

Kids will start to learn concepts in BJJ and begin practising them with their training partners. Children will start to develop their skills through bjj White belt tips that their coaches will give them. Teaching white belt children can prove difficult, as their attention span is quite short. Most instructors will utilise skill building games to get the principles of BJJ across to the student, otherwise they will only teach very basic concepts like how to control positions or basic sweeps and passes. 

The grading process is a simple one, there are no tests or cartas to learn, it's just old fashioned accumulation of skill. Coaches will watch their students practising Jiu Jitsu White belt moves, and then grade their skills accordingly. White belts will have a main focus on control positions, defensive techniques and escaping from positions. Students will receive four white stripes on the black ranking bar on their belts over a period of time. Each stripe is awarded through the criteria of dedication, consistency, knowledge and practical skill. Most kids will receive a stripe every two or three months before they can receive their next belt ranking. 

GREY BELT KARATE

Karate, a martial art with roots in Okinawa, Japan, has its own unique belt ranking system. While the grey belt isn't universally recognized in all Karate systems, some schools and organizations might incorporate it. The belt's significance varies depending on the school's curriculum. In some contexts, a grey belt might represent an intermediary level between beginner and intermediate stages, requiring students to demonstrate specific katas and techniques to attain it.

THE THREE GREY BELTS

GREY AND WHITE BELT

The first promotion in kids BJJ is the grey and white belt, this is an exciting time for children as they are out of the beginner phase. Receiving a grey and white belt means a child has an understanding of some of the basics in Jiu Jitsu. They will now begin to focus more on offense, as they put more practice into sweeping and submitting. This is a fun time in the BJJ process as kids will begin to form some sense of their own game style.

• GREY-WHITE BELT BJJ

In the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu kids' belt system, the grey-white belt is the initial phase of the grey belt category. It signifies a step above the white belt and represents a foundational understanding of BJJ techniques and principles. As children progress, they transition from a solid white belt to grey-white before moving on to a solid grey belt. The grey-white belt often serves as a confidence booster, indicating the child's growth and evolving competence in the sport.

THE SOLID GREY BELT

Students will receive a promotion to the full grey belt roughly six months into their journey. This is a time when kids will become more refined with some of their techniques. The solid grey belt means that a child has an elevated level of confidence which usually translates into the child wanting to compete. As a grey belt competitor kids will attempt to win their division, this is not an obligation for every child but it is highly encouraged by coaches due to the experience a child can receive and how much fun it can be.

THE GREY AND BLACK BELT

After spending six months or more as a grey belt, kids will earn a promotion to the grey and black belt. This phase is a time when the student is starting to get good at Jiu Jitsu, they will usually have a good sense of weight distribution as they are able to control their training partners in mount and side control. They will also have a refined skill for passing, sweeping and submitting their opponents. During this belt phase, students should be starting to get more serious with their Jiu Jitsu as they head towards a promotion to the yellow belt group.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO EARN A GREY BELT

Earning a grey belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is different for all students. Some will earn the belt really quickly while others will take a few years to upgrade their rank. The criteria involved is always skill, because a coach cannot give out a belt based purely on time served. Although stripes can be handed out for a student always showing up, and showcasing a willingness to train. It takes dedication, perseverance, technical aptitude and consistency to be considered for promotion.

It is important for children to spend eight to twelve months in each of the belt ranks, as there is a need for children to accumulate enough experience to feel confident at all levels. Coaches will make sure that all students are up to speed with the criteria needed for promotion. Children usually start BJJ at five years of age, and it takes an average of six to ten months to earn a grey and white belt. It takes about eighteen months to earn a solid grey belt and roughly twenty four months to get a promotion to grey and black. The key factor to remember is that students must be attending at least two lessons per week otherwise it will take significantly longer to climb the ladder of belt progression. 

IS THERE A RANK IN NOGI JIU JITSU

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu there are two different categories that kids will train, the first is the traditional style where the students wear Gi uniforms. The second category is called NoGi, where students will wear a rash guard and poketless shorts. In this category students will learn the same techniques as the Gi, the only difference is slight variations like grabbing wrists instead of sleeves and necks instead of collars and so on. Students are not allowed to grab hold of the material in NoGi, making it harder in some ways but easier in others.

NoGi Jiu Jitsu is just like the Gi, there is the same rank involved. All academies will grade their students based on both disciplines, except a student who does not train in the Gi will not earn belt promotions. In IBJJF Jiu Jitsu competitions, students must wear ten percent of their belt colour on their rashguards. This translates into students wearing a black rash guard with the sleeves coloured grey like their belts. NoGi is definitely a favourite amongst the kids as they often complain about feeling hot wearing a Gi, wearing the NoGi uniform provides a much cooler and lighter way of training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR A GREY BELT

Like all students in a BJJ academy, Grey belts must adhere to the club guidelines. Most clubs are very strict when it comes to duty of care and safe practices, meaning kids must try their best to train in a safe and careful manner. This includes keeping themselves safe from injury and making sure they don't injure any of their training partners. Kids will learn humility and integrity from all of the older role models at the academy. Kids will also act in a responsible and respectful manner towards their coaches and all other members of their club. Coaches will not tolerate bullying or other bad behaviours, which could result in the child having to sit out of training or serve a suspension of a longer period, in some extreme cases Kids could even be expelled from the academy as the safety and well-being of all the members is an instructors main concern.

Grey belts are not expected to compete in tournaments, but if they feel like giving it a try then it is highly encouraged by their coaches. One of the strengths of a BJJ academy is the willingness of all the members to support and guide younger students through the competition process. Competing is a great way to gain experience and test a student's skills against other competent athletes. Exposure to Jiu Jitsu tournaments will help a student reach their goals quicker and will offer them a more realistic version of fighting, this can ultimately help them form a greater sense of self defense. It is important that kids act with honour and good sportsmanship in the academy and on the tournament mats.

BJJ KIDS BELTS

The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) belt system for children is distinctively designed to ensure a progressive and structured learning path. It provides younger practitioners with frequent milestones, recognizing their evolving skills and understanding of the art. Unlike the adult system, kids' belts in BJJ include colors such as white, grey, yellow, orange, and green, each further segmented into three levels: white stripe, solid color, and black stripe.

SHOULD KIDS TRAIN IN BJJ

There are a host of great reasons why children should train in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. BJJ is one of the most popular choices in the Martial Arts world, due to the lack of striking but the high amount of skills in subduing opponents. Kids of today can have issues with depression which is usually a direct result of different forms of abuse, mainly from dealing with bullies. Learning an art form like Jiu Jitsu will give a child an extreme amount of confidence, it also helps a child in knowing how to defend themselves. Kids will also learn how to make friends and keep those friendships intact while under the guidance of honest and integral role models. 

Children who commit to a BJJ academy will learn the value of leadership, they will also learn how to work as a team with other members of their academy. Children need team building skills as it will help them in all aspects of their future lives. Children are poised to learn skills in coordination, balance and spatial awareness which are valuable lessons for a child's development. Training BJJ will also give children an in-depth look into how to gain strength and flexibility. More importantly, kids will need to know how to make decisions in the heat of the moment, and training BJJ will test them through the high stress situations they may find themselves in. After years of training in BJJ kids will have a great sense of humility, integrity and self control.

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Brazilian Jiu Jitsu academies offer a great way for kids to develop their skills, and the instructors running the programs are all professional and valued members of the community. Another great reason to train BJJ is because of the fun factor, kids will often be seen running around laughing and smiling all while getting amazing fitness and strength and conditioning. Most parents that take their kids to BJJ are happy with the service and how their kids start to respond to the training. Martial Arts is imperative for children in this day and age, so get your kids training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu today.

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