RULES
Graduation System
Belt hierarchy, minimum age requirements, degree configuration and the minimum time an athlete must spend at each belt.
AFBJJ follows the IBJJF graduation system. Age is calculated as current year − birth year. That means an athlete who turns 16 at any point this year is counted as 16 for the whole calendar year.
Download poster (PDF)Age divisions at a glance
Kids & Teens
Turning 4 – turning 15 years old in the current year
White through to green/black. Coloured kids belts are only worn up to the year the athlete turns 15.
Juvenile 1
Turning 16 years old in the current year
White, blue and purple belt only. Brown and black belt are NOT available.
Juvenile 2
Turning 17 years old in the current year
White, blue and purple belt only. Brown and black belt are NOT available.
Adult & Master
Turning 18 years old and above in the current year
White, blue, purple, brown and black belt, then red/black, red/white and red belt.
Turning 16 this year?
This is the rule coaches and parents miss most often. Because age is counted by calendar year, a 15-year-old who holds a coloured kids belt must move up as soon as the year they turn 16 begins.
Athlete is 15
Holding a coloured kids belt
Year they turn 16
Counted as 16 from 1 January
Must go to blue belt
Cannot return to white belt or any kids colour
What this means in practice
- A 15-year-old with a green belt must wear blue belt in the year they turn 16.
- A 15-year-old with a white belt should stay white belt until they are ready for blue, because they cannot go back to kids colours.
- Coaches should consider age, skill and readiness before promoting a 15-year-old to any coloured kids belt.
- The same calendar-year rule applies to every age bracket on this page.
Minimum age & hierarchy
Kids & teens (4 – 15)
- White4 – 15
- Grey / White7 – 15
- Grey7 – 15
- Grey / Black7 – 15
- Yellow / White8 – 15
- Yellow8 – 15
- Yellow / Black8 – 15
- Orange / White11 – 15
- Orange11 – 15
- Orange / Black11 – 15
- Green / White13 – 15
- Green13 – 15
- Green / Black13 – 15
Juvenile (16 – 17)
- White16 – 17
- Blue16 – 17
- Purple16 – 17
Adult & master (18+)
- White18+
- Blue18+
- Purple18+
- Brown18+
- Black19+ *
- Red / Black — 7th degree49+
- Red / White — 8th degree56+
- Red — 9th degree66+
Understanding the juvenile division (16 – 17)
- Age is counted by calendar year. An athlete is considered 16 from 1 January of the year they turn 16, even if their birthday is later in the year.
- At 16 an athlete leaves the kids belts entirely — kids colours (grey, yellow, orange, green) can no longer be worn, and an athlete cannot return to a kids belt.
- Juveniles may hold white, blue or purple belt only. Brown belt is not awarded in the juvenile division.
- For juveniles, purple belt requires a minimum of 2 years (compared to 1½ years for adults).
- Black belt starts at 19. The only exception: an athlete who has won the Adult World Champion title at brown belt may graduate to black belt at 18.
Minimum wait period
Adults (18+) — white to black
- Blue Belt2 years
- Purple Belt1½ years
- Brown Belt1 year
Periods are demanded minimums, not fixed terms. Each professor determines how long a practitioner remains at each belt.
Juveniles (16 – 17)
- Purple Belt2 years
- Brown Belt2 years
From black belt
TOTAL YEARS- Black Belt → 1st degree3 years3
- 1st → 2nd degree3 years6
- 2nd → 3rd degree3 years9
- 3rd → 4th degree5 years14
- 4th → 5th degree5 years19
- 5th → 6th degree5 years24
- 6th → 7th (Red/Black)7 years31
- 7th → 8th (Red/White)7 years38
- 8th → 9th (Red)10 years48
Configuration of degrees
4 to 15 years old
Kids belts carry up to 4 degrees, marked on the white or black bar of the belt.
From 16 years old — up to 4 degrees
Blue, purple and brown belts carry a maximum of four degrees on the black bar.
Black belt — up to 6 degrees
Degrees are marked in white on the red bar of the black belt.
Red and black belt — 7th degree
Awarded after the required time at 6th degree black belt (minimum age 49).
Red and white belt — 8th degree
Awarded after the required time at 7th degree (minimum age 56).
Red belt — 9th degree
The highest grade attainable through the graduation system (minimum age 66).
Head coach reminder
Before promoting a 15-year-old to a coloured kids belt, remember: in the calendar year they turn 16, that athlete must move to the juvenile division. They cannot return to white belt or any kids colour, so the next belt they can hold is blue. Plan promotions carefully so athletes are not forced into a belt they are not ready for.
Observations
- Minimum periods are counted from the day the athlete is registered in each belt category.
- The time taken to progress from white to black belt is at the discretion of the athlete's professor, subject to the mandatory minimums above.
- After black belt graduation, the practitioner must meet the mandatory minimum time requirements to add degrees and be promoted to red and black, red and white, and red belt.