BJJ Gradings

[Sloth Jitsu]

Question?

If a blue belt runs an academy which was quite common a few years ago, Maybe not so much now as bjj has moved forward, They could not grade anybody to blue regardless of how many stripes they have unless a visiting high grade did so,

A purple can grade upt to blue?
A brown up to purple?
A black up to brown?

How long does a black belt have to be a black belt before he can promte a student to black belt?

Can he do so straight away or does he have to wait until he has a stripe or something?
Because it seems that you cant promote somebody to a grade equal to yourself ?

And if this chain of command is broken does that make the grade invalid?

[Rowan J. Draper]

Please bare in mind that I could be very wrong but as I'd read somewhere (perhaps IBJJF.org)

Only in specific circumstances would lower grades be 'allowed' to promote junior ranks upto one grade below them but only in the case of where the country had no ability to promote within itself.

However with the multitude of Brazilian and British born BJJ Black Belts at the moment I don't think its the case of it being an available option in the UK anymore.

I also believe that you have to be a Black Belt for three years and/or receive your first stripe before yu can promote to Black Belt but I can't be 100% sure on this not being a Black Belt myself.

And if this chain of command is broken does that make the grade invalid?

I don't think it makes the grade invalid but I do think it makes your lineage of tutelague a little less prestigious but I think the rules (to promote at lower grades) is there to continue BJJ even if they haven't got a Black Belt.

[zafh]

http://www.ibjjf.org/graduation.htm

FOURTH CHAPTER

Instructors allowed to give grades

The membership form of an athlete graded in the following belts: grey, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple and brown must be signed by a black belt instructor who is certified by the IBJJF (with the exception of a few countries – fifth chapter)

The membership form of an athlete graded black belt must be signed by a black belt instructor no lower than 2nd degree who is certified by the IBJJF.

FIFTH CHAPTER
Instructors and Supervisors

In some countries the IBJJF allows athletes who have not achieved the rank of black belt yet to sign as instructors. Actually these athletes are officially considered supervisors.
Brown and purple belts can be supervisors, although in some countries only brown belts can have the rank. In case the supervisor is a purple belt, he can only grade students up to blue belt; in case the supervisor is a brown belt, he can only grade students up to purple belt.
This is a temporary measure that will only be applied in countries that do not have yet enough certified black belt instructors available for the development of the sport. Once there are enough black belts, the supervisor rank will no longer exist.
   

[CGJJ]

I like the way you used the term "Chain of command",
the 'Command' being the IBJJF and the 'chain' relying on the fact
that the Black Belt who is doing the promoting see's the IBJJF
as the 'Command' and pays them a yearly fee to be 'registered'
and receive stripes on their belt for time served (i.e. 'x' amount of yearly 'registration' fee's).

Their are some team's and lineages that do not follow the IBJJF's business plan.


Basically the IBJJF is run by Carlinhos Gracie,the same Carlinhos Gracie who runs Gracie Barra,
so some team's/lineages don't want to pay Gracie Barra for grading's because they don't want themselves or their students
to have to line the pockets of one of the other teams they fight against in competitions.

Understandable really.


FROM THE IBJJF WEBSITE-    
International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation History

The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation was created by Master Carlos Gracie Jr. to officially represent the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu around the world. Its main goals are to popularize, organize and regulate the sport on an international level. This work is similar to what the Confederacao Brasileira de Jiu-Jitsu (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Confederation) has done in Brazil, where the sport is highly popular and follows established guidelines.

Working in partnership with the CBJJ, the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation has developed the official competition rules of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. This has been accomplished thanks to valuable insight from some of the art’s most respected masters who have worked together over the years to improve the rules and regulations. Nowadays this system represents the standard followed by Jiu-Jitsu practitioners all over the world.

The IBJJF is also actively involved in promoting and managing high quality tournaments that are crucial for the technical evolution of the sport and its popularization. The best example is the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship (or “Mundial de Jiu-Jitsu” in Portuguese), a huge tournament held annually in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This competition attracts the best fighters in the world and is a key element for the development of the sport. Countries like the United States, Japan, South Africa, Australia, Portugal, Sweden and France already crown world champions in Brazil, and this number grows a bit more every year.

Since Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is constantly evolving and becoming more popular around the globe, it is just natural that the major tournaments generate a lot of media coverage both inside and outside of Brazil. From television channels to magazines and internet sites, when a competition like the Mundial or Pan--American Jiu-Jitsu Championship takes place the eyes of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community and the grappling world in general turn to see it. This has generated a very strong consumer market and every year more and bigger companies choose to associate their brands and/or products to major events.

Another focus of the IBJJF work is on regulating and organizing how gradings occur. The main objective is to preserve the integrity of our martial art and allow all instructors and practitioners to have clear guidelines to measure their technical evolution. Therefore an international standard for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gradings has been established.

[CGJJ]

2. In order to request the black belt certificate it is necessary to be currently affiliated to the IBJJF, have gone through a first aid course and be approved in the referee course over the previous 12 months.


3. You may request your 1st degree after 3 years as a black belt. In order to do so it is required that you have renewed your IBJJF membership card every year during the period, have gone through a first aid course and be approved in the referee course over the previous 12 months.


4. You may request your 2nd or 3rd degrees 3 years after being awarded the previous degree. It is required that you have renewed your IBJJF membership card every year during the period, have gone through a first aid course and be approved in the referee course over the previous 12 months.


5. You may request your 4th, 5th or 6th degrees 5 years after being awarded the previous degree. In order to do so you need to:

- renew your IBJJF membership card every year during the 5-year period.
   
- be approved in the IBJJF official referee course over the previous 12 months.

- be listed as the main instructor or assistant instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 5 years OR provide the degree form signed by a certified black belt no lower than 2nd degree who is the main instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 5 years.


6. You may request the red and black belt 7th degree 7 years after being awarded the 6th degree. In order to do so you need to:

- renew your IBJJF membership card every year during the 7-year period.

- be approved in the IBJJF official referee course over the previous 12 months.

- be listed as the main instructor or assistant instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 7 years OR provide the degree form signed by a certified black belt no lower than 2nd degree who is the main instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 7 years.


7. You may request the 8th degree in your red and black belt 7 years after being awarded the 7th degree. In order to do so you need to:

- renew your IBJJF membership card every year during the 7-year period.

- be approved in the IBJJF official referee course over the previous 12 months.

- be listed as the main instructor or assistant instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 7 years OR provide the degree form signed by a certified black belt no lower than 2nd degree who is the main instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 7 years.


8.You may request the 9th degree in your red and black belt 10 years after being awarded the 8th degree. In order to do so you need to:

 - renew your IBJJF membership card every year during the 10-year period.

- be approved in the IBJJF official referee course over the previous 12 months.

- be listed as the main instructor or assistant instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 10 years OR provide the degree form signed by a certified black belt no lower than 2nd degree who is the main instructor in a school that has renewed its membership to the IBJJF over the previous 10 years.


9. In case you do not renew your IBJJF membership card and/or your school’s membership to the IBJJF in a specific year, that year will not count in the minimum time required to obtain a new degree.


10. The 10th degree red belt is limited to the pioneers of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: Carlos, Oswaldo, George, Gastão and Hélio Gracie, also known as the Gracie Brothers.

FOURTH CHAPTER

[zafh]

Basically the IBJJF is run by Carlinhos Gracie,the same Carlinhos Gracie who runs Gracie Barra,
so some team's/lineages don't want to pay Gracie Barra for grading's because they don't want themselves or their students
to have to line the pockets of one of the other teams they fight against in competitions.

Simon

Do you not like the rules or do you not like the fact that it is run my the head of Barra?

[CGJJ]

I don't like the fact that money changes hands.

I very much like Gracie Barra but not so much that
I want to pay their leader for grades.

I like all my friends at Barra and the competitive
nature of my friendship with them,

I am  sure none of the Chelsea team would want to pay
Arsenal for recognizing their skill and I am sure it would not be
appropriate for Arsenal to run the premiership.

[TRIBULUS]

We're back to the issue of a unified federation, I'm not sure that there are many clubs that treat the IBJJF rules as the template for running their club, even Gracie Barra related ones.

Different clubs have different outlooks and criteria for gradings. I don't think any of us use the Roy Harris type of grading structure where students demonstrate techniques against a non resisting opponent but that's not to say any of us would question his students grade. As we have all agreed many times, if his students weren't legit then they would be shown up on the mat where it matters.

[Ste T]

I don't like the fact that money changes hands.

I very much like Gracie Barra but not so much that
I want to pay their leader for grades.

I like all my friends at Barra and the competitive
nature of my friendship with them,

I am  sure none of the Chelsea team would want to pay
Arsenal for recognizing their skill and I an sure it would not be
appropriate for Arsenal to run the premiership.

How would you propose it is run simon?

Is it simply Carlinhos who runs it with other GB guys or do they have other associations involved too?  It does seem on the face of it that a big overhaul of the way BJJ is run will be needed in the future if its to progress IMO.

Although i must disagree with your statement regarding funds.  Surely some form of funding is needed to maintain the running of a federation?  Is this not done in the majority of martial arts?

[CGJJ]

I am not in any position to start advising on how the IBJJF
should be run.

I am just saying that many teams from non Gracie Barra
lineages choose not to pay them for stripes on their belts.

[Ste T]

I am not in any position to start advising on how the IBJJF
should be run.

I am just saying that many teams from non Gracie Barra
lineages choose not to pay them for stripes on their belts.

I understand that - but im asking through ignorance!  I dont understand how any martial arts federation is run......

How would a club not adopting the IBJJF obtain stripes then?  Is it safe to assume they have their own systems in place?

[TRIBULUS]

I am not in any position to start advising on how the IBJJF
should be run.

I am just saying that many teams from non Gracie Barra
lineages choose not to pay them for stripes on their belts.

I understand that - but im asking through ignorance!  I dont understand how any martial arts federation is run......

At the moment unfortunately they are mostly run as a business in BJJ, I personally would like to see that change.

[TRIBULUS]

I'd like to see more of this




and less of this

[aashby]

I don't like the fact that money changes hands.

I very much like Gracie Barra but not so much that
I want to pay their leader for grades.

I like all my friends at Barra and the competitive
nature of my friendship with them,

I am  sure none of the Chelsea team would want to pay
Arsenal for recognizing their skill and I an sure it would not be
appropriate for Arsenal to run the premiership.

So the problem you have with this is cross ownership between a governing body and a team competing under the rules of that Association and that it is run as a profit making enterprise?

The premiership is a corporation with each of the clubs in the premier league being shareholders and then receiving a cut of the profits. The FA is an association which runs the sport and the national teams and a tournament, the FA cup.

  I'm now doing what I had previously internally criticised other posters for, namely correcting minor mistakes in an analogy rather than referring back to the original point. ;-)
  These arguments seem to come back to philosophical differences about what BJJ and martial arts mean to people. Hence the photos of Kano and Carlos, ( I loved his gi BTW where can I get one of those? IBJJF shop) and of course how those meanings change as one gets older and depending on when you take up a sport.
 
 

[Stalkachu]

I just can't believe you had that gif on tap, ready for a moment like this.

Respect. ^_^

Take care,

Stalks