Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a grappling-based martial art which is closely related to Judo. It was founded by Brazilian martial artists from the Gracie family who learned from Mitsuyo Maeda, a high-ranking judo and jujitsu stylist from Japan who traveled to Brazil early in the twentieth century. The new art focused heavily on ground fighting, emphasizing position and submissions on the ground rather than throwing.
Judo and BJJ
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, or BJJ, is a continuation of the principles defined in traditional Japanese jujutsu or judo. Judo itself originated when Jigoro Kano began to place an emphasis on live training, or randori, over the ritualized movements that were prevalent in jujutsu. Free of more violent techniques, such as strikes, eye gouges and other foul play, training began to include full-contact sparring, allowing realistic practice and development of practical techniques. BJJ is similar, focusing heavily on rolling, or free sparring, between practitioners.
Belts in BJJ
According to the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation, the rank of blue belt is the first senior belt awarded after white belt, and which can only be awarded at the age of 16 or older. It is the lowest of the colored belts, with the next belt being purple, followed by brown, then black. Junior belts are awarded for those under the age of 16, filling the gap between white and blue. According to the IBJJF, a practitioner must spend a minimum of two years as a blue belt before being eligible for promotion to purple, although many spend far longer at this rank.
Blue Belt Significance
There is a strong emphasis on live training, or rolling, in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. According to Renzo Gracie, a legendary BJJ practitioner, no-holds-barred fighter and member of the Gracie clan that founded BJJ, there is no way to become proficient at the art without spending countless hours rolling with your training partners. It is an art in which it is readily apparent who is more capable than whom, with ranks awarded on merit and competition prowess rather than just time spent training. Thus a blue belt in BJJ is often seen as being more significant than higher ranks in other arts, as a practitioner holding a blue belt will have spent many hours honing his technique in live practice. Blue belt is commonly seen as the longest period of a BJJ student's training, where he will begin to develop his own style and understanding of the art.
Other Considerations
Because of the emphasis on live training and competition, a person holding a blue belt in BJJ is generally seen as a very capable practitioner of the art with a wealth of experience and technical knowledge. However, since promotion to purple belt can take a long time, blue belts may be of varying standard -- some may be newly promoted from white belt, while others may be purple standard but awaiting promotion. To reflect this, many schools award stripes to show progress at each rank, with as many as four stripes being available at any given rank. A four-stripe blue belt will be superior to most blue belts, but still lower in rank and ability than a purple belt with a single stripe, for example.
References
- "Mastering Jiu Jitsu"; Renzo Gracie; 2003
- International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation: Home
- "Jiu Jitsu University"; Saulo Ribeiro; 2008
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