Judo Grades and Belts

Judo Grades and Belts

Judo students are grouped and also rewarded through the awarding of coloured belts representing their Judo “Grade”. Belts/Grades generally start with white for beginners and progress through the colours to the coveted Black Belt. Different countries, organisations and clubs have slightly different systems but generally the core grades of White, Yellow, Orange, Green, Blue, Brown and Black Belts can be expected. Especially in the case of children, “in-between” grades such as White with a Yellow stripe are used to reward progress.

Generally belts are awarded with some ceremony to increase the sense of achievement, but this is not always the case. Some systems involve strict testing and others are rewarded simply on the opinion of the instructor.

On the whole, even with systems using tests, the grading is for show. It is normally an opportunity for the child to display their skills. Instructors will normally have decided what grades each child deserves beforehand, based on their efforts within the class.

The older the child gets the more stringent the testing aspect will become.

How long does it take?

Each grading system puts different times in between grades. Typically though children would be awarded their first belt within a month or two of starting. (often the first belt goes along with the first Judo uniform)

As a general guideline the length of time between grades is roughly double that of the grade before. There are often age requirements that can slow progress. A good quality Black Belt grade would expect to take between 6-10 years to achieve, Judo is not the martial art to take up for a Black Belt in a year!

Parents should remind children that this will take a long time, they should also make efforts divert attention from grades. It is achievements in progress that they should look for. The focus needs to be on improving all the time and being a better Judo player rather than on when they get the next belt.