Brazilian jiu-jitsu has an incredible belt ranking system determining a practitioner’s experience level. Eight belt levels are available for adults, including the BJJ black belt level, with several degrees.
So, you’re perhaps wondering, how many degrees of black belt are there in Brazilian jiu-jitsu?
The black belt is one of the highest and most advanced ranks in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which contains eleven levels with ten degrees.
As a result, advanced fighters are ranked from standard black belt (no degree) to tenth-degree black.
However, we usually talk about coral belts (7th and 8th-degree black belts) and red belts (9th and 10th-degree black belts) after the sixth-degree black belt.
As we progress through this post, we’ll talk more about the black belt degrees in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and other things such as progression timelines, etc. Stay tuned!
How Long to Get Each Degree of Black Belt In BJJ?
Moving from one BJJ black belt level to another can take between one and fifteen years.
The image below depicts the progression of black belt levels until the 10th-degree black belt under the SJJIF requirements.
N.B.: There are minor differences in the black belt progression requirements between the SJJIF (Sport Jiu-Jitsu International Federation) and the IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation), two international authorities in the art of Jiu-Jitsu.
How Long to Get the 1st Degree Black Belt In BJJ?
The 1st-degree black belt is an advanced Brazilian jiu-jitsu rank that can take you up to 11 years or more of BJJ practice and study.
According to the SJJIF, you may need to practice and study BJJ for 11 years to get the 1st-degree black belt.
A black belt takes an average of ten years to obtain, plus at least one year to get the 1st-degree black belt.
Although, According to the IBJJF, you should practice and study BJJ for at least 13 years to earn the 1st-degree black belt.
A black belt takes an average of ten years to obtain, plus three years for a first-degree black belt.
At the time of writing, Leandro Lo Pereira do Nascimento, Abraao Amorim Magalhaes, Adalberto Maia Vital Júnior, Adalton de Carvalho, Adam Jones, Adam Kiely, Adam Michael Childs, Aderval Da Rocha Ferreira Filho are among a wide list of 1st-degree black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
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How Long to Get the 2nd Degree Black Belt In Jiu-Jitsu?
The 2nd-degree black belt is another advanced Brazilian jiu-jitsu rank that can take up to 14 years or more of BJJ practice and study.
According to the SJJIF, you may need to practice and study BJJ for 14 years to get the 2nd-degree black belt.
A 1st-degree black belt takes an average of 11 years, plus at least three years to get a 2nd-degree black belt.
Although, According to the IBJJF, you should practice and study BJJ for at least 16 years to accomplish the 2nd-degree black belt.
A 1st-degree black belt takes an average of 13 years to obtain, plus three years to be eligible for a 2nd-degree black belt.
At the time of writing, Marcus Vinícius Oliveira de Almeida, Aaron Michael Ard, Aaron Michael Milam, Abenildo Fernandes, Abraão Pereira Santareno, Adair Rodrigues Junior, Adam D Depew, Adam James Boyd, Adão de Sousa Moura Neto, Adilson Chieri Júnior are among a wide list of 2nd-degree black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
How Long to Get the 3rd Degree Black Belt In BJJ?
The 3rd-degree black belt is another advanced rank portraying Brazilian jiu-jitsu professors. It can take up to 17 years or more of BJJ practice and study.
According to the SJJIF, you may need to practice and study BJJ for 17 years to get the 3rd-degree black belt.
A 2nd-degree black belt takes an average of 14 years to obtain, plus three years to be eligible for the 3rd-degree black belt.
Although, According to the IBJJF, you should practice and study BJJ for at least 19 years to complete the 3rd-degree black belt.
A 2nd-degree black belt takes an average of 16 years to obtain, plus three years to be eligible for a 3rd-degree black belt.
At the time of writing, Caio Terra, Abdel Aziz Cherigui, Lucas Alves Lepri, Abmar Marcelo Barbosa, Adam Marc Brofsky, Adão Januario de Oliveira, Adolfo Cesar Tozi Ferreira, Adriano Viegas de Freitas, Adrien Roberto Domingues, Agustin Climent Tommasi, Airton Alves de Andrade are among a wide list of 3rd-degree black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
How Long to Get the 4th Degree Black Belt In BJJ?
The 4th-degree black belt is another advanced rank depicting Brazilian jiu-jitsu professors. It can take up to 22 years or more of BJJ practice and study.
According to the SJJIF, you may need to practice and study BJJ for 22 years to get the 4th-degree black belt.
A 3rd-degree black belt takes an average of 17 years to obtain, plus five years to be eligible for the 4th-degree black belt.
Although, According to the IBJJF, you should practice and study BJJ for at least 22 years to earn the 4th-degree black belt.
A 3rd-degree black belt takes an average of 19 years to obtain, plus three years to be eligible for a 4th-degree black belt.
At the time of writing, Andre de Matos Macedo, Andre Gomes Costa, André Luiz Gomes de Almeida, Andre Luiz Leite Galvão, André Luiz Machado Fernandes, Felipe Carsalade Araujo Pena, Andre Ricardo da Silva, Marcelo Garcia are among a wide list of 4th-degree black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
How Long to Get the 5th Degree Black Belt In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
The 5th-degree black belt is another advanced rank characterizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu professors. However, it can take up to 25 years or more of BJJ practice and study.
According to the SJJIF, you may need to practice and study BJJ for 27 years to get the 5th-degree black belt.
A 4th-degree black belt takes an average of 22 years to obtain, plus five years to be eligible for the 5th-degree black belt.
Although, According to the IBJJF, you should practice and study BJJ for at least 25 years to attain the 5th-degree black belt.
A 4th-degree black belt takes an average of 22 years to obtain, plus three years to be eligible for a 5th-degree black belt.
At the time of writing, Alexandre Couceiro Ribeiro, Adriano Ribeiro Pires, Alberto Crane, Alcenir Lima da Conceição, Saulo Mendonça Ribeiro Filho, Alex de Araújo Paz, Alexander Fernandes da Silva are among a wide list of 5th-degree black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
How Long to Get the 6th Degree Black Belt In BJJ?
The 6th-degree black belt is another advanced rank representing Brazilian jiu-jitsu professors. It can take up to 28 years or more of BJJ practice and study.
According to the SJJIF, you may need to practice and study BJJ for 32 years to get the 6th-degree black belt.
A 5th-degree black belt takes an average of 27 years to obtain, plus five years to be eligible for the 6th-degree black belt.
Although, According to the IBJJF, you should practice and study BJJ for at least 28 years to reach the 6th-degree black belt.
A 5th-degree black belt takes an average of 25 years plus three years to be eligible for a 6th-degree black belt.
At the time of writing, Adilson Jorge de Lima, Adimilson da Rosa Brites, Ailson Henrique Brites, Alexandre C. Freitas, Alvaro Robin Romano Jr., Amaury Tovar Bitetti, Andre Luis Silveira Crispin, Leonardo Alcantara Vieira are among a wide list of 6th-degree black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
How Long to Get the 7th Degree Black Belt In BJJ?
The 7th-degree black belt is another advanced rank describing Brazilian jiu-jitsu masters. It represents a coral belt and can take up to 32 years or more of BJJ practice and study.
According to the SJJIF, you may need to practice and study BJJ for 39 years to get the 7th-degree black belt.
A 6th-degree black belt takes an average of 32 years to obtain, plus seven years to be eligible for the 7th-degree black belt.
Although, According to the IBJJF, you should practice and study BJJ for at least 32 years to achieve the 7th-degree black belt.
A 6th-degree black belt takes an average of 28 years to obtain, plus three years to be eligible for a 7th-degree black belt.
At the time of writing, Royce Gracie, Rolker Gracie, Royler Gracie, Carlos “Caique” Elias, Sergio “Malibu” Jardim, Jean Jacques Machado, Fábio Santos are among a comprehensive list of 7th-degree black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
How Long to Get the 8th Degree Black Belt In Jiu-Jitsu?
The 8th-degree black belt is another advanced rank representing Brazilian jiu-jitsu masters. It means a coral belt, which can take up to 39 years or more of BJJ practice and study.
According to the SJJIF, you may need to practice and study BJJ for 46 years to get the 8th-degree black belt.
A 7th-degree black belt takes an average of 39 years to obtain, plus seven years to be eligible for the 8th-degree black belt.
Although, According to the IBJJF, you should practice and study BJJ for at least 39 years to achieve the 7th-degree black belt.
A 7th-degree black belt takes an average of 32 years to obtain, plus seven years to be eligible for the 8th-degree black belt.
At the time of writing, Arthur Virgílio Neto, Carlos Gracie, Jr, Carlos Machado, Derval Luciano Rêgo (Mestre Morcego), Joe Moreira, Marcus Soares, and many others are 8th-degree black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
How Long to Get the 9th Degree Black Belt In BJJ?
The 9th-degree black belt is another advanced rank portraying Brazilian jiu-jitsu Grand Masters. It means a red belt, which can take up to 49 years or more of BJJ practice and study.
According to the SJJIF, you may need to practice and study BJJ for 56 years to get the 9th-degree black belt.
On the other hand, an 8th-degree black belt takes an average of 46 years to obtain, plus ten years to be eligible for the 8th-degree black belt.
Although, According to the IBJJF, you should practice and study BJJ for at least 49 years to achieve the 7th-degree black belt.
An 8th-degree black belt takes an average of 39 years to obtain, plus ten years to be eligible for the 9th-degree black belt.
Pedro Hemeterio, João Alberto Barreto, Reyson Gracie, Flavio Behring, Carlson Gracie are the few 9th-degree black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
How Long to Get the 10th Degree Black Belt In BJJ?
The 10th-degree black belt is the highest rank representing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Grand Masters. It means a red belt, which can take up to 64 years or more of BJJ practice and study.
According to the SJJIF, you may need to practice and study BJJ for 71 years to get the 10th-degree black belt.
On the other hand, a 9th-degree black belt takes an average of 56 years to obtain, plus fifteen years to be eligible for the 8th-degree black belt.
Although, According to the IBJJF, you should practice and study BJJ for at least 64 years to achieve the 7th-degree black belt.
A 9th-degree black belt takes an average of 49 years to obtain, plus fifteen years to be eligible for the 10th-degree black belt.
Carlos Gracie Sr, Gasto Gracie, Jorge Gracie, Oswaldo Gracie, and Luiz França Filho are the few 10th-degree black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Final Thoughts
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a unique martial art with a fantastic belt ranking system. Adults Practitioners can earn various colored belts, from white to black belts.
In this article, we discussed the different BJJ black belt degrees; here is a summary:
The black belt is the highest and most advanced Brazilian jiu-jitsu rank with 10 degrees. As a result, advanced BJJ practitioners are ranked from 1st to 10th-degree black belts.
Moving up from one jiu-jitsu black belt degree to the next takes time; for example, earning the 10th-degree black belt in jiu-jitsu may take up to 64 years.
Although time should not be an issue at these advanced ranking levels, it is critical to consider how you will contribute to this fantastic BJJ martial art growth.
I hope you found this post helpful in understanding the black belt degrees in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Consequently, if the advanced BJJ ranks are your target, you’ll create a clear strategy to achieve them without issues.
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