Gradings occur every three months and are designed to ensure that you are progressing at a nice and steady pace and that your martial art is not stagnating. Below is just a guideline on what your expected progression would be if you regularly train two times a week. Some people are quicker or slower at picking up a martial art than others, so the most important thing is that we assess how you are progressing and what areas we can make improvements and at the same time recognise the areas you are excelling in.
Yellow (6th Kyu) - 3 months
Orange (5th Kyu) - 3 months (Total: 6 months)
Green (4th Kyu) - 3 months (Total: 9 months)
Purple (3rd Kyu) - 6 months (Total: 15 months)
Blue (2nd Kyu) - 6 months (Total: 21 months)
Brown (1st Kyu) - 6-9months (Total: 27-30 months)
When graded to Brown, at this point you are at a recognised level where if wanted you could teach/run a BJJA club (coaching qualifications, indemnity insurance, etc. would also be needed), just to give an idea of the proficiency you will have obtained having achieved this level.
Black (Shodan) - 1-2 years (4 years)
Again this length of time is just an approximation and depends on lots of factors such as: how often you train and what your uptake is. We only put you into gradings if we feel that you will pass, hence they should only be a ratification of what you know. Saying that there would be no point in having a test if you cannot fail but this seldom occurs as we prepare you so well!
