Why we changed
We stopped grading on a calendar.
For years we ran a monthly grading system. Once a month we held a test week, and at the end of it, stripes went out.
It worked, in the sense that it was predictable. But after several years we noticed a pattern we couldn’t ignore. Children began to expect stripes rather than earn them. Test week became something to copy your way through rather than something to prepare for.
When we tried to raise the standard, to stripe fewer children and mean it more, it was met with disappointment, because the system had quietly taught everyone that a stripe was a monthly event.
Progress should be earned, not expected.
We were creating a feeling of progress rather than progress itself. So in January 2026 we changed it.
How grading works now
Every class is part of the assessment.
Grading now happens on merit, in normal class, as part of normal training.
There is no test week. There is no grading day. Your child’s coaches assess them in every single class they attend. By the time a promotion decision is made, they have already seen weeks or months of evidence. There is nothing to cram for and no single moment that decides everything.
Every belt now carries four stripes rather than eleven. Fewer stripes, each one meaning considerably more.
ThenMonthly test week
NowAssessed every class, all year
ThenStripes at the end of the month
NowStripes when the child is ready
ThenUp to 11 stripes per belt
Now4 stripes per belt
ThenEveryone graded at once
NowIndividual, when earned
ThenPrepare for the test
NowJust train
In practice, one or two children may receive a stripe or belt during an ordinary class. It is a real moment of recognition, earned through their own development and surrounded by the training partners who were there for the work.
What coaches assess
Every promotion depends on three areas.
Behaviour
Rules, respect, sportsmanship and age-appropriate emotional control. We do not expect perfection. We expect effort and growth. A five-year-old may be learning to sit still while a coach speaks; a fourteen-year-old should lead by example.
Competitive development
How they engage in live training: trying to win, using strength, recovering from a knock and handling a bad day without giving up. As they mature, we look for tactical thinking, deliberate repetition, traps and choosing when to attack.
Technical ability
Growing skill in the fundamentals of jiu-jitsu. Most importantly, we measure your child against their own past self, not against the child next to them.
All three have to be moving. Technical skill alone has never been enough. A technically gifted child who cannot behave in class will not be promoted. A child with perfect manners who is not developing skill or drive will not be either.
Non-negotiable
Three things can stop a promotion outright.
Our expectations are age-appropriate. Younger children will need reminders, and we do not expect perfect behaviour. These three issues are different because they affect safety, respect and whether a child can be trusted at the next level.
Tapping
Where tapping forms part of their training, a child must tap when needed and release another child immediately when they tap. Ignoring or refusing to respect a tap is unsafe. A child who cannot do this will not be promoted.
Defiance and disrespect
Needing an occasional reminder is normal. Repeatedly refusing instructions, deliberately ignoring a coach or showing blatant disrespect is not. A child who will not listen or respond appropriately when corrected will not be promoted, regardless of their technical ability.
Bullying
Bullying is repeated or deliberate behaviour intended to intimidate, humiliate, exclude or hurt another child. A disagreement, isolated unkind comment or mutual teasing is not automatically bullying. We address all poor behaviour, but a child who bullies will not be promoted.
White-belt stripes
Four stripes mark the journey to the first coloured belt.
White belt is where a child learns how to train. These first four stripes recognise the development from being completely new to becoming ready for the first coloured belt.
First stripe — “I belong here.”
They have settled in, know how class works, where to line up and what is expected. They have shown real improvement since their first session. They can tap and respect a tap.
Second stripe — “It’s coming together.”
Improvement is visible in all three areas, not just one. They follow the rules consistently without reminders and can help a newer student.
Third stripe — “It’s consistent.”
The same standard, sustained and deeper. Second and third stripes are the long middle of a belt, marking real progress across a stretch that can take many months.
Fourth stripe — “Almost there.”
This is the significant one. They are already meeting the next belt’s requirements in two of the three areas and are starting to show tactics by deliberately using a technique again and again until it works. They get more freedom, more is expected, and our tolerance for poor behaviour drops.
The belt — “Ready for what’s next.”
Sustained readiness across all three areas, over months, with enough time on the mat to show that the standard can be maintained.
After white belt, the stripe number continues to show progress, but it is no longer the whole explanation. The child is now being measured against the standard of the next belt.
Coloured belts
Belts set the standard. Stripes show progress within it.
After white belt, the stripe number tells us how far a child has progressed through their current level. The belt tells us what that level requires. A first stripe on a grey belt is therefore not judged against the same technical picture as a first stripe on a yellow belt.
As the belts change, we expect greater technical depth, stronger live application, more independence and a higher standard of behaviour.
The four colour families
Grey
Foundations that hold up
Yellow
A recognisable game develops
Orange
Tactical independence
Green
The advanced youth standard
How each family progresses
Current belt requirements
See what your child’s current belt requires
Choose a belt within the grey family
Grey family · Foundations that hold up
Grey/White: entering the grey system
Behaviour
They can participate safely, follow the class routine with less prompting and listen to different coaches. Tapping, respecting a partner’s tap and treating training partners properly are firmly established.
Competitive development
They are willing to engage in live training, try to improve their position and make an honest effort to win. They are beginning to understand that a round can be won through points or submission without becoming reckless.
Technical ability
They recognise the main positions and understand the basic goal from the top, guard and bad positions. Passing, sweeping, escaping, controlling and submitting safely are beginning to look like connected jiu-jitsu rather than isolated movements.
Life skills in practice
Discipline, focus, body control and safe teamwork should now be visible without constant reminders.
Progression stripes on a coloured belt
The stripe is always relative to the belt.
Once a child holds a coloured belt, the four progression stripes do not represent four identical technical tests. They show how far the child has progressed towards the next belt’s standard.
The four progression stripes help show movement through the required period, but they are awarded for demonstrated progress. They do not divide the belt into four guaranteed attendance blocks.
Grey/White progresses toward Grey.
Grey progresses toward Grey/Black.
Grey/Black progresses toward Yellow/White.
The same belt-relative principle continues throughout the coloured belts.
First stripe — “Settling into the level”
Clear development is appearing inside the current belt.
Second stripe — “Becoming more consistent”
The required habits and skills are appearing more regularly.
Third stripe — “Holding up under pressure”
The child is showing deeper, more dependable development in training.
Fourth stripe — “Approaching the next belt”
The coach is now assessing whether the child is close to the next belt across behaviour, competitive development and technical ability.
The fourth stripe means the child is approaching next-belt readiness. The next chapter explains why that still does not guarantee a belt.
Timing and the fourth stripe
Minimum time makes a child eligible. It does not make them due.
Iron Grip uses every belt in the full children’s sequence. Time spent at one belt is not carried across or combined with another belt. Each new belt begins a new period of development.
White and the grey family
White, Grey/White and solid Grey each require approximately 60–100 sessions and at least 10 months before the next belt can be considered.
Inside yellow, orange and green
Progression between the white-panel, solid and black-panel belts requires approximately 60–80 sessions and at least seven months at each belt.
Into a new colour family
The move from Grey/Black to Yellow/White, Yellow/Black to Orange/White, and Orange/Black to Green/White is larger. Each requires at least 100 sessions and at least 12 months of work.
To be considered for the next belt, a child must meet both the minimum sessions and minimum time shown below.
| From | Working towards | Minimum sessions | Minimum time |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | Grey/White | 60–100 sessions | 10 months |
| Grey/White | Grey | 60–100 sessions | 10 months |
| Grey | Grey/Black | 60–100 sessions | 10 months |
| Grey/Black | Yellow/WhiteNew colour family | 100+ sessions | 12 months |
| Yellow/White | Yellow | 60–80 sessions | 7 months |
| Yellow | Yellow/Black | 60–80 sessions | 7 months |
| Yellow/Black | Orange/WhiteNew colour family | 100+ sessions | 12 months |
| Orange/White | Orange | 60–80 sessions | 7 months |
| Orange | Orange/Black | 60–80 sessions | 7 months |
| Orange/Black | Green/WhiteNew colour family | 100+ sessions | 12 months |
| Green/White | Green | 60–80 sessions | 7 months |
| Green | Green/Black | 60–80 sessions | 7 months |
View the full belt-by-belt timing guide
| From | Working towards | Minimum sessions | Minimum time |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | Grey/White | 60–100 sessions | 10 months |
| Grey/White | Grey | 60–100 sessions | 10 months |
| Grey | Grey/Black | 60–100 sessions | 10 months |
| Grey/Black | Yellow/WhiteNew colour family | 100+ sessions | 12 months |
| Yellow/White | Yellow | 60–80 sessions | 7 months |
| Yellow | Yellow/Black | 60–80 sessions | 7 months |
| Yellow/Black | Orange/WhiteNew colour family | 100+ sessions | 12 months |
| Orange/White | Orange | 60–80 sessions | 7 months |
| Orange | Orange/Black | 60–80 sessions | 7 months |
| Orange/Black | Green/WhiteNew colour family | 100+ sessions | 12 months |
| Green/White | Green | 60–80 sessions | 7 months |
| Green | Green/Black | 60–80 sessions | 7 months |
The larger jump between colour families reflects a deeper change in the standard. The child must be ready to function safely and confidently at the new level, not simply have completed enough classes.
The fourth stripe
The fourth stripe starts the final review.
Four stripes does not automatically mean a belt. The gap between the fourth stripe and the next belt is deliberately the longest wait in the system, and it may take several more weeks or months.
A stripe recognises progress. A belt requires the child to sustain the complete next-level standard across behaviour, competitive development and technical ability. We review progress regularly so that no child is forgotten, but a review is attention, not a promise of promotion.
A stripe says, “You are progressing inside this level.” A belt says, “You can now live safely and confidently at the next level.”
Please do not ask when the next belt is coming, or build an expectation at home that one is imminent. It will come when it is earned, and it will mean far more for the wait.
Age, pace and the road to blue
Every child follows the same sequence, on their own timeline.
Iron Grip uses the full children’s belt sequence. Every child begins at white belt and follows each children’s belt in order.
Start
- White
Grey family
- Grey / White
- Grey
- Grey / Black
Yellow family Age 7+
- Yellow / White
- Yellow
- Yellow / Black
Orange family Age 10+
- Orange / White
- Orange
- Orange / Black
Green family Age 13+
- Green / White
- Green
- Green / Black
Adult system
- Blue
What varies is time, not sequence. Some children move quickly through one belt and sit longer on the next. That is normal and individual.
These minimum ages are set internationally, no matter how skilled the child is. If a child is ready before they are old enough, we will tell you and keep recognising progress while they wait.
Age does not determine belt rank.
A child’s age does not automatically determine their belt level. Children of the same age may hold different belts depending on their development, consistency and experience. The children’s belt system still includes minimum age requirements for certain colour families.
Children progress at different speeds.
Some need longer at a level. Some move quickly in one area and slowly in another. Everyone has something to work on, and the coach will tell you what that is if you ask.
Moving into an older class can feel harder.
The pace, intensity and strength of other children change. The struggle is expected, temporary and part of growth.
Class placement
Age affects class placement, not belt rank.
Size, safety and behavioural readiness matter too. Where a child is significantly bigger than their age group, we may move them up for safe, enjoyable training and will always speak to you first. Placement cannot be reduced to a single number.
Why green belt means so much
Not every child reaches green belt, and that is the point.
A green belt in our kids programme is the equivalent of a purple belt in the adult system. A teenage green belt is a serious grappler, someone who will give an experienced adult blue belt real trouble. That standard is why the belt means what it means.
Most children will not get there, and that is not a failure. Some develop quickly and some slowly. A child who starts at five may still find each belt hard-won. Your child is measured against who they were six months ago, never against the ceiling and never against the child next to them.
How far will my child get?
That depends on when they started and how consistently they trained. A child starting between five and seven and training consistently can reach green before 16. A child starting at twelve will not, and that is completely fine. We are developing the art and the skill, not racing anyone to a colour.
What happens at 16?
In the year your child turns 16, they keep the belt they have earned. Nothing is automatically converted or exchanged. We separately assess readiness for adult classes based on size, maturity and skill. Their blue belt comes when their coach judges them genuinely ready, not on a date or simply because of age.
In rare cases, a green belt who demonstrates genuine adult purple-belt skill, with a competition record matching that level, will be considered to go straight to adult purple. This is exceptional and reserved for students whose ability at 16 genuinely stands comparison with adult purple belts.
Life-skill stripes
Some stripes recognise character and habits, not belt progress.
Not every stripe marks progress toward the next belt. We also recognise the things jiu-jitsu is really teaching.
White / black
Progression
Progress toward the next belt: the four stripes described earlier.
Orange
Discipline
Follows structure and routines without reminders. Kit and shoes organised. Raises a hand. Ties their own belt.
Green
Fitness
Strong effort, energy and resilience. Full participation in warm-ups. Finishes the hard parts.
Blue
Teamwork
Trains respectfully, encourages teammates, celebrates others and helps a partner improve.
Purple
Self-defence
Understands and applies essential personal safety skills, including the 3Ts: Tell, Talk, Tackle.
Brown
Focus
Listens carefully, sits properly, watches demonstrations and stays on task during drills.
Yellow
Leadership
Can be trusted with smaller or newer students. The first step toward assistant-level responsibility.
Red
Competition
Has competed for the first time, or shown real readiness and commitment to competition training.
Lime green
Extra time
Developing well but not yet old enough for the next belt. Recognises growth while they wait.
How life-skill stripes work
Recognition within the wider system.
Four progression stripes sit on one side; life-skill stripes sit on the other, so you can see the two kinds of recognition separately at a glance.
A child can hold all of them. Discipline, fitness, teamwork, self-defence and focus are normally earned as the child grows into the belt.
Leadership, Competition and Extra Time recognise something particular a child has done or is going through. Not every student will hold them, exactly as intended.
A new belt is a new standard, so those qualities must be shown again at the higher level.
A life-skill stripe recognises an attribute a child is demonstrating, but the qualities behind it are also part of our general grading standard. As children move through the belts, we need to see discipline, fitness, teamwork, self-defence skills and focus in play on the mat. Leadership and competition become more relevant at later stages. A child with significant gaps in these areas will generally not be ready for the higher coloured belts.
What parents can do
Help them value the work more than the next belt.
Bring them consistently.
Sessions on the mat matter more than months on the calendar. A child training consistently twice a week will generally progress faster than a child training only occasionally. Consistency is the single biggest factor.
Talk about effort, not belts.
The children who do best long-term learn to value the work rather than the reward. You have more influence over that than we do.
Let disappointment pass.
A child who is not promoted has not failed. They have another opportunity to come back stronger. Some of the academy’s most valuable lessons arrive as temporary disappointment.
Ask us.
If you want to know what your child is specifically working on, ask their coach. We will always tell you. That is different from asking when the belt is coming.
A final word
Why this matters to us
We made this change knowing it would be harder to run and harder to explain, because the easier system was quietly teaching children that progress arrives on a schedule.
Looking back at years of attendance and retention data, together with many conversations with families, we saw a clear pattern: children tended to stay in the sport longer before we introduced monthly striping. A striping system is not the only reason a child stays or leaves, but the pattern was too consistent for us to ignore. The monthly system placed too much emphasis on an external reward, the next stripe, and less on the internal motivation to improve and stay with the work.
That is not what we want them to take from jiu-jitsu. We want them to learn that the things worth having take time, and that the work still counts on the days nobody hands you anything.
If your child keeps showing up, listens, works and grows, we will see it. When the recognition comes, both you and your child will know it means something.