WHY WE DON'T BELIEVE IN EASY BELTS
At Praetorian MMA, we do not believe belts should be handed out easily. A belt should mean something. It should represent knowledge, consistency, character, technical development and the ability to apply skills under pressure.
In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, progress is not just about remembering techniques. It is about whether those techniques can be used against someone who is actively resisting. That is why easy belts do not fit the way we train.
If you are new to BJJ, it may help to read Gi vs NoGi BJJ: What’s The Difference?, Why Consistency Beats Talent and Martial Arts vs Combat Sports. Those articles explain more about how we approach training, pressure and long-term development.
WHY BELTS SHOULD MEAN SOMETHING
A belt should not be a reward for simply attending classes for a set amount of time. Attendance matters, but attendance alone is not enough.
A belt should show that a student has developed. It should reflect technical understanding, behaviour, consistency, resilience and the ability to apply what they have learned.
This is why we take progression seriously in our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes. Students are not just learning moves. They are being developed as people and as grapplers.
WHY EASY BELTS HURT STUDENTS
Easy belts might feel good in the moment, but they can hurt students in the long run.
If someone is promoted before they are ready, the belt can become pressure rather than pride. They may feel exposed when training with people from other clubs, attending seminars, visiting open mats or competing.
A belt should give a student confidence because they know they have earned it. If the standard is too low, that confidence is fragile.
We would rather a student wait longer and feel genuinely proud than be promoted early and quietly doubt whether they deserve it.
WHY BJJ IS DIFFERENT
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is different from many martial arts because live sparring is built into the training. Students do not only practise techniques against someone who lets them work. They learn against resisting partners.
That matters because pressure reveals the truth. It shows what a student understands, what they can apply and where they still need work.
This is also why BJJ grades usually take longer than many people expect. The standard is different because the training is tested.
That pressure-tested approach is also part of why we encourage members to understand the difference between traditional martial arts and combat sports.
WHY SPARRING MATTERS
Sparring is where knowledge becomes understanding. A student may know a technique, but sparring shows whether they can use it when someone is trying to stop them.
This does not mean every round needs to be hard or aggressive. Good sparring should be controlled, coached and appropriate to the people involved.
The purpose is development. Sparring helps students build confidence, timing, problem solving, humility and the ability to stay calm under pressure.
WHY COMPETITION HELPS DEVELOPMENT
Competition is not the only way to measure progress, but it can be an important part of development. It shows what works against someone unfamiliar, under pressure and in an environment that feels different from the club.
For coaches, competition can provide useful information. It can help show where a student is strong, what they need to improve and whether they are ready for the next stage.
You can read more about this here: Why We Encourage Competition At Praetorian MMA.
PROMOTIONS ARE A BY-PRODUCT OF PROGRESS
A promotion should never be the only goal. If a student chases belts too much, they can miss the real value of training.
The better goal is to become more skilled, more disciplined, more consistent and more capable. When that development is clear, promotions follow.
This is why consistency matters so much. You cannot cheat long-term development. You build it one lesson, one round and one difficult day at a time.
You can read more about this here: Why Consistency Beats Talent.
CROSS TRAINING AND GRADING
Cross training can make someone a more complete grappler, but it is also important to understand how that connects to grading.
NoGi, MMA and striking can all improve a student's awareness, movement, reactions and confidence. However, in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, the belt system is still strongly connected to the Gi. If rank progression matters to you, keeping Gi training in your schedule is important.
That does not mean NoGi is less valuable. It means different parts of training develop different parts of the student. You can read more about this in Why We Encourage Cross Training.
THE ROB GOODSON LESSON
Rob Goodson is a great example of why belts do not always tell the full story.
Rob has around twenty years of experience across Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, NoGi and MMA. His knowledge goes beyond many brown belts and even many black belts, but his journey through Jiu Jitsu has not been a straight line.
For a long period, Rob focused heavily on MMA and NoGi and spent years away from the Gi. That time gave him huge practical knowledge, but it also meant his formal belt progression did not reflect the full depth of his experience.
That does not make the belt meaningless. It shows why the journey matters. Belts are important, but they should sit alongside genuine experience, pressure testing and long-term development.
This is also why we encourage people to understand both Gi and NoGi BJJ rather than limiting themselves too early.
NATHAN JOHNSTONE AND THE BLACK BELT STANDARD
A black belt should represent more than time served. It should represent technical knowledge, standards, pressure-tested ability and a deep understanding of the art.
Nathan Johnstone is a BJJ Black Belt and former MMA competitor whose coaching reflects that standard. His teaching is detailed, technical and built around genuine understanding rather than shortcuts.
When students train under coaches with real experience, they learn that progress has to be earned properly. That is a good thing.
YOUNGER STUDENTS NEED THE SAME MESSAGE
This message matters for children and teenagers too. A belt should never become a participation award. It should help young people understand that progress is earned through effort, behaviour, listening, consistency and character.
Coaches such as Josh Woodbourne and Martyn Styler work with younger members to build strong technical foundations, but also the mindset needed to earn progress properly.
Parents can learn more about our youth approach here: A Parent's Guide To Starting Martial Arts and Why We Encourage Parents To Get Involved.
CHILDREN LEARN TO EARN PROGRESS
For children, belts can be powerful when handled properly. They give young members something to work towards and help them understand that effort creates progress.
The danger comes when belts are handed out too easily. Children quickly learn whether something has been earned or simply given to keep them happy.
When a child earns a belt properly, the lesson is bigger than BJJ. They learn patience, resilience, discipline and pride in doing something difficult.
THE PERSON MATTERS MORE THAN THE BELT
The belt matters, but the person matters more.
We are more interested in who someone becomes while earning the belt than the belt itself. Do they support their training partners? Do they show humility? Do they stay consistent? Do they listen? Do they handle difficult rounds properly? Do they represent the club well?
That is why easy belts do not interest us. We want people to feel proud of what they earn because they know it represents genuine work.
You can learn more about our coaches and the standards behind the club here: Meet The Team.
WHERE SHOULD YOU START?
If you want to understand BJJ properly, start by experiencing the training. Try the classes, meet the coaches and learn what progression actually looks like inside Praetorian MMA.
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Classes
- BJJ Gi Classes
- NoGi BJJ
- Kids & Teens BJJ Gi
- Kids & Teens NoGi BJJ
- Praetorian MMA Pathways
- 7 Day Free Trial
- Praetorian MMA Timetable
A belt is not the goal. The person you become while earning it is the goal. When something is earned properly, it carries more pride, more confidence and more meaning.
