How long does it take to get a Black Belt in Japanese Ju Jitsu?

Before Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Judo, there was Japanese Ju Jitsu. This was arguably one of the first grappling based martial arts that was birthed from the island of Japan and it’s fair to say that it influenced countless forms of martial arts since. Whilst Japanese Ju Jitsu may not be as popular as it once was, there’s still a core of JJJ practitioners out there who train on a regular basis.

Typically, there are 8-9 belts in Japanese Ju Jitsu (depending on where you train as some dojos will start with a white belt, whereas others will start with a red belt) and this journey ends by achieving the black belt. Because of this, a commonly asked question is how long does it take to get a black belt in Japanese Ju Jitsu? Read on to find out more.

The typical amount of time it takes to get a black belt in Japanese Ju Jitsu

Firstly, it’s best to start by setting out the criteria. For this, we’re not talking about someone that quits training for years and then returns. Similarly, we’re not talking about a prodigy who trains non stop and gets their black belt in record time. Instead, we’re talking about the average practitioner who trains consistently, a few times per week.

Secondly, it’s also important to note that each dojo is different. Some will typically promote faster than others which can be down to a variety of reasons. At the other end of the spectrum, there are also gyms that will have far harsher criteria to earn a promotion. In brief, we’re talking about a typical person at your average dojo to avoid any confusion.

Anyway, on average it takes around 5 years to achieve your black belt in Japanese Ju Jitsu. Overall, this is quite typical and most forms of martial arts follow this procedure. For instance, in Judo, Taekwondo and Karate, you can expect to get your black belt in a similar amount of time. In other words, there’s nothing special about the amount of time it takes to earn a black belt in JJJ and it’s fairly standard in martial arts terms.

Rules and regulations for promotion to black belt in Japanese Ju Jitsu

Like many other martial arts styles, there’s a certain age limit when getting your black belt. In JJJ, that is age 17 and above. In other words, if you’re under 17 years old then you cannot get a black belt in Japanese Ju Jitsu. There are multiple reasons for this, but generally it’s because having a black belt also requires a level of social responsibility and morals. If you’re still a teen then you’re not quite an adult which means you’re generally less mature and aren’t ready for the mental aspects of being a black belt. Whether you agree with this philosophy or not, that’s how it is when it comes to Japanese Ju Jitsu.

The second regulation involves having a grading test. Like many forms of traditional martial arts, Japanese Ju Jitsu requires a process of showing and proving your worth. This means you’ll be asked to pull off a variety of techniques and some of these will be advanced moves, as you’d expect for a black belt. For example, you may be asked to show a number of standing submissions such as joint locks, as well as throws, combos, and how to block punches. With this done, you’ll then be awarded the black belt if you’re deemed worthy. If you don’t, it’s nothing personal and there’s always next time. It just means you’re not quite ready yet.

How good is a Japanese Ju Jitsu black belt?

As looked at previously, this really depends on a lot of factors and some may be naturally better than others. However, a Japanese Ju Jitsu black belt should be competent in four key areas. These are:

• Takedowns: A lot of JJJ takedowns are similar to those used in Judo and Aikido. This means using the gi against your opponent and using technique and leverage to put them to the floor.
• Submissions: JJJ also focuses a lot on submissions such as wrist locks and armlocks whilst standing. This means being able to submit people when the opportunity arrises.
• Stikes: Here, you should be able to not only strike the opponent, but also be able to dodge and defend strikes from your opponent too.
• Self defense: Sometimes, you will be required to defend against weapons and even without weapons, you will need to know how to deflect attacks and stay safe.

With this in mind, the quality of a Japanese Ju Jitsu black belt should be skilled enough to defend themselves against an untrained attacker. Ultimately, this is what Japanese Ju Jitsu is about – being able to defend yourself from attacks.

What are the other belts in Japanese Ju Jitsu?

Here is a quick breakdown of the other belts involved in Japanese Ju Jitsu:

• White belt
• Yellow belt
• Orange belt
• Green belt
• Blue belt
• Purple belt
• Brown belt
• Black belt

Interestingly, the final four colors are in the same order of colors as the belt system in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu which may have copied the system over from JJJ. Usually, in JJJ, the first few belts can be obtained within a matter of months and are a formality as much as anything. The biggest gap is typically in between the brown and black belt which is obviously the most important transition.

Conclusion

Overall, it takes the average person roughly 5 years to get their black belt in Japanese Ju Jitsu. Sometimes there will be outliers, where a person takes much longer or shorter. This is dependent on how often you train amongst other variables. Ultimately though, there should be no rush in trying to get your black belt. When you’re ready, you’re ready and until then you should enjoy the process. As is said in JJJ and many other martial arts, black belt is truly when the learning process begins and you’re still a student.

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