A red belt is the highest rank in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, worn at the 9th and 10th degrees. Under the IBJJF's graduation system, a 9th degree cannot be requested until at least 48 years after black belt, and not before the age of 67. The 10th degree was reserved for the Gracie brothers who founded the art, so in that system the 9th degree is the highest rank a living practitioner can hold.
What are the belts above black belt?
Black belt is not the top of the system. It carries six degrees of its own, marked on the belt's bar, and above it sit three more belts that many long-time students never see in person.
| Rank | Minimum age | Minimum time at the rank below |
|---|---|---|
| Black belt | 19 | 1 year at brown belt |
| Black, 1st to 3rd degree | Not specified | 3 years each |
| Black, 4th to 6th degree | Not specified | 5 years each |
| Red and black coral, 7th degree | 50 | 7 years at 6th degree |
| Red and white coral, 8th degree | 57 | 7 years at 7th degree |
| Red belt, 9th degree | 67 | 10 years at 8th degree |
| Red belt, 10th degree | Not applicable | Given only to the founding Gracie brothers |
These figures come from the IBJJF's General System of Graduation. Some senior ranks are awarded within a lineage rather than certified by the federation, but its timetable is the most widely published reference, which is why it is used here.
How long does it take to get a red belt?
Add the minimums together and a 9th degree sits at least 48 years after black belt: 24 years to reach 6th degree, 7 more to 7th, 7 more to 8th and 10 more to 9th. A black belt itself usually takes 8 to 12 years of training, so a red belt represents something close to six decades on the mat.
The age rule points the same way. With a minimum age of 67, the rank cannot be rushed, however talented or well connected someone is.
What is a coral belt?
Coral is the name for the 7th and 8th degree belts. The 7th degree alternates red with black and the 8th alternates red with white, in sections of about 20 centimetres. They sit between a senior black belt and a red belt, and many long-time students have never trained under one.
Is a red belt awarded for fighting ability?
No. By the time anyone is eligible they are in their late sixties at the youngest, so the rank recognises something different from competition success: decades of teaching, of producing black belts who go on to teach, and of keeping the art intact from one generation to the next.
Who holds a 10th-degree red belt?
Only five people, all pioneers of the art: Carlos, Oswaldo, George, Gastão and Hélio Gracie. The IBJJF's rules state that the 10th degree was given only to them, and none are still living.
How many red belts are there in Canada?
One. Grand Master Marcus Soares is a 9th-degree red belt and the only practitioner of that rank in Canada. He joined Carlson Gracie's team in 1970, became the first black belt to teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in Canada in 1997, and still teaches at academies in Vancouver, Langley and Maple Ridge.
That last part is rarer than the rank itself. Training under a red belt who still teaches students of all ages on a regular basis is something most BJJ students, anywhere in the world, never get to do.
Common questions
The red belt, worn at the 9th and 10th degrees. The 10th degree was given only to the founding Gracie brothers, so under the IBJJF's system the 9th-degree red belt is the highest rank a living practitioner can hold.
Under the IBJJF's graduation system, at least 48 years after black belt, with a minimum age of 67. Including the years it takes to earn a black belt, a red belt represents close to six decades of training.
The coral belts are the 7th and 8th degrees: red and black at 7th degree, with a minimum age of 50, and red and white at 8th degree, with a minimum age of 57. They sit between the 6th-degree black belt and the red belt.
One. Grand Master Marcus Soares is a 9th-degree red belt and the only practitioner of that rank in Canada. He teaches at academies in Vancouver, Langley and Maple Ridge.
Only the five Gracie brothers who pioneered the art: Carlos, Oswaldo, George, Gastão and Hélio Gracie. The IBJJF reserves the 10th degree for them, and none are living.
Want to try it on the mat?
Two weeks of unlimited classes for $29. No experience needed.