BJJ Belts – a mark of honor, dedication, determination and respect! People tend to be far more careful about the quality of their belts in BJJ because BJJ rankings are so difficult compared to many other arts. When a person gains a belt, they know they might be using that belt for a long time to come. In a very real sense, gaining a belt in BJJ is not merely an indicator of physical competency, but also an indicator of mental discipline and determination. Thickness isn’t quality Now, one thing that you’re going to have to remember about BJJ belts is that thickness doesn’t really necessarily mean quality. As a matter of fact, many cheap belts tend to be thick, and tend to result in a ridiculously large knot that inevitably opens out when you roll. Remember, the thicker and stiffer the belt that you purchase, the more likely it is to come loose during practice. Which doesn’t of course mean that a thin belt is necessarily better – yes, thin belts do tend to stay tied, but they are also not very durable. Quite a ‘knotty’ problem, isn’t it? Material… Cotton is the traditional material for BJJ belts, of course, but these days there’s quite a shift towards hemp as well. Another thing that you need to consider when buying a new BJJ belt is color – you don’t want a belt that runs all over your other clothes when you put it in the wash – or worse, that changes color over time. I’ve had people come into a BJJ class wearing belts of such an ambiguous shade that it was difficult to tell whether they were purple belt or brown. So choose a belt of a clear, vibrant color that leaves no doubt about your ranking. War brand makes good belts. Then there’s Ronin – ronin gi are excellent, and their belts are too. Kingz might also have something. Take a look at any good online BJJ shop to know your options. Keeping things tied down. Finally, as I touched upon earlier, it’s important to have a belt that will stay tied for most of your session on the mat. I think that it’s inevitable for even a good belt to come untied sometimes as you roll, but this shouldn’t happen so often that it’s a nuisance. There are quite a few ways of tying a belt, of course, so you should experiment to see which works best for you – but it also depends to a good extent on the belt itself, and how flexible it is, and how well the material ‘holds’ in a knot. The best belts will have a heavy sheath of cotton or hemp, with a strong core of dense cotton. Most belts have about 8 lines of stitches holding them together, the thread used in the stitches being carefully chosen for strength as well. How broad and thick should the belt be? Most belts are around one and a half inches broad, and nearly a quarter of an inch thick. A BJJ belt should also have a grading bar for ranking stripes, this being about four and one third of an inch long. Some people tend to think that they need to stay with the belt they were awarded, but in reality, if you hold a rank in BJJ, it does to have a few spare belts. If you misplace a belt, or if your belt is still damp from the last time you washed it, this ensures that you don’t miss class. I personally believe that the BJJ exponent should have two or three training sets, and that one of these should always be kept spare for emergencies. This usually means less missed classes because you happened to misplace something after your last session. When do you buy your new BJJ belt? It’s all just a matter of preference. There are those who prefer to win a new rank and then to buy a new belt with their instructors approval, while others buy the new belt a few days before their promotion, so as to have it ready to use immediately.