How Come NOBODY Talks About The RED Belt? 

Is the RED belt as IMPORTANT as it was before?

I like the idea of a red belt for instructors and people who have given their lives to evolving our sport. Unfortunately, something like that will inevitably lead to a lot of nasty politics. People who chase rank though are focused on the wrong thing, whether that is a blue belt or a red belt.

The coral belt is named because its black and red - like a coral snake, nothing to do with coral reefs. That is pretty common knowledge.

I was at the Rickson Gracie seminar where he was awarded the red belt. It was interesting to hear his position regarding the belief that he still needed to wait longer before being comfortable wearing it.

I think the name 'coral' comes from 'cobra coral' (coral snake) and not coral reef, because the belt looks just like that snake's pattern. There are some different patterns in the 'coral snake' family (in the USA it has yellow stripes) but the type we have here in Brazil has bold black and red stripes with thin white stripes.

As an outsider looking in, it appears the Gracie family realized that non-family members would eventually have access to their highest honors, so they created a barrier to entry to enshrine their legacy. Which is fine, but just say it.

I always thought the Coral Belt was a reference to the Coral Snake

It's strange that BJJ altered the belt system Kano developed, and was given to them through Maeda. Question: if 67 years is the minimum age on the graduation chart, why did Rickson receive his 3 or 4 years ago around 60? Maybe he knows the right people.

In Judo, the "coral" belt is given to those who have given to the sport. It isn't a signification of rank, it is a demonstration of character. The head Judo instructor at my Dojo is in his 70's and is a 6th Dan black belt wearing his earned white and red belt. However, another instructor there who is also in his 70's is also a 6th dan black belt, but he himself only wears a black belt. Shintaro Higashi also wears a red/white belt, but he's not 70 years old, not even close. The reason why in BJJ no one talks about red belts, is because no one other than a Gracie, or someone who happens to kiss up to the Gracie's can get such a belt. Not only that, but it seems you *have to be* ancient to get one, which is ludicrous. It's like retirement, as long as your 401k is doing good, why worry about it, you'll get it when you're 65. If BJJ wants to have this particular belt be something to aspire to, then the Gracie family needs to be as far away from the promotion process as possible. Not only that, the requirements need to be reasonable. Minimum requirements should be: 1: Be at least a 1st/2nd degree black belt for coral, and 5th/6th degree for red belt with no weird age requirements. 2: Demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt, that you have given to, and continue to grow BJJ. (If the belt promotion thing is off, I apologize, based on how difficult it is to get these fancier belts beyond black there really doesn't seem to be much information about promoting beyond black.)

I think the rank system is fine, I have never heard anyone I train with talk about getting those belts. Us regular folks aspire to a black belt and maybe the first couple degrees of it, because that's all the athlete whose life doesn't revolve around BJJ is going to earn, and that's okay. If I were to change anything, it would be to shorten the time at White Belt to no more than 2 years of consistent training, and increase the time spent at blue and purple belts to 3 years each. Too often I see people that have trained regularly still wearing a white belt after 3 years, and they have too many tricks up their sleeves to be wearing the Day 1 rank.

Another great video. I think what the first Gracies achieved is so important, however what they did to Rufino Dosantos, lynching him 3 to 1 was heartbreaking.

Rorion's achievements in spreading BJJ in the states with his brothers is truly admirable. Receiving a red BJJ belt from your older brother must be an incredible feeling considering the Gracie familys history.

I believe Eddie bravo's contributions in BJJ should be recognized not as a founder, but something like that

The white/red belt is a fairly recent thing, I think within the last ten years or so. Before that, 7th and 8th degrees of wore black/red belts (like 7th does now). When the white/red belt was introduced, people called it the candy-cane belt

Very cool to see Flavio Behring get some recognition in these videos. He always seems to get left out, but is an original.

Very interesting! In the school that I learned American Kenpo Karate, the last three belt colors in order are red, senior red (red and black), then black. Danny Antoine was my teacher.

BJ penn got a black belt in less than 3 years which is where his nickname the prodigy came from.

Great video!!!

Well, it was in the very last minute of the video, but thank you for recognizing Founding Grand Master Fadda!!

Legend!!!

Your channel is super good! Definitely can see you getting more views and subscribers in the future! Keep it up :)

You have to be born Brazilian, kiss some Gracies' feet and train for 100 years to attain it

99% is an overstatement. Aren't there like, 5 guys who have them, and some of them are disputed? To get a coral belt you essentially had to roll in helios garage.

I train under Royce Gracie. He wears a dark navy blue belt as respect towards his father helio

Yes, red belts represent years of dedication to your art but you will never be as deadly than you were when you were a young black belt.

4:40 that black belt pulling that guys pants down lol

My understanding is that the coral belt is named for the coral snake, and has nothing to do with coral reefs.

They need to make a netflix documentary about the history of Brazilian jiu-jitsu

It was very deflating when i learned that the current longevity paywall was added to prevent non Brazilians from reaching the rank. People used to get coral in their 40s and 50s. Carlson have gave it to Rosado at like 45.

I grew up in California and spent half my life working with the Gracie family. When I walk into another persons school, I walk in as a white belt. The idea of ten years is just based on general education and experience. Every concept is made for example and experience. Fighting is a different place. A Red belt is a concept. That's all.

just started jijitsu a month ago my professor is a 8th degree coral belt trained under carlson and this man is a beast hes in his 60's and moves like a 20 year old i wish i could see him roll

CORAL in Brasil is a Snake (that is black and red)

The white belt with the red bar is epic.

I’m a first degree bb. I think the belt system is just fine the way it is now. I personally don’t see the point in limiting the 10th degree red belt to founders only. If you’ve made it that long in the art, why not be awarded it. I do think that there should be a federation that sets minimum standards and approves belts should be in place like the IBJJF. I do wish they offered more for membership like insurance, other perks, etc.

An unreachable belt. You'd have to start at age 7. It don't matter. You make the style.

The coral belt is called that because of the coral snake which is red and black, there is nothing related to layers of coral reef, coral snake can be very deadly, but there a fake coral snake too which has the same color black red and white but no poison

The white belt and red belt are the only 2 belts that don't take skill to acquire

Rufino Dos Santos blew all of that out of the water by beating all of them. Same for Sakuraba, remember how he beat 4 brothers? Just another black belt/red belt like all of the other styles. Belts are a thing of the past when it is realized that an 29 year old fighter like Shavkat smokes them.

Dont chase belts, chase skills and ability. Only those will truly be able to save you in the end snd that's all that really matters - especially when there's dojo-politics involved.

Red belts in Korea is a kyu rank for taekwondo, hapkido, tang soo do and other korean arts. Red belt represents soil and ground and earth however im some system red changed from red to orange like kyokushin and and kenpo. Kenpo and other styles have various red belt systems that represents grandmaster just like judo and jujutsu.

Have you ever been taught by a Red or Coral Belt. They have been doing this for 30 or 40 years and have seen hundreds come and go. A ton of injuries. It’s more than a move it’s a lifetime of experience.

Dude was mooning the crowd

I think the way the belt system is now is fine. you are focusing on the 9th Degree Red Belt. I think others should still be able to attain it. It is the 10 Degree Red belt that no one else will ever achieve, including the Gracies becuase it is reserved for the founders.

I think as more people get into the art, there should be more organization as to how to determine this. It’s shouldn’t go away but there should be things in place to take away the subjectiveness of it.

We have karate schools in our area that are giving seven year olds that can’t even properly pivot on a sidekick black belts after two years of simply showing up to classes. I don’t think that actual skill matters in some of these schools anymore. It’s all about attendance and payments to them, things like having actual mastery of the art are sadly becoming a thing of the past for many…

Red belt all the way. Its like a goal that just a few can reach. Letss go!!

I believe JJ focuses too much on belts; you should train every day to improve. Forget about the belts; there are many black belts that are useless in a fight. As Master Jigoro Kano once said: 'It's not important to be better than someone else, but to be better than yesterday.'"

Can't wait for Keenan Cornelius to start wearing an AJJ red belt.

Personally, I don't give attention to the color. I don't know what color is the belt of JJ Machado BUT I do know this man is a legend !

In ITF TKD we use red instead of brown,white/yellow/green/blue/red/black 1st-10th

ryu way ahead of the curve. cant wait till they get to headbands

Belts are akin to decorations imho, just a marker for progress in the early stages and a badge of honour in the late stages of your martial arts journey. At the end of the day, it’s just a piece of cloth and the value of the cloth is what people attach to it. You can make any number of coloured belts beyond the red belt or even between that and the black belt- at the end of the day what matters is the skill level of the individual wearing it.

Fascinating.

Coming from Judo, Japanese and Brazilian Jujitsu my Sensi was from the old thought, those that have been around would see the transformation from merely retaining knowledge and understanding that knowledge. Concepts are very difficult for people to understand especially in a martial art, normal it’s expressed in symbols. Obviously, martial arts is passed down from master to student, student becomes master and repeats. In Japanese martial arts often these concepts of the past are forgotten or the translation lost. Sure someone can teach you throws, teach you chokes and holds. But can they tell you the concept? Mastery happens in Judo, true mastery when the effort the Judoka applies is minimal, and the opponent becomes by their own effort their own enemy, the harder they fight/struggle the worse their enemy becomes. It’s called “the way,” the way becomes apart of you and the art becomes expressed in all your works. Belts change as the way becomes clearer and the way becomes as unforgettable as breathing. Concern over your belt blinds you to seeing the way. Although, the way is with me, I will always wear the white belt to remind myself the way is a path and not a destination.

You have to become the Master to get the red belt sho nuff!

My bjj coach was Claudia Silva from UFC, I asked him if there were red belts, he said in Brasil but they're really old.

Maybe this wasn't the video to get into it but as an outsider it sounds like the only criteria is time spent training and not exactly any technical or skill accomplishments.

I am sure that Marcello Garcia should have red belt next

and then there is the gold , obsidian and damascus belt!

Well, I always thought that the coral belt was a reference to a brazilian snake called Cobra Coral which is red and black very similar to the belt.

I'm not confident whomever wrote the script to this was very informed on the subject.

4:41 was crazy

As a blue belt in my late 30’s, It’s my goal to be a red belt by age 100.

The "Coral-Belt" in Judo is called "Bahnschranke" (railway barrier) in German.

coral snake also has simlar colors

Because it just means you are a senior citizen.

Red belt in Judo is a Rank.... Why it stopped being so in BJJ is beyond me.

When i was a kid i took a karate class, and i saw a blackbelt lose a sparring match to a greenbelt. My ten year old brain couldn't process that! Now i know most gyms ( not all) will let a student progess in the system as long as they are paying their fees....

For those who speak Portuguese, the video is about is a Hed Belch.

The name coral is not because of coral reefs. It's because of the coral snake, or cobra coral, that in Brazil has many colour patterns, but most of them are red and white, red and black, or even red, white and black.

Red belt just looks like a club for old Brazilian dudes.

Everybody dreams of being a red belt 😂😂 Coral Reef 😂😂.. Anybody who farts today has a BJJ channel 😂😂.

I guess the white belt with red bar would be 9.5 degree belt!

Rip❤

Coral and red belts aren't particularly important, because there isn't a very large school of people who could qualify for them. These belts are basically for old Brazilians who have lineages named after them - kind of a lifetime achievement award. If you started BJJ after adulthood you probably don't have enough time left in your life to earn one. It will be interesting, though, to see if the number of people who earn these belts expands over time, or if they die out. It will depend a lot on the rate true lifetime practitioners joined the sport over time.

The Coral has nothing to do with a coral from the sea. It actually stand for CORAL SNAKE, an animal from Brazil

Yes the red belt is very important.. it is the equivalent to the brown belt. Karate uses brown belt and tae kwon do has the red belt. They are both the belts you earn before black and there are 3 degrees at least, in both colors before the black belt test. So yes red belts are very important

"Why is it called coral? Uhhh.. the ocean! coral reefs!"

I'm not sure that it even matters, honestly. The different colors beyond standard black are just ways to easily identify time and contribution. It's probably more important to standardize the requirements for blue, purple, brown, and black.

A red belt doesn't mean anything if the old person having it cannot defeat a young/stronger black belt holder. BUT I still respect the time and sacrifice that went into obtaining it.

If you made a belt for your martial art then it should be available to any who train. 10th degree red belt not being available is just dumb.

At the top level of competition, it does not matter. Wrestlers like Krellin, Judo players like ono, Ishii or Inoue, they are all high ranking, but it does not matter, as all have been olympic and world champions. Learn from those who have made it to the top, they know the road, not the guy with the most stripes on their belt

Silat PD have red belts . Start at white , then white green and so on to red then theres a platter on your top left side and starts again red belt white stripe and so on till gold

As long as there's judo there's a red belt since BJJ was originally just judo. The Gracie's learned judo

Is this a Brazilian thing? When I did Kyokushin karate years ago we went white belt to white with yellow tips to yellow belt to green belt to blue belt to red belt to brown belt then to black belt followed by black with tips then the Dan system. I made it to red belt but I preferred the blue one! 😄 Is that the same as BJJ? I might be missing purple belt before brown though?

Wrong about the coral belt, it’s named after a Brazilian snake, the “cobra coral” which is black and red striped 😉

I have a red sash in my style. Which is Cheung Kune Pai. Which is A chinese style of southern longhand Gong Fu. Basically tiger style or Hungar style

The coral belt is a refernce to the coral snake not the reef , great vid btw

I have never trained BJJ, but I always have wondered why nobody trains clinch work while standing in any of the videos I watch? That is a part of BJJ and some of the trips and throws along with establishing strong underhooks is a major peice of it. Maybe I just have never seen them do it too.

I find the whole "this belt / degree takes 3 years, that one takes 5 etc" to be a weird way to "measure". I see some people train every day, but dont injure themselves, so they have consistency. Then i see some other kind of people that train a bit, get injured for weeks / months, come back and train a few days or weeks, get injured again and so on. So with these 2 types of people (scenarios) in mind, counting years of training seems a bit pointless. Please school me, random internet person.

It is crazy that rikson didnt want to take the belt. He is one of the most well known and esteemed practitioners of the sport and he undoubtedly deserves it

It's not true that you must do BJJ for 10 years to get a black belt... although I'm sure that some places have that requirement. I have a friend that got a blackbelt in about 6 or 7 years, but he wrestled in college before he started BJJ, so he was a pretty advanced grappler before ever putting on a gi.

This video was missing where the significance of the belts came from.

I feel that because of the strong Brazillian influence, more American Ju Jitsu schools will open, With less restrictions on rank.

I took Ishin Ryu Karate and you can't advance higher than your instructor. The marshall art got invited in the 1940s I believe the man who invented it was 10th degree red belt and my instructor was a 6th degree. I once met a 9th degree very old man at a tournament. So in about 60 years I wonder what's gonna happen when it's just 1st degree black belts teaching class.

Most of the Red Belts have the last name Gracie.

I'm a brazilian. "Coral" refers to some species of snake. The pattern of red, black and white is similar to a "cobra coral". It's not related to the sea creatures called coral.

I believe alliance has about 10 or so Coral belts in their ranks. Unsure about Red. Seems to really be Gracie & Alliance that have been around long enough for such degrees to be earned

I don't understand a combat sport without striking.

I don’t care for the coral belts, I think it’s excessive. After spending decades as a black belt training and teaching, there should absolutely be a red belt for the title of master. If they want a grand master position, all of the red belts should nominate and vote amongst themselves as to who is worthy to be the head of the sport. The grand master can have the white with red bar belt.