Black Belts
4th Degree
Chris Torres
3rd Degree
Valerie Worthington
Cristian Lopez
Myles Vives
Noah Tillis
John Jensen
Gabriel Ruediger
Kristian Riegler
Doug Vaughn
Michael Penafiel
Black Belts
2nd Degree
Michael Penafiel
Brett I Kier
Juan Martinez
Bo Manning
Colton Smith
Jason Buzzard
Lance Antolin
Derrin Teariki Simpson
Carl Tahana Moke
Black Belt
1st Degree
Erwin M. Benedicto
Justin Rice
David Kiedaisch
Brian Hummel
Brian Armijo
Austin Riggin
Felicia Federico
Brett Bannon
Johnny Ho
Mack Thomas
Christianny Paiva Lima
Mike Martinez
Jaso Sanchez
Adrian Montemayor
Walter Castellanos
Black Belt
Dalton Newby
Dennis Heath
Bernie Fernandez
Jimmy Holmes
Hoang Vo
Tau Thompson
Aaron Davey
Karl Byron Webber
Chuck Wall
Richard Pasinski
Nathan Butera
Dylan Michael Duff
Kerry Duane Rea
Tsunami BJJ Rank Promotion Guidelines
The adult belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are as follows: White, Blue, Purple, Brown & Black.
(There are belts beyond Black Belt, but they are beyond the scope of this discussion).
White Belt through Brown Belt each have a maximum of four degrees (or “stripes”)
possible. A student may get one, two, three or all four stripes before being promoted to
the next belt. While most students will go through all four stripes before promotion to the
next belt, it is not strictly mandatory. If someone has the requisite skill after just one, two
or three stripes, they may –in some cases– be promoted directly to the next belt.
All promotions are done at the discretion of the instructors. There is no formal testing for
rank. Tsunami BJJ holds two large belt promotion ceremonies per year. One in the
summer and one at the end of the year. In between those two ceremonies, students
may also be promoted individually.
Students are promoted based on: attendance,
attitude, knowledge of technique and skill in rolling. Students do NOT need to
compete in tournaments in order to be promoted, however, successful competition
results are noted favorably.
If you are not sure where you stand when it comes to being promoted, ask the
instructors for guidance about which specific area(s) they want to see you improve, in
order to be promoted.
Generally speaking, to be considered for promotion, a student should train a minimum
of 2 classes per week , with 3 or more classes per week recommended. Quite simply,
the more students train, the better they get and therefore the quicker they will be
promoted. Consistent training is the key! Therefore, a dedicated, consistent student
who trains more will go through the ranks faster, while a less dedicated student who
trains less or takes significant breaks from training, will take longer.
The following time frames for promotion are calculated for a typical student training an
average of 2-3 times (2.5 times) a week:
WHITE BELT
It takes approximately 3 or 4 months to earn each of the 4 stripes. After earning 4
stripes, the student is then eligible to be promoted to Blue Belt. However, as with
colored belts, in some cases a dedicated student who is progressing faster than
average will be promoted to Blue Belt before earning all 4 stripes.
BLUE BELT
Average time to earn a Blue Belt is 1½ years after starting BJJ. There is a maximum of
4 stripes possible at Blue Belt.
PURPLE BELT
Average time to earn a Purple Belt is 2-3 years after earning a Blue Belt. There is a
Maximum of 4 stripes possible at Purple Belt.
BROWN BELT
Average time to earn a Brown Belt is 2 years after earning a Purple Belt. There is a
maximum of 4 stripes possible at Brown Belt.
BLACK BELT
Average time to earn a Black Belt is 2 years after earning a Brown Belt.