Minimum Testing AgeYour child must be at least four years old to test for a white-yellow belt. If your child is less than four years old, focus on preparing them so that when their fourth birthday comes around, they will already have accumulated four stripes and, therefore, be allowed to test.
The Age DifferenceThe most important thing to understand regarding kids’ belt promotions is that, unlike the adult belt system, there is no direct correlation between the number of techniques and the kids’ belt promotions. We understand that a child who starts training at 9 years old, will have learned many more techniques, and have a much higher level of competency by the time he/she has earned four stripes on their white belt (80 classes) than a child who begins when he/she is 4 or 5 years old. In evaluating your child’s eligibility for promotion, you can rest assured that we will take their age into consideration, so as long as they put in their time, they should do fine on the test.
The Adult Belt System Your child will remain in the child belt system until they turn 14 years old. At that time, regardless of the belt level they are at, they will graduate to the adult belt system, starting with the Gracie Combatives belt. Since many of the Gracie Combatives techniques are covered in Jr. Combatives, it should be a smooth transition to full Gracie Combatives focus for your child once they turn 14. Upon earning their Gracie Combatives belt, your child will move on to the Master Cycle program in which they will learn the remaining 600+ techniques required for promotion to blue belt, purple belt, brown belt, and, eventually, black belt!