A BJJ kids academy located in Maine, USA,, Stonecoast Brazilian jiu jitsu for kids , has been promoting to the rank of ‘junior’ black belt in BJJ.
Reddit BJJ member Fakku MMA noticed the unusual belt promotion.
The instructor Shaun Durfee, who promotes the kids is a legitimate black belt with a lineage that traces back to the respected Renzo Gracie:
Renzo Gracie -> Amal Easton -> Jay Jack -> Shaun Durfee
Renzo Gracie will for sure not approve. A few years back he commented on a past case of junior black belts:
“What is a black belt? It is a tool that can influence people in a positive way, and a child is not ready for this. Unless the child is a Buddha or Jesus Christ. “
This practice happens in other martial arts such as Karate and Taekwondo where Instructors sell belts in order to keep students and make money at the same time, but is NOT part of BJJ tradition and rules.
In BJJ, there is no such thing as ‘junior black belt’. It has never existed. There are well defined belt rankings that should be followed, according to Federation rules:
The instructor, Shaun Durfee, made a video explaining his reasoning. For him, he just wants to keep the kids motivated:
Jay Jack (Shaun Durfee’s instructor) made a statement where he explains why he supports him:
Interestingly enough, some people are against junior black belts:
Why you should never have ‘Junior Black Belts’ in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
While some are all for it:
BJJ Black Belt’s Point of View: ‘Junior Black Belts Make Sense’
