Jiu-jitsu
Jiu-jitsu belts
A competition-legal jiu-jitsu belt is 4 to 5 cm wide, in the colour of your rank, with a black tip — white or red for black belts. It is worn over the jacket, wrapped twice around the waist, and tied with a double knot. Both AJP and IBJJF apply the same rule.
Length by gi size, not waist
Belts run A0 to A5 in the same scale as gis, and the right length leaves roughly 20–30 cm hanging on each side after the double knot. If you are between sizes, size down: a belt that is slightly short still ties, and one that is long is a hazard in scrambles.
Cotton, stiffness, and how long it takes to break in
A stiff belt holds a knot better and looks better; a soft belt is more comfortable and ties faster. New competition belts are deliberately stiff and take a couple of months to relax. Nothing about that is a defect.
The rank bar
The black tip is where degrees are marked. It is required — a belt without one is not competition legal, however good it looks. Youth ranks follow a different colour sequence, which is worth checking before buying for a child in the schools programme.
Stock landing soon
We are not listing jiu-jitsu belts yet. When we do, every one will carry the same thing our gis already carry — a verdict on whether it passes, checked against the body that governs your sport and dated.