How long is the white belt period in Jiu Jitsu and other martial arts?
In our Ju Jutsu class, there is no time frame by which a student should be testing for their first color belt. We have to be able to present the required waza with confidence and demonstrate three to four henke of each aspect of Ju Jutsu… and WE are the ones who have to request to be pre-tested. Our instructor tells us that when we feel ready, we ask. If he tells us when we are ready, how will we ever be able to evaluate ourselves? It took me six months to progress from white to orange, and I’ve been an orange for almost a year now. In our Hap Ki Do class, we have testings only four times a year. Our Hap Ki Do instructor presents a list of takedowns, kicks, breakfalls, and knowledge that a student must be able to present with confidence in order to qualify to test. If a student is not ready in, say, July, then there is always the October testing. And again, some people advance more rapidly than others. It also took me six months to go from white to orange in Hap Ki Do. In Judo, once
