Valente Bros do the white patch. Gracie Humaita doesn't do it. We get the red bar and follow the IBJJF guidelines. Did you test for Black Belt at Valente's? I know some Royce Gracie Black Belts that have and heard it's pretty tough.

The white patch (or rank bar) is just an option for a 'competitor' to wear. It is not higher or lower ranked than the red ranking bar. I have both, I wear the black belt with the white patch when I compete, and the black belt with red ranking bar and white professor stripes the rest of the time. All schools are different though but the standard is 1st degree comes after 3 years.

I personally am not a fan of the Valente's and how they act (like they're closer to Helio than his own kids are), so I won't support their BS.

Yeah, I've heard a lot of odd stories about the Valente Bros in Miami. Are they still doing the short sleeved gi thing, which again was them trying to be more Helio than Helio, IIRC? Though saying that, I also like wearing short gi trousers, but that's because I'm vain and want to show off tattoos. :P

Yeah, I've heard a lot of odd stories about the Valente Bros in Miami. Are they still doing the short sleeved gi thing, which again was them trying to be more Helio than Helio, IIRC? Though saying that, I also like wearing short gi trousers, but that's because I'm vain and want to show off tattoos. :P

One brand to note is the Ouano belts - they had the red bar on purple and brown belts for affiliates that weren't black belts but were running their own academies ( they may have had it for blue but I don't recall ever seeing one)

I've also seen a few brown belts with the red bar in Scandinavia, for head coaches of a school that are not black belts yet.

This Happens in purple as well. Espesially way back when you may have a country with no black belts at all.

Hey All, So I wanted to ask your opinions, feelings on this. I am a direct lineage of Helio and Royce Gracie (through Jon Burke), and as such, when I was promoted to black belt, I had to wear the white patch for two years, then two years of the red patch, now I have my 'professor bars', and eventually I will earn my degree stripes. All the IBJJF black belts immediately get promoted to black belt with the red patch, and then start the '3 years later first stripe, another three years second stripe' promotion schedule. According to this, by my 6th year of being a blackbelt this December 2020, I'll still yet to have earned any 'degree stripes' on my belt, but some of my friends who were promoted around the same time in 2014, or even a year or so afterwards, will already be a higher ranked black belt before me. Now, truthfully, I don't care, I am a black belt, compete as one still, teach and coach, yada yada, however I want to know if 1) Any of you had the white patch on your black belt for two years, 2) Those who did, did you care about the fact that non white patch black belts are already higher ranked than you, 3) Are you a fan of the white patch? Do you think that it should be standard practice for all the black belts (IBJJF included), and not just the Rorian, Royce, Caique, and other old school lineage instructors lines of students. Let me know what your take is.

I was awarded my black belt with a white patch. I wore it for 2 years. To be honest, it didn't bother me one bit. People I knew being awarded their black belts with red patches, from their instructors. That's their jiu jitsu journey. I have mine. If they get their degrees faster than me, so be it. Like you, my lineage is Helio and Royce. My professor is Rob Kahn and he was among Royce's first group of black belts as well. I've trusted Rob to teach me jiu jitsu all these years, so I trust his judgement in sticking with the same system he went through. I believe it's supposed to be 2 years white patch before earning your red patch. Then 4 years with the red patch before earning your 'professor bars.' I know Rob stressed that a person needed to hold a black belt for 6 years in order to be able to promote a black belt, hence the 'professor bars' at the 6 year mark. He said he was tired of the same things you pointed out. That people who received their black belts 10 years after him were now outranking him. He surprised a few of us last year. I was awarded my red patch, and in addition to that he gave me my professor bars as well. It doesn't affect the minimum required time of 6 years to promote a black belt though. He just wanted us to be recognized as professors. I was extremely happy to receive it, but I would've be just as happy if all I got was my red patch. And I have heard of the stories you mention of the testing at the valente bros.....They don't like Rob lol