This means that a person could essentially have a room in their home entirely dedicated to all of the medals they've won in the black belt division at IBJJF events while not actually having a black belt that is certified by the IBJJF. That's a shocker for many as well.

That's a shocker for many as well.

For a person to get a black belt membership licence in the IBJJF, it has to be approved by a 2nd Degree BB who has had his rank certified by the Federation. So basically each academy(/affiliation) needs to have one certified professor to approve the BB competitors’ licences. I don’t know how this is shocking; would be stupid to make all the competitors pay the $400 certification fee even if they don’t care for the Federation’s certification.

Enter BJJ Globetrotters. Easy peasy.

As you know, I have a professor who is neither interested in IBJJF membership nor affiliation who could benefit from the time served approach that the Beltchecker graduation system allows, but I am hesitant to bring this opportunity to his attention until I see support for the system and its guidelines within this very community.

Who died an made the IBJJF in charge of our martial art? Jiu jitsu has to me, to a large degree (pun intended), been about not obeying some rigid system of top down control. Locally centered instructor based ideas and a community of self regulation. The IBJJF is a money making control seeking group that's teamed up with some large and powerful people in the sport to take control and turn that control in $$$. Jiu Jitsu is about so much more than degrees and time lines and paying money to some big company.

I’m interested: do the ”time served” requirements for black belt degrees (the years needed for each one) come from IBJJF guidelines or do they have a longer history? Were there different models about how to attain them earlier or is this whole grau business dreamed up by the Federation..?

Well, it only has the amount of power that people are giving it. Like if we all stopped believing in money tomorrow, it would be worth nothing.

I respect ADCC champ as the real no gi champ. Obviously the gi is a different story. But how about this. Brazil obviously has a ton, probably the lion's share, of talented black belts in the world. Yet the 'world championships' are held in California every year. How is that fair? Maybe everyone can't just up and go to California. And not just the obvious reason like finances. But not everyone can even get a VISA to come into the country. So that right there damages the IBJJF world championship's validity.

IBJJF is a private company and doesn’t really have any responsibilities to hold the worlds anywhere else than they feel like. It’s entirely up to the community to decide what is the real world championships.

2 years per degree, awarded by one’s teacher, correct? One wasn’t awarding them on their own, were they?

It was 2 years even with IBJJF until about 5-6 years ago?

I said 2 years by mistake a few comments ago. My main question was if people wait to get awarded the degree stripes or if they put them on themselves (which would surprise me). I know it must vary a bit, depending on the situation.

I figured as much. I was speaking in terms of etiquette and respect between a black belt and his/her instructor (if they have one).

It's all symbolism and invented tradition. We wear an offshoot of a japanese garment. That garment is being tied shut by a highly impractical belt, the color(s) of which were decided upon by Kano, after witnessing a children's swimming class. Yet it's samurai this and bushido that. A degree is a piece of athletic tape. Still. The 'time served'-only view in regards to belt degree promotion is poor, in my opinion. In this meaningless universe, I appreciate my teachers putting that piece of tape on my belt, sayin: Here lad, I like how you do your thing and still support you. Whatever that means (nothing, in the great scale of things, but still...) That's all.

in my opinion. In this meaningless universe, I appreciate my teachers putting that piece of tape on my belt, sayin: Here lad, I like how you do your thing and still support you. Whatever that means (nothing, in the great scale of things, but still...) That's all.