BJJ, where promotion is measured in years

Stripes are ranks, not notes

A BJJ belt with two stripes is a different rank from the same belt with none, and treating stripes as a comment against a member throws away the only fine-grained progression signal the art has. Belts and stripes are both first-class here, each with the date awarded — which is what makes time-in-grade answerable at all.

Mostly adults, mostly monthly, occasionally paused

A BJJ membership base skews adult, which changes the billing pattern: fewer family accounts, more individual memberships, and considerably more pausing. Injuries are common and a member who tears a knee will be back in four months if the membership can be suspended rather than cancelled. A suspended member keeps their record, their rank and their history, and does not have to be re-enrolled as a stranger.

Gi, no-gi and open mat attendance

Most gyms run gi and no-gi as separate classes and an open mat that is not really a class at all. Attendance recorded per session — rather than per membership — is what makes the long promotion interval legible: a member training four times a week and one training twice a month hold the same belt, and only one of them is on track.

Questions we get asked

Can promotion be based on attendance rather than time?

Attendance totals are held per member and per class type, so time in grade and mat time are both visible. The decision stays with the instructor; the data behind it stops being guesswork.

How are memberships paused for injury?

A membership can be suspended rather than cancelled. The member keeps their rank, attendance history and place in the system, and billing stops for the period.