The grading system in BJJ is meritocratic: your belt is a reflection of your ability to apply technique on fully resisting opponents. This is judged by observing your performance in sparring against a broad range of training partners over an extended period.

Along with that primary criteria, secondary factors like how regularly you train and your behaviour in class are also taken into account. Although it is not essential, if you compete, that is likely to accelerate your progress. BJJ rank is a long journey: it will take roughly a decade to go from white belt to black belt (for more on belts, see here).

A belt should never be an end goal: it is a byproduct of your progression. Always focus on improving your technique rather than hunting for the next belt. With that in mind, as well as successfully applying technique against fully resisting opponents, these are the general elements we want to see in your training before we’ll promote you to blue belt:

• Control: The number one mistake most beginners make is treating every spar as life or death, clinging on desperately trying not to ‘lose’. Your first priority is to mature beyond that stage, aiming to stay calm and technical when rolling.
• Consideration:Your training partners are absolutely integral to your progress. You therefore need to treat them with respect, both on and off the mat. That includes stuff like sexist/homophobic/transphobic etc ‘jokes’. None of that foolishness, please.
• Also, apply any submissions slowly. If for whatever reason your partner does not tap, let go before it gets to a point where injury could occur. Your number one priority in sparring is your partner’s safety, not seeing how awesomely you can rip their leg off to hang on your wall. 😜
• Complete: Although at this stage you’re not expected to have a high level of skill in all the many positions of BJJ, you should have some idea of what to do from the standard six positions (mount, back, side control, closed guard, half guard and open guard). Aim for at least two options (e.g., a couple of guard passes, side control escapes, submissions from the back, etc).
• Consistency: If we only ever see you once every few months, then you are unlikely to progress. Try and make it at least once a week, ideally twice.

BELT RANK REGISTER

Black

Can Sönmez (Kev Capel, May 2023)

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Brown

Adrienne Gardiner Till (Can Sönmez, July 2023)
Bernardas Jankauskas (Can Sönmez, July 2023)

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Purple

Mike Bull (Can Sönmez, July 2023)
Weronika Madej (Can Sönmez, May 2023)
Simon Shakespeare (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Dec 2019)
Mathew Johnston (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Jun 2019)
Matt Houghton (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Jun 2019)
Sam Grayson (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Jun 2019)
Erick Soto (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Jun 2019)
Евгений Задойнов (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Dec 2017)
Richard Lindsay (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Dec 2017)
Paul Lansdowne (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Dec 2017)
Chris Jackson (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Jun 2017)

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Blue

Elliot Booley (Can Sönmez, Jun 2024)
Ayrton Jimenez-Aldridge (Can Sönmez, Mar 2024)
Jake Armstrong (Can Sönmez, Mar 2024)
Zsófia Szőnyi (Can Sönmez, Mar 2024)
Jack Jenkins (Can Sönmez, Mar 2024)
Adam Guitart (Can Sönmez, Mar 2024)
Toby Hayter (Can Sönmez, Mar 2024)
Freyja Simmons (Can Sönmez, Feb 2024)
Paul Henderson (Can Sönmez, Feb 2024)
Sam Briggs (Can Sönmez, Apr 2023)
Dylan Freestone (Can Sönmez, Mar 2023)
Josh Davies (Can Sönmez, Mar 2023)
Alex Akerman (Can Sönmez, Mar 2023)
Tamás Novák (Can Sönmez, Mar 2023)
Vicky Jordan (Can Sönmez, Mar 2023)
Oliver Clarke (Can Sönmez, Mar 2023)
Jas Skinner (Can Sönmez, Mar 2023)
Shirley Lui (Can Sönmez, Mar 2023)
Ian Williams (Can Sönmez, Mar 2023)
Daniel Gregory (Can Sönmez, Oct 2022)
Tosin Kenogbon (Can Sönmez, Sep 2022)
Steve Wrigley (Can Sönmez, Feb 2022)
Tom Kemp (Can Sönmez, Feb 2022)
Jack Freedman (Can Sönmez, Dec 2021)
Mark Fairminer (Can Sönmez, Dec 2021)
Eva Gartzke (Can Sönmez, Oct 2021)
Weronika Urbańska (Can Sönmez, Mar 2020)
Antony Reader (Can Sönmez, Feb 2020)
Lara Simo (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Dec 2019)
Michael Dalili (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Dec 2019)
Ruairi Fox (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Dec 2019)
Zachary Fillingham (Can Sönmez, Jul 2019)
Lucy Barton (Can Sönmez & Kev Capel, Jun 2019)
Alasdair Munro (Can Sönmez & Kev Capel, Jun 2019)
Volter Paukku (Can Sönmez, Feb 2019)
Josh Robinson (Can Sönmez, Nov 2018)
Jeremy Badley (Can Sönmez, Sep 2018)
Greg Allen (Can Sönmez, Sep 2018)
Paulina Nebeling (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Aug 2018)
Jade Moulla (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Aug 2018)
Nicholas Kilby (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Aug 2018)
Lloyd Carrigan (Can Sönmez, Jun 2018)
Kirsty Wynne (Can Sönmez, Jan 2018)
Sam Livingstone (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Dec 2017)
Steve Micklewright (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Dec 2017)
Heidi Sævareid (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Dec 2017)
Tracey Robinson (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Dec 2017)
Marcus Jones (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Dec 2017)
Richard May (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Dec 2017)
Kirsty Harris (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Jun 2017)
Tristan Moss (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Jun 2017)
Steven Tonks (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Jun 2017)
Milka Dimitrova (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Jun 2017)
Ruth McGowan (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Jun 2017)
Oscar Sommer (Kev Capel & Can Sönmez, Jun 2017)

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GRADINGS

22nd December 2019
16th June 2019
26th August 2018
17th December 2017
11th June 2017

Gradings after class