BrazilianJiu–Jitsu

GradingRequirements

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‘TheJiu–JitsuIcreatedwasdesignedtogivetheweakonesachancetofacetheheavyandstrong’

- HelioGracie

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TableofContentsWhoweare………………………………………….………………………………………….……Page4HistoryofBrazilianJiu-jitsu………………………………………….………………………Page5Gradingoverview…………….………………………………………….………………………..Page6Gradingelements………………………………………….……………………………………..Page7BJJbelts……………………………………………………….……………………………………...Page9Beltprogression………………………………………….…………………………………….Page12Gradingrequirementschecklist…………………………………………………………….Page13Generalknowledgequestions………………………………………….……………………Page14Self-defencetechniques……………………………….…………………………………….Page15References………………………………………………………………….…………….Page17

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WhoweareOurvision

Toinspireandguideourstudentstoachievetheirfullpotentialbothonandoffthetrainingmat.

Ourmission

ToprovideourstudentswiththehigheststandardandfitforpurposeJudoandBrazilianJiu–Jitsutraining,inafunandinclusiveenvironment.

Ourcorevalues• Honesty:Beinghonestonandoffthemat• Respect: Being respectful of one another and treating others like we

wouldliketobetreated• Dedication and resilience:Todevelop studentswhovaluehardwork,

dedicationandperseverancetoachieveagoal• Leadership: To develop leaders who impact their community in a

positiveway• Growth: To develop individuals who push themselves out of their

comfortzoneandconstantlyseekwaystogrowaspeopleandgrapplers.

CodeofConductAtalltimes,aBeyondGrapplingAthlete(BGC)athletemust:

• promoteandsupporttheBGC’scorevalues• havenoegoonthematsandberespectfuloftrainingpartnersand

coaches• practicetechniqueswithcontrolandcooperation• controltheirtemper(bulliesandphysicaloutburstsarenottolerated)• beclean,hygienicandvoidofbodyodour(thisincludestrimmednails)• trainincleanandappropriateattire• neverusefoullanguage• applysubmissionswithextremecareandcontrol• reportallaccidentsandinjuriesaccordingly• appropriatelycoverabrasionsandopencutsbeforetraining• listenwhilethecoachisteaching

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HistoryofBrazilianJiu–JitsuThehistoryofBrazilianJiue–Jitsu(BJJ)goesbackthroughtheGraciefamilytotheiroriginalteacher,MitsuyoMaedaandhistrainingintheKodokan,thehomeofJudo,inthelate1800’s.

MaedawastrainedbyJudo’sfounder,KanoJigoro,andwasoneoftheKodokan’sfivetopgroundworkexpertssentabroadtodemonstrateandspreadKano’sarttotheworld.

MaedaleftJapanin1904,visitingmanycountriesandacceptingchallengesfromfightersofvariousmartialartssystems.HearrivedinBrazilin1914,wherehewasinstrumentalinestablishingaJapaneseimmigrantcommunity.Maeda’seffortswereaidedbyGastãoGracie-aBrazilianscholarandpolitician.Inreturn,MaedataughtJudotoGastaoGracie’seldestson,CarlosGracie.CarlosGracietaughtthearttohisfourbrothers,whobegantoadaptthebasicrulesofJudo,eliminatingtheuselessandrefiningtheeffective.HelioGracie,theyoungestofthebrothers,wasnaturallyfrailand,bydoctor’sorders,wasnotabletoparticipateinmuchoftheJudotraining.Ashewasunabletoperformtechniquesthatrequiredmuchstrength,HeliograduallydevelopedGracieJiu–Jitsuasasofter,morepragmaticadaptionfromJudo.

Heliointroducedtheapplicationofleveragetotheart,makingitpossibleforasmalleropponenttodefeatalargerone;andbymodifyingandenhancingthebasictechniques,GracieJiu–Jitsubecameeffectiveforapersonregardlessofhisorherstature.Thissystemfocusedongroundfighting,asopposedtoJudo,whichemphasizedthrowingtechniques;andthusbeganthedevelopmentofanewandmoreeffectiveart:GracieJiu-Jitsu.Today,BJJisoneofthemosteffectiveformsofunarmedcombatavailable.ThecurrentgenerationsoftheGraciefamilyhaveproventhisintoday’sMixedMartialArteventsandopenchallengematchesallovertheworld.

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PurposeofthisdocumentThis document explains BGC’s policies and procedures around children, teensand adult BJJ grading requirements. This includes how our belt system existsalongsidetheInternationalBrazilianJiu–JitsuFederation(IBJJF)systemaswellas the techniques, concepts and knowledgeneededtoachieveeachbelt.

Our BJJ grading system is multilayered andrequires a high level of skill to achieve eachgrade.Ifastudentfailstheirinitialgrading,theyareabletore-assessatalaterdate.Agradingwillbeheldattheendofterm2andterm4forkidsandteensandoccasionallywhenanadultreachestherequiredskilllevel.

A student may pass over a few stripes if theydemonstrate an advanced level of skill,dedication, teamwork, competition results oroveralltechnicalproficiency.BGC’sBJJgradingsystemconsidersastudent’sabilitytodemonstratethefollowingelements:

• financialmemberofBGCwithnooutstandingfees• adherencetotheBGCCodeofConduct;• generalknowledgeoftheartofBJJexpectedoftheirlevel;• safelyexecutingtechniques;• variouspinningpositions,sweepsandescapesfromdifferentpositions• varioussubmissionsandtakedowns;• overalltechnicalandsparringproficiency;and• self–defencetechniquesandapplicationsexpectedoftheirlevel.

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GradingElementsAdherencetotheBGCCodeofConduct

Astudent’sadherencetotheBGCCodeofConductwillbeconsideredintheirgrading.Astudentwhocontinuouslydemonstratesaninabilitytodosowillbeadvisedaccordingly,andmaynotbeconsideredforgradinguntiltheirbehaviourisadjusted.

DemonstratedknowledgeofBJJexpectedoflevel

AstudentmustbeabletodemonstrateknowledgeofBJJthatisexpectedoftheirlevel.Thisincludesbeingabletodemonstrateatechniqueuponrequest,aswellasduringlivesparring(asobservedbythecoachesduringclasses).Thisincludes,ataminimum,thebasicBJJmovementssuchashipescapes,breakfalls,andvariouswarm–updrills(e.g.forwardroll,bearcrawls,etc.).

SafeexecutionofBJJtechniques

SafeexecutionofBJJtechniquesiscrucialtokeepinganinjury–freetrainingenvironment.AstudentmustbeabletodemonstratetheirabilitytoexecuteBJJtechniquessafely,withoutapotentialtocauseinjurytothemselvesandothers.

Variouspinningpositions,sweepsandescapesfromdifferentpositions

Escapes

Escapingvariousgrapplingholds frombothgroundandstandingpositions isaveryimportantelementofeffectiveBJJandself-defence.Studentsmustbeabletodemonstrate a number of escapes from various holds and pins. This includesescaping side control, mount, headlocks and bear hugs. Depending on level,studentsmustalsobeabledemonstratevarioussubmissionescapes,suchasrearnakedandtrianglechokeescapes.

PinningpositionsPinning and holding positions are two of the key elements of effective BJJ.Students must be able to explain and demonstrate a number of pinningtechniquesexpectedoftheirlevel.Thisincludesvariationsofsidecontrol,scarfhold, mount and knee ride. As grading advances, students will need todemonstrate their ability to move from one holding technique to anotherwithoutthereleaseofpressurefromtheopponent.Sweeps

Sweeping is another key element of effective BJJ. Students must be able todemonstrateanumberofsweepsfromvariousBJJguards.Novicebeltlevelswillneedtodemonstratesweepsfromvariousopenandclosedguards(e.g.butterflyguardandhalfguard).Moreadvancedbeltlevels(Greenbeltandabove)mustbeable to demonstrate sweeps from more complex guards (e.g. X-guard, spiderguard,De–La-Rivaguard,etc.).

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Tappingout

Themostimportantthingtodemonstrate,beforeanysubmissionortakedown,isastudent’sabilitytoeffectively‘tapout’.Tappingoutisveryimportantandallstudentsmustdemonstratetheirabilitytotapoutoncetheyhavebeenplacedinsubmissionstheycannotescape.

Tappingoutsafelyincludesusingvariouswaystoletourtrainingpartnersknowwe’vehadenough.Thisincludesverballysaying‘tap’,andphysicallytappingouropponentsandthemats,usingbothhandsandfeet.

Throwsandtakedowns

Although BJJ is mainly a ground-based grappling art, students will still berequiredtodemonstrateanumberof throwsandtakedownsinbothstaticandmoving scenarios. These takedowns must be followed up with a groundworktechnique,suchaskneeride,sidecontroloranyothertechnique.Studentswillalso need to demonstrate a number of counter attacking movements such assprawlingandgripfighting.Strangles&Chokingtechniques

Students must be able to demonstrate an understanding of both choking andstrangulation techniques. Students will need to show control when applyingthese techniques from positions such as back, mount, guard and side control.Additionally,studentswillneedtobeabletorecogniseanunconsciousopponentandwhat to do in this situation (this is a possibility, although very unlikely ifpropertrainingetiquetteispractised).

JointlockingtechniquesStudents must be able to demonstrate a number of Joint locking techniquesexpected of their level. These include arm locks, wrist locks, ankle locks, heelhooks,kneelocks,toeholds,calfandbicepslicers.Thesetechniquesneedtobeapplied from a number of different positions and setups depending on thestudent’sabilitylevel.Sparringabilityand‘flowing’

Inadditiontotechnicalproficiencyinsubmissionsandtakedowns,theabilitytosparsafelyandeffectivelymustbedemonstrated.BJJisamartialart,sportandaself–defence strategy, and therefore the ability to execute techniques in a livesparisagreatdemonstrationofastudent’sabilitylevel.Equallyimportantistheabilityto ‘flow’withatrainingpartner,especiallywithsomeone that is at a lower level or has lesser bodyweight. This is a greatdemonstrationoftechnicalproficiencyandwillbeconsideredingrading.

Demonstrateselfdefence

BJJ as a martial art encompasses self-defence elements. Students (especiallychildrenandteens)mustbeabletodemonstratebasicself–defencetechniques.This includes both techniques and the ability to assess, and escape from, adangeroussituation.

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BJJBeltsThechildren’sBJJprogramhereatBGCdiffersfromthewayweteachadults.Thetechniquesremainmoreorlessthesamehoweverwefocusmorecloselyonthecorebasicsateverybelt level. Theprogramalso includesspecific self–defencetechniques.

Whitebelt(0to4stripes)

At thisbelt level,we introduce students to theconceptofpositional strategy–theywill learn thebasicsofbodymovementbothstandingandon theground.Additionally, a number of more commonly faced self–defence scenarios aretaught,forexampleescapefromheadlocksandbearhugs.Sparring will also be introduced, and students will begin to familiarisethemselves with submissions, however the main priority is on understandingpositionandthefundamentalsofBJJpositions.

Asstudentsprogressinstripes,emphasiswillbeplacedontransitionsfromoneposition to another, and submissions will be observed in closer detail.Developmentonstandingandgroundbasedself–defencescenarioswillcontinueaswellaslongersparringsessions.Sparringfromsetpositionsandwithspecificsubmissionsisalsointroduced.

YellowBeltSystem(0to4stripes)

Atthisbeltlevel,studentsareexpectedtohaveagoodunderstandingofthebasicandcoreBJJtechniques.Theyshouldbeabletoapplytechniqueswhensparringand display basic strategy and tactics for sport BJJ. Training will continue onopenandclosedguard,guardpassing,submissions,andtransitions.Learningofself–defencescenarioswillalsocontinue.

OrangebeltandGreenbeltsystem(0to4stripes)StudentswhoreachorangeorgreenbeltmaylikelybeoldandmatureenoughtojointheadultBJJclass(14–15yearsold,anddependingoncapability).Therefore,the adult syllabus will be followed. The purpose of this shift is to provide aconstructive challenge for teen students. This strategy helps them remainconsistentwith training, so that they remainmotivated to continuedevelopingtheirBJJcapabilitiesintoadulthood.Students who are eligible to join the adult BJJ class, but decline or are notconfident enough to do so yet, will be allowed to stay in the children’s class.Thesestudentswillbeassistedbythecoachesto transitionsuccessfullybeforeorwhentheyturn16.

BeyondthejuniorbeltsystemAt the age of 16, junior studentsmustmove on to the adult BJJ class and beltsystem.Generally,astudentwhohastrainedregularlyforseveralyearsandisatleast an orange belt may be promoted to blue belt on the year of their 16th

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birthday. Otherwise, they will become an adult white belt, and depending ontheirskilllevel,willbeawardedstripes.Those promoted to blue belt are eligible to compete in juvenile blue beltcategories,butnotfulladultdivisionsuntiltheyare18.Afterthis,theywillthenbegradedonwardsfrombluetopurple,brownthenblack.AlthoughtheIBJJFhasset minimum times frames, these are generic and do not show the realistictechnicalandsparringabilityofthestudent.

BlueBelt

ThebluebeltmarksyourfirstbreakthroughinJiuJitsu. Earning your blue belt means that you arestarting to get a handle on the basics of the art.Youaredevelopingaguardgame,apassinggame,anescapegame,apositionalcontrolgameandarestartingtodevelopasubmissiongame.AbluebeltunderstandswhatishappeninginJiuJitsu,atleastonabasiclevelandisstartingtomovetheirhipswellanduse their legs.Theyare learninghowtocontrol their opponents using technique in placeofphysicalattributes.ThemostimportantthingtothinkaboutuponearningyourbluebeltisconsistencyandlongevityintheartassadlyalotofpeoplehavequitJiuJitsuafterearningtheirbluebelts!

PurpleBeltThe purple belt marks your next major breakthrough in Jiu Jitsu and isconsideredoneofthefirstadvancedbelts.Earningyourpurplebeltwillrequireseveralyearsofcommitmenttotrainingandhardwork,butitiswortheverybitof it! A purple belt is someonewhohas internalised the principles of Jiu Jitsu.They understand that technique, leverage and the ability to out think and outmanoeuvretheiropponentisthekeytosuccess.Apurplebelthasputinalotofhours on the mate and because of this, they have great hip movement, anexcellentguard,moretoolsavailabletothemandtransitionseamlesslybetweenthevariousguardgames,escapes, controlsetc.Apurplebeltknows theirbodyandwhatworkswellforthemandhavedevelopedafewstrongpositionsintheirgamethattheyfavour.Theycombinetechniqueswhentheyattackandareableto lead their opponents to “their own” strong/favourite positions. The purplebeltishalfwaytoblackbelt,howexciting!BrownBeltThe brown belt marks another major breakthrough in your journey andindicatesthatyouareatruediscipleofJiuJitsu.Ittakesalotofdiscipline,hardworkandperseverancetoearnyourbrownbelt inJiuJitsu.Abrownbelt,evenmoresothanthepreviousbelts,isanambassadorfortheartandmustdotheirbesttoportraytheJiuJitsuinthebestlightpossible.Theyunderstandtechnique,leverageandtheabilitytooutthinkandoutmanoeuvretheiropponentslikethepurplebelt,howevertheyhaveagreaterunderstandingof timing,strategyandtactics!

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Technically there isn’t toomuchdifferencebetweenapurplebeltandabrownbelt, however a brown belt is just a little smoother in their execution oftechnique and has better timing. A brown belt passes and feels heavy and isextremelywellrounded.Theyarealsoabletoadaptandovercomeanopponentevenwhen theygetsurprisedas theirdefence is reallysolid.Abrownbelthastheabilitytosetuptheiropponentthroughtheuseofstrategyandtacticswhichallowsthemtofrustratetheiropponentandcausethemtomakemoremistakes!Iliketothinkofabrownbeltasablackbeltintraining…Theyarealmostthere,theyjustneedalittlemoreseasoning!BlackBelt

The black belt inmany people’s eyes symbolisesmastery of the art. However,talktoanyblackbeltandtheywilltellyouthatnothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.EarningyourblackbeltinJiuJitsuisatremendousaccomplishmentbutitisreallyjustthebeginning.Uponearningyourblackbelt,youwillstarttolookatwhatyoualreadyknowthroughamorediscerning lens, inasense the journeybegins all over again! Regardless of age, a black belt in Jiu Jitsu is a trueambassador for theartandhasnothing toprove, the journeytowardsmasterycontinues.

Ablackbelthasdevelopedgreatbase,akeensenseoftechnicalprowess,aswellastimingandanticipationthatcanmakethemfeelunstoppable.Buttheyarestillverymuchstudentsofthegame!Oneofthekeycharacteristicsofablackbeltisan open mind and a hunger to learn. A black belt moves smoothly andeconomically, theyuse their feetand legsaswellas theirhandsandarehighlycoordinated. Black belts are tricky, and patient while directing you to yourdemise.Theyareextremelysmoothandefficientwhentheyroll,andtheymakeyou feel like you are doing all thework. In the journey towards earning yourblack belt youwill develop and own a few key positions in the game… Thesepositionsbecomesecondnaturetoyouandyourabilitytoapplytechniquesfromthereagainstaresistingopponentseemseffortless.

Ablackbeltcantrainwithanyoneandfindawaytolearnandimproveaswellashelptheirpartnerdothesame.AblackbeltknowsandunderstandtheprinciplesofJiuJitsusowellthattheycandemonstrateandteachmovesthataren’tapartoftheircore“goto”game.IbelievethatanyonecanearnablackbeltinJiuJitsuiftheyarecommittedandputinthework.

BJJ legendChrisHauteursaiditbest,“It’snotwho’sgood,it’swho’sleft.It’shouron themat. If youput in that time, natural athlete ornot, you’ll beablackbelt.You’regoingtobesomewhereintenyears,whynotbeablackbelt?Youjustcan’tquit!”

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BeltprogressionBGChasaslightlydifferentbeltprogressionmodeltothatoftheIBJJF.However,belowisatableofhowBGCbeltsconvertwiththeIBJJFsystem.

• Whitebeltupto4stripes• Yellowbeltupto4stripes(minimumageis7yearsold)• Orangebeltupto4stripes(minimumageis10yearsold)• Greenbeltupto4stripes(minimumageis13yearsold)• Adultbluebeltontheyeartheyturn16(atthediscretionofthecoach)• AdultPurplebelt• AdultBrownbelt• AdultBlackbelt(minimumageofablackbeltis19yearsold)

BGCbeltconversionchartwithIBJJF(neededfortournamententryonly)

BGCBelt Isequivalentto: IBJJFBeltWhitebelt1stripe = WhitebeltWhitebelt2stripe = GreyandwhiteWhitebelt3stripe = GreyWhitebelt4stripe = GreyandblackYellowbelt1stripe = YellowandwhiteYellowbelt2stripe = YellowYellowbelt3stripe = YellowandblackYellowbelt4stripe = YellowandblackOrangebelt1stripe = OrangeandWhiteOrangebelt2stripe = OrangeOrangebelt3stripe = OrangeandBlackOrangebelt4stripe = OrangeandBlackGreenbelt1stripe = GreenandwhiteGreenbelt2stripe = GreenGreenbelt3stripe = GreenandblackGreenbelt4stripe = GreenandblackBluebelt = BlueBeltPurplebelt = PurplebeltBrownBelt = BrownBeltBlackBelt = BlackBeltBGCbeltrequirements(neededfortournamententryonly)

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Belt

Minimum

age

Guard

passes

Takedowns

Sweeps

Strangles

Armlocks

Escapes

Advanced

guard

sweeps/

attacks

Self–

defence

General

know

ledge

Whitebelt1stripe 6 1 2 1 1 A ✓

Whitebelt2stripe 2 3 2 1 A ✓

Whitebelt3stripe 2 3 2 2 B ✓

Whitebelt4stripe 3 4 2 2 B ✓

Yellowbelt1stripe 7 3 4 2 1 1 3 C ✓

Yellowbelt2stripe 3 5 3 2 2 3 C ✓

Yellowbelt3stripe 3 5 4 2 2 3 C ✓

Yellowbelt4stripe 4 5 4 2 3 4

D ✓

Orangebelt1stripe 10 5 6 4 1 1 4 D ✓

Orangebelt2stripe 6+ 6+ 5 2 2 4 E ✓

Orangebelt3stripe 6+ 6+ 5 2 3 5 E ✓

Orangebelt4stripe 6+ 6+ 5 3 3 5 E ✓

Greenbelt1stripe 13 7+ 8 6 4 5 5 5 F ✓

Greenbelt2stripe 8+ 8 5 5 5 6 5 F ✓

Greenbelt3stripe 8+ 9 6 6 6 6 6 F ✓

Greenbelt4stripe 10 10 6 8 10 6 6 F ✓

Bluebelt 16+

Purple

Brown Black 19

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GeneralKnowledgequestionsThesequestionsmaybeaskedduringyourexamination:

• WhatdoesBJJmean?• WhoinventedBJJ?• WhoaretheGracie’s?• WhatartdidBJJcomefrom?• WherewasthefoundingcityofBJJ?• HowcanyouwinaBJJmatch?• Demonstratehowtotieyourbelt.• Demonstratehowtofoldyourgi.• Basicdojohygienequestions.• Whatisthedifferencebetweenachokeanda

strangle?• Whatisthedifferencebetweenanarmbarandan

armlock?• Whatisthesafestwaytotapout?• Whatdoyoudoifsomeonefallsunconscious?• Demonstratethecorrectpositioninsideaclosedguard.• Demonstratethreewaystoholdsomeoneinsidecontrol• Explaintheimportanceofunderhooksandframing• Demonstratethreevariationsofscarfhold.• Howmanypointsdoyougetforatakedown?Guardpass?Sweepfrom

guard?Mount?Back?Sidecontrol?AReversal?• Whatisthecorrectwaytoholdsomeoneinbackcontrol?• ExplainthebasicrulesofsportBJJ.

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SelfDefenceTechniquesPartA• Breakfalls:Back,side,forwardandfront• TechnicalstandupX20(bothsides)• KickandtechnicalstandupX10• Gripbreaks• DefencefromWristgrabs• SprawlsX10• SidetosidesprawlsX20eachside

SelfDefenceTechniquesPartB• Breakfalls:Back,side,forwardandfront• TechnicalstandupX20(bothsides)• Onehandedfrontchokedefence• Twohandedfrontchokedefence

SelfDefenceTechniquesPartC• Rearbearhugunderarmsdefence• Frontbearhugunderarmsdefence• Frontheadlockdefence• StandingGuillotinedefence

SelfDefenceTechniquesPartD• Rearbearhugoverarmsdefence• Frontbearhugoverarmsdefence• Frontheadlockdefence• Guillotinedefence

SelfDefenceTechniquesPartE• SuckerPunchdefence• Frontchokeagainstthewalldefence• Defenceagainstsideheadlock• Escapeheadlockontheground

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SelfDefenceTechniquesPartF• Rearnakedchokedefencestanding• Escapebackcontrolontheground• Defendingpunchesfromguard• Defendingpuncheswhenmounted

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References• BeyondGrapplingClubCodeofConduct:

www.Beyondgrapplingclub.com(accessed3rdJuly2018)

• HistoryofBrazilianJujitsu:http://www.mybjj.com.au/about-us/history(accessedJuly3rd2018)

• InternationalBrazilianJiujitsuFederationGradingsystemdocuments:http://ibjjf.com/(accessedJuly3rd2018)

• KidsBJJcurriculum:https://borehamwoodbjj.com/2016/11/13/kids-bjj-curriculum/(accessedJuly3rd2018)

• TheBJJCoach:ThoughtsonBeltsinJiujitsu.www.thebjjcoach.com

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Versioncontrol

Version Dateupdated Updatedby Approvedby

V1.1 31.07.2018 M.Rivera M.D’Aquino