Belt Auction

How does a person earn different belts for brazillian jiu jitsu?

I haven't even started training, but I was wondering how a person would advance finally to progress in the belts.

Public Comments

1. When I was taking BJJ, my school did it like this. You recieve a syllabus of techniques to learn, and then have to be able to perform them on the mat against a resisting opponent. If the experienced guys watching you think you have it down, you show the instructor what you've learned. If he thinks you've earned it, he awards you the next belt. There are no percentages, or "good enough", ratings. You can either perform what is expected of you, or you can't.
2. Many schools just wait and watch you until one day your ready and you get it. At my school they promote you once a year if your ready. It usually takes 1-2 years for a blue belt, 4-6 years for a purple, 7-8 years for brown and about a decade for black.
3. Do well in competitions