Machado Method belt ranks and rank evaluation.
Every evaluation ends in Ready or Not Ready. Here's how the belts run and how you're evaluated for the next one. First, an instructor the association has approved has to invite you. Then you book your evaluation at testing.machadomethod.com. You leave with one of two answers: Ready or Not Ready.
Who's evaluated
- Students at a Machado Method academy going for their next belt.
- Instructors going for their next rank.
- Owners sending their students and instructors to be evaluated.
Not training at a Machado Method academy yet? Find one near you.
Am I ready?
A rank evaluation answers it in two words. Ready, or Not Ready.
How the Machado Method belt system works
The adult belts
White, blue, purple, brown and black, in that order.
On white, blue, purple and brown, you can be evaluated for four degrees, 1st to 4th.
- White
- Blue
- Purple
- Brown
- Black
Black belt degrees
After black belt come the degrees. You can be evaluated for 1st through 6th degree black belt. To go past 6th degree, a black belt has to be a professor.
Coral belts
You can also be evaluated for three coral belts: the black and red coral belt, the black and white coral belt, and the coral belt. Master Carlos Machado is an 8th Degree Coral Belt.
Professor
A professor is a black belt who completed a formal evaluation and earned two instructor tips. Not every black belt is a professor.
Tips are how the association marks coaches and professors. Purple and brown belts can earn Red Tips, which mark them as coaches. When a coach reaches black belt, their Red Tips become professor tips. They still have to meet the professor requirements below.
To be evaluated for professor, you need:
- 6 months of active membership in the association.
- At least 2 classes taught every week.
- 2 years of teaching, or 208 documented classes.
- Good standing.
- A direct invitation.
The Ranking Standards courses
The Ranking Standards courses show what each belt covers: blue, purple, brown and black, plus four No-Gi levels. Each course is a set of video lessons grouped by position, like guard, mount, side control and turtle.
- Blue Belt Ranking Standards
- Purple Belt Ranking Standards
- Brown Belt Ranking Standards
- Black Belt Ranking Standards
- No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Ranking Standards, Novice
- No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Ranking Standards, Intermediate
- No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Ranking Standards, Expert
- No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Ranking Standards, Pro
How an evaluation works
Every step, from the invitation to your result, is in How rank evaluation works just below.
How rank evaluation works
Get invited. An instructor the association has approved invites you. Before you register, they confirm you meet the attendance, technical and attitude standards.
Pick your evaluation. Belt, black belt, degree or professor. Going for professor? Check the requirements in the belt guide first.
Book it at testing.machadomethod.com. The Summit, the association's annual event, is one place evaluations are held.
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Be evaluated in three parts, from the Official MMJJ Testing Sheet:
- Flow roll. Your cardio is assessed here.
- Techniques. Every position and technique your rank requires.
- Live rolling. Up to three rounds.
The evaluators vote. Two Ready votes from two different evaluators earn the promotion. If one of the first two says Not Ready, you need approval from a third evaluator.
Get your answer. Ready means you're promoted. Not Ready means you get feedback on what to work on.
Registering doesn't guarantee a promotion.
Book a rank evaluation (opens in a new tab)
What an evaluation gives you
- An evaluation for your next belt or degree.
- A straight answer: Ready or Not Ready.
- Feedback on what to work on, if you're Not Ready.
- A chance to be evaluated at the Summit, the association's annual event.
- A fee that covers the evaluators, the event, the belt and certificates, rank processing and record-keeping.
What an evaluation costs
Belt evaluation
US$75
Black belt evaluation
US$100
Black belt degree evaluation
US$100
Professor evaluation
US$100
Evaluation fees are in US dollars. That's what the association bills in. [VAT position to be confirmed]
Book a rank evaluation (opens in a new tab)Belt and evaluation questions
What are the belts in the Machado Method?
White, blue, purple, brown and black, in that order. After black belt come the black belt degrees, and there are coral belts too. The belt guide has the details.
How much does a belt evaluation cost?
A belt evaluation is US$75. Black belt, black belt degree and professor evaluations are US$100. Book it at testing.machadomethod.com.
What happens if I'm Not Ready?
There are two results, Ready or Not Ready. Not Ready comes with feedback on what to work on.
Who can take a Machado Method rank evaluation?
Students and instructors at Machado Method academies, once an instructor the association has approved invites them. If you don't train at one yet, find an academy first.
What rank is Master Carlos Machado?
He's an 8th Degree Coral Belt, with 55+ years on the mat.
Can I be evaluated at the Summit?
Yes. The Summit, the association's annual event, runs rank evaluation windows.
How much are jiu-jitsu classes at a Machado Method academy?
Each academy sets its own prices and schedule. Find an academy near you and ask them.
Think you're ready? Find out.
Book it, be evaluated, and leave with your answer.