A pilot programme designed to welcome Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners into the British judo grading system has generated an unexpected dispute after one participant’s coaches reversed a promotion awarded through official channels, without informing the athlete it was happening.
British Judo launched the initiative as a way to bridge two grappling disciplines, offering BJJ players a formal pathway to earn recognised judo grades. The first event, held in June, drew 19 participants and was led by Ray Stevens, a 1992 Olympic silver medallist and BJJ fifth-degree black belt.
Grading was overseen by BJA Senior Examiner Dave Duffy, ensuring consistency of standards. British Judo Development Director Karen Roberts and Derek Hopkins of the Southern Area Coaching Committee also attended to observe and gather insights for future development. The event was warmly received, with participants providing highly positive feedback on both the structure and delivery of the session.
For one participant, the result produced a surprise that no one in the room had anticipated. Assessed by a seventh-dan examiner, the athlete was promoted from 6th kyu to 2nd kyu in a single session.
“I got promoted from 6th kyu to 2nd kyu, which I personally believe is much too high considering I only started judo in November, but the guy who independently graded us is a 7th dan and works for British Judo, so I’m not going to argue,” the participant wrote on a martial arts forum.
Rather than contesting the result, the athlete approached their coaches with a measured proposal.
“I spoke to my coaches and they were surprised as well,” they recounted. “I explained that I’d like to keep the belt as an ‘honorary’ belt and carry on with standard gradings until I’m ready for the next belt a few years down the line.”
What followed was far from the quiet resolution the athlete had hoped for. The coaches contacted British Judo requesting a demotion, citing concerns about the athlete’s readiness for competition.
When the association refused, the coaches reportedly reached out to a former British Judo employee through personal connections, and eventually succeeded in having the grade reversed to 6th kyu.
The athlete only found out through an Instagram comment, which also revealed a concern the coaches had never raised directly: “They also think I’ll make their club ‘look st*pid’ by wearing a blue belt if I train at other gyms and that I’m only allowed to grade at their gym.”
“I’m not happy with this as I didn’t ask them to do this,” the athlete said. “Their reason was I won’t do well or get hurt in competition.”
The coaches further indicated that the signature in the athlete’s grade book would be struck through, a measure the athlete found harder to justify than any poor showing on the mat.
“They said they’d cross out the signature in my grade book, which I personally think looks WAY worse than doing poorly in a competition. It looks more like sandbagging to me.”
The administrative reversal also carried practical consequences. With the grade reduced, the athlete lost access to sessions reserved for green belt and above, including Kata and officiating classes.
“I’m more annoyed that it was taken away without my permission as it also means I can’t attend green belt and above training sessions such as Kata and officiating,” they said.
The athlete pushed back on the suggestion their judo level did not warrant the promotion, pointing out that they were already holding their own in randori alongside green and brown belts.
“It doesn’t matter that they or anyone else disagrees because I was given that grade legally under the BJA.”
Despite the frustration, the athlete kept perspective on what the grade actually meant to them.
“I don’t really care about chasing grades,” they said, before adding, “Just very disappointed that my gym is doing crazy politics over this.”
The conduct of the coaches, they suggested, pointed to something more territorial than principled.
“It just reads like an old-school macho ego play that’s normally reserved for middle-aged BJJ black belts.”
British Judo described the pilot as a success and said the scheme was designed to remove barriers to entry and create a parallel progression pathway for those already developing skills through BJJ.
Coaches from Ray Stevens Academy, including Ed Semple, Clement Raphael, and Len Stevens, supported participants throughout the session, and the association extended its congratulations to everyone involved in delivering the event.
