Belt Requirements

See what you need for each belt level, plus the minimum time and classes before you can test. Techniques that have a page link to details and video.

White Belt

→ Requirements to achieve Yellow Belt

Focus: Safety, falling, posture, and fundamental throws

→ Requirements to achieve Shodan

Focus: Mastery, consistency, and readiness for shodan

Stage	Adults	Juniors	Classes
Brown stage 1	1 year	18 months	60
Brown stage 2	1 year	18 months	60
Brown stage 3 (to Shodan)	18 months	27 months	90

Final brown stage no earlier than age 16. Shodan no earlier than age 18.

Black belt at Hughey's Judo takes a minimum of 8 years for adults and 12 years for juniors, and no one is promoted to Shodan before age 18.

Time and classes count from the day you were promoted to your current belt.
Juniors take 1.5 times the adult time at each belt with the same class counts. At 14, students move to the adult schedule for their current belt.
A class counts once it is logged on the attendance page. Saturday's 90-minute class counts as one class; private lessons count as half.
Competition or kata medals can reduce time at a belt by up to 15%, but never the class count.
The final brown stage cannot begin before age 16, and Shodan is never awarded before age 18.
Dan promotions use the club minimum or the national federation's time in grade, whichever is longer.
Meeting the minimums makes you eligible to test, not automatically promoted. The head coach's recommendation is required.