Blue to Purple: Development and Promotion
14 related references (techniques and positions)
Technical breadth includes what happens on both sides of a position. Stephan Kesting’s Roadmap separates submissions, top transitions and bottom transitions: for closed guard, that includes passing from top and sweeping from bottom. His examples describe a personal repertoire, not a compulsory purple-belt syllabus.
Promotion is a separate decision. The IBJJF graduation rules leave its timing to the professor while setting minimum periods and exceptions for recognition. Completing a minimum period does not itself establish readiness for the next belt.
Is this for you?
- You want to understand the difference between developing a broader game and meeting belt-recognition requirements.
Also consider
Competition Game Plans — For the narrower question of which parts of a repertoire belong in a tournament game plan.
Coverage and limits
- Kesting’s distinction between submissions, top transitions and bottom transitions across positions.
- Professor discretion, minimum recognition periods and exceptions in the IBJJF graduation system.
Limits
- These sources do not define a universal purple-belt technical examination.
- The IBJJF provisions concern recognition; they are not a promised promotion timetable.
Sources Expand for evidence and notes
Independent BJJGraph guide. Not authored or endorsed by the instructor.
A Roadmap for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu — Stephan Kesting — public instruction; checked 2026-09-16. Read the Sample Technique List and its explanation of organizing an individual repertoire. Kesting explicitly presents examples rather than an exhaustive curriculum. Inspected: Sample Technique List, printed pages 29–30
IBJJF General System of Graduation — ruleset; checked 2026-09-16. Read Article 3: recognition depends on applicable minimum periods and exceptions; promotion timing remains at the professor’s discretion. These are recognition rules, not a technical syllabus. Inspected: Article 3, especially 3.1.3 and 3.2