‘To others it’s just tape': exploring meaning making and the striping system in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Modern Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) instruction typically focuses on its self defense, competition, fitness and fun. Practitioners earn and progress through coloured belts to signify skill within the sport. Although existing research has explored how the promotion to a new belt is symbolically significant enough to warrant a ceremony, to our knowledge, little academic focus has unpacked the constructed meaning of BJJ ‘stripes’ – a piece of white …