BJJ (IBJJF) — Official Rules

A Jiu-Jitsu match is a one-on-one grappling contest between two athletes of the same belt, age and weight division. The match unfolds as a progression of positions of technical control that ultimately aim at a submission hold. There is no opposing team and no ball: athletes seek to dominate position, accumulate points, and finish the opponent. If no submission occurs, the result is decided at the end of regulation time by points, then advantages, then penalties, then referee decision.

A match decision shall be issued in one of the following forms: Submission, Stoppage (medical or referee safety stop), Disqualification, Loss of consciousness, Score (points), Referee decision, or Random pick. A submission ends the match immediately; otherwise the match runs the full regulation time and is decided on the scoreboard.

An athlete is declared submitted (and the opponent the winner) when: the athlete taps twice clearly with the hand on the opponent, the ground or themselves; taps the ground twice with a foot when the arms are trapped; verbally withdraws asking the match be stopped; or screams or emits a noise of pain while caught in a submission hold. A submission ends the match immediately.

When the match reaches regulation time without a submission, the athlete with the most points wins. If points are tied, the athlete with the most advantages wins. If advantages are also tied, the athlete with the fewest penalties wins. If everything is tied, the referee declares the winner, noting which athlete displayed greater offense and came closest to scoring or submitting. In a tied final where both athletes are injured and cannot continue, the result is determined by random pick.

The referee or doctor may stop a match when a hold may cause serious injury, when an injured athlete cannot continue, or when bleeding cannot be contained after two (2) medical treatments for the same injury. An athlete who loses consciousness from a legal hold loses the match. An athlete alleging cramps loses, with the opponent declared winner. Athletes who lose consciousness from head trauma may not compete again in the same tournament and are referred to medical staff.

The central referee awards points only after an athlete stabilizes a point-scoring position for 3 (three) seconds. This single rule governs every scoring position — takedown, sweep, guard pass, knee-on-belly, mount and back control all require the same 3-second hold. If the position is reached but lost before 3 seconds, the athlete is generally awarded an advantage instead of full points.

Athletes earn cumulative points when they progress through several scoring positions in one continuous sequence, as long as the 3-second control of the final position continues the control from the earlier ones. The referee then counts only 3 seconds at the end of the sequence. Example: a guard pass followed by mount adds up to 7 points (3+4). However, an athlete who voluntarily relinquishes a position to re-score the same position is not awarded points again — points cannot be farmed by repeating a position the opponent has not first escaped.

2 points. Awarded when an athlete, starting the movement with both feet on the ground, causes the opponent to land on the back, sideways or seated, and establishes top position for 3 seconds. If the opponent is forced down belly-down or on all fours, points are awarded once the athlete controls the back (no hooks required) keeping at least one of the opponent's knees on the ground for 3 seconds. An athlete who initiates a takedown before the opponent pulls guard earns the takedown; one who initiates after a guard-pull attempt does not.

2 points. Awarded when the athlete on the bottom, with the opponent in his/her guard or half-guard, inverts the position, forcing the top athlete to the bottom and maintaining that position for 3 seconds. A sweep also counts when the bottom athlete gets to the feet, puts the opponent down and holds the grips that keep the opponent on the bottom for 3 seconds. No sweep points are awarded for sweeps that start and end in a 50/50 guard situation.

2 points. Awarded when the athlete on top, free of the opponent's guard, places the knee or shin (closest to the opponent's hip) on the opponent's belly, chest or ribs, with the opposite knee NOT touching the ground, holding the position stable for 3 seconds while the opponent lies on the back or side. If only the knee — and not the foot of the other leg — is set, it counts as an advantage, not points.

3 points. Awarded when the top athlete surmounts the legs of the bottom athlete (passing the guard or half-guard) and maintains side-control or north-south position over the opponent for 3 seconds. Guard is defined as using one or more legs to block the opponent from reaching side- or north-south control. If a near-pass does not solidify within 3 seconds, an advantage is awarded instead.

4 points. Awarded when the athlete is on top, clear of the half-guard, sitting on the opponent's torso with two knees or one foot and one knee on the ground, facing the opponent's head, with up to one arm trapped under the leg — and remains so for 3 seconds. No points if the athlete lands in mount with a triangle locked around the opponent. A direct transition from back mount to mount (or vice-versa) earns 4 points for each distinct position, provided 3 seconds of stabilization is achieved in each.

4 points. Awarded when the athlete takes control of the opponent's back, placing both heels between the opponent's thighs without crossing the legs, in a position to trap up to one of the opponent's arms (not above the shoulder line) — and remains so for 3 seconds. If the athlete crosses the legs, locks a figure-four around the waist, places only one heel inside the thighs, or traps both arms, it counts as an advantage, not 4 points.

An advantage is counted when an athlete achieves a point-scoring position requiring 3 seconds of control but is unable to hold it for the full duration, or comes near-completing a scoring position or submission where the opponent was in real danger. The referee assesses how close the move came to success. An advantage may be awarded even after time expires but before the result is announced — but only once there is no longer any chance of reaching the full point-scoring position.

An athlete is awarded an advantage when attempting a submission hold that put the opponent in real danger of submitting, even though the finish was not completed. It is the referee's duty to assess how close the submission came to fruition. This rewards aggressive finishing attempts in the absence of points.

Fouls are disciplinary or technical infractions committed before, during or after a match. They are graded as: Disciplinary penalties (profanity, hostile or violent behavior, biting, hair-pulling, striking, simulating a fake fight); Lack of combativeness (stalling); Serious fouls; and Severe fouls. Each grade carries its own consequence under Article 7.

Stalling is when an athlete clearly does not pursue positional progression, or when neither athlete is combative simultaneously. The referee counts 20 (twenty) consecutive seconds and, if no progression occurs, applies a penalty in the serious-foul sequence. When both athletes pull guard at the same time, a 20-second count starts; if neither reaches top position or an imminent score by the end, both are penalized and the match is restarted standing. Stalling is NOT declared when an athlete is defending from mount, back, side or north-south control.

Serious fouls trigger the escalating penalty sequence. They include: pulling guard or sitting without first establishing a grip; a standing athlete fleeing the match area to avoid combat; pushing the opponent out of bounds without intent to score or submit; sliding or standing up to escape combat; gripping inside the opponent's sleeve/pant cuff with fingers, or reaching inside the gi to grip the outside; placing a hand or foot on the opponent's face; disobeying a referee order; and, for No-Gi, gripping any clothing. An athlete who deliberately flees to avoid a losing position is penalized AND the opponent is awarded 2 points.

A severe foul results in immediate disqualification. Examples: deliberately fleeing the area to avoid a submission; committing a penalty while under a submission that forces the referee to stop the match; applying oils, gels or slippery substances; not wearing required undergarment; or strangling without the gi using hands or thumb on the windpipe. Slamming the opponent to escape a submission, and applying a hold prohibited for the athlete's division, are illegal and disqualifying.

Legal submissions depend on age, belt and gi/No-Gi. Younger and lower-ranked divisions prohibit joint attacks such as knee bars, toe holds, bicep/calf slicers and wrist locks. Heel hooks and knee reaping are prohibited in every gi division and most No-Gi divisions, and are permitted only for adult brown- and black-belt No-Gi competitors. Slams, spinal locks without a choke, scissor takedowns, and suplexes that drive the head/neck into the ground are illegal across all divisions.

Serious fouls and stalling follow a cumulative, escalating sequence:

• 1st penalty — marked on the scoreboard against the athlete (no points to opponent).
• 2nd penalty — opponent awarded 1 advantage, second penalty marked.
• 3rd penalty — opponent awarded 2 points, third penalty marked.
• 4th penalty — disqualification of the offending athlete.

Penalties for stalling and for serious fouls are added together on the same count. If both athletes reach a third penalty for stalling, the match restarts standing.

Technical penalties (severe technical fouls or a 4th cumulative penalty) cause summary disqualification from the match. Disciplinary penalties (violence, abuse, misconduct) cause disqualification from the match and the entire competition — and if the athlete is also entered in a companion gi/No-Gi event, from that event too. In under-15 divisions the sequence is gentler: the 4th and 5th fouls each give the opponent 2 points and a penalty mark, and only the 6th penalty disqualifies.

Adult (18+) regulation match durations increase with belt rank:

• White belt: 5 minutes
• Blue belt: 6 minutes
• Purple belt: 7 minutes
• Brown belt: 8 minutes
• Black belt: 10 minutes

There is a single continuous period (no rounds, no clock stoppage for points). The clock runs throughout; it stops only for referee-directed interruptions such as injury or out-of-bounds resets.

Youth durations are shorter and age-stepped: Mighty Mite 2 min, Pee Wee 3 min, Junior/Teen 4 min, Juvenile 5 min. Master divisions (30+) all use 5 minutes regardless of belt. For some divisions the final is longer: in the adult black-belt and master finals durations follow the published table (matches up to semifinals at one length, finals at another; youth youth-final times are also extended). The age division is set by the age the athlete reaches in the calendar year of the tournament.

Athletes compete within named weight divisions (e.g. Rooster, Light-Feather, Feather, Light, Middle, Medium-Heavy, Heavy, Super-Heavy, Ultra-Heavy), each with defined kilogram limits that differ between gi and No-Gi and between genders. Brackets are single-elimination: the loser of each match is eliminated and the winner advances. The sole exception is a 3-athlete bracket, which uses a defined rotation to determine the finalists.

A match area is a square mat made of a combat area surrounded by an outlying safety area, distinguished by color. The minimum match area is 64 m² (36 m² combat + 28 m² safety). The maximum is 100 m² (64 m² combat + 36 m² safety). Mats are assembled from 2 m × 1 m segments. The action is fought entirely on the ground or standing within the combat area; positions established in the safety area are reset to the center.

Each match area has a score table with two scoreboards and one clock (or an electronic equivalent). The scoreboard tracks each athlete's points, advantages and penalties, with the green-and-yellow half on the referee's right. The gi must be cotton/pearl-weave in white, royal blue or black, with sleeves and pant legs reaching within 2 cm of wrist and ankle, and a 4–5 cm wide rank belt double-knotted with ends hanging 20–30 cm. Athletes get up to 3 uniform inspections; collar thickness max 1.3 cm, width max 5 cm.

The referee is the highest authority in a match and the ruling on the result is final. A result may be changed only if: the scoreboard was misread; the declared winner used a previously unnoticed illegal hold; or an athlete was wrongly disqualified for a legitimate hold. Subjective judgments on points, advantages and penalties are final and not subject to change. A result cannot be overturned once the bracket has progressed or awards have been granted.

Organizers may appoint three referees: a central referee and two corner referees with equal power; any point, advantage or penalty must be confirmed by at least two of the three. When three referees disagree on the value of a move, the intermediate decision counts. The IBJJF may also use two additional referees with video replay who can correct points, advantages or penalties — but only if both of them agree, and the central and corner referees cannot contest that decision. This video review is the only replay mechanism in the sport.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is an individual sport: there are no timeouts and no substitutions — an athlete competes the entire match alone and cannot be replaced. The clock runs continuously and is only paused by the referee for safety reasons (injury, bleeding treatment, uniform readjustment, or resetting a position dragged out of bounds). An athlete is allowed at most two (2) medical treatments per injury; if combat cannot resume, the match is stopped under the stoppage rules.