There is no single consistent rule set used in Jiu Jitsu competitions, but the IBJJF (International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation) ruleset is the most widely followed and standardised system for BJJ competitions globally. This article will summarise the main points of the IBJJF scoring system, how advantages and penalties work, and the essential rules that competitors need to know.
It is important to note that this is just a brief overview and that rulesets vary between different competitions. Please make sure that you familiarise yourself with the specific rules of any competition you enter before the day of the event.
Points Scoring System
In IBJJF competitions, points are awarded for achieving and maintaining certain positions or manoeuvres that demonstrate control over an opponent. The primary objective of scoring points is to establish dominance and technical superiority. Points are typically awarded as follows:
Takedown - 2 points
Points are awarded for taking the opponent to the ground and establishing control for three seconds. Successful takedowns must be clean, controlled, and not part of a scramble.
Sweep - 2 points
A sweep involves transitioning from the bottom guard position to a top position, reversing the roles and putting the initiator on top.
Knee on belly - 2 points
This position requires one knee on the opponent’s torso, with the other foot on the ground, and maintaining control for three seconds.
Guard pass - 3 points
Passing an opponent's guard (getting past their legs and achieving a more dominant position) requires stabilising the position for three seconds.
Mount - 4 points
Achieving the mount position (sitting on top of the opponent’s torso with both knees on the ground) provides a highly dominant position. It requires three seconds of control.
Back control - 4 points
When an athlete secures both of their legs, or "hooks," around an opponent’s waist and controls them from the back, they receive four points. 4 points are also awarded for back mount, when the opponent is flattened out, face down.
Advantage Points
Advantage points are awarded when a competitor almost completes a scoring move but doesn't achieve the full control needed for points. These points reflect effort and aggressiveness in pursuing dominant positions or submissions. While they do not add to the score directly, they are used as tiebreakers if the match ends with both competitors having the same score.
Penalties (Fouls)
Fouls are infractions that may occur before, during, or after a match. They are categorised as disciplinary or technical penalties. These fouls aim to maintain fairness and safety in competition and can lead to warnings, advantage points awarded to the opponent, or even disqualification, depending on the severity and frequency.
Disciplinary penalties include:
- Inappropriate behaviour: Profanity, obscene gestures, hostility, or disrespect towards opponents, referees, officials, or the public.
- Physical misconduct: Actions such as biting, hair pulling, striking, genital pressure, eye gouging, or any intentional traumatic blows.
- Unsportsmanlike conduct: Offensive gestures or behaviour incompatible with the competition environment.
Technical penalties are divided into three categories:
- Lack of combativeness (stalling): Defined as failing to pursue positional progression or avoiding combat. Penalties apply if athletes do not progress from neutral positions (e.g. 50/50 guard or closed guard), simultaneously pull guard and fail to advance within 20 seconds. Defending attacks (e.g. from mount or back control) is not considered stalling.
- Serious penalties: Examples include pulling guard without a grip, fleeing the match area, using illegal grips (e.g. grabbing inside sleeves, pant legs, or gi tops) and disobeying referee orders or leaving the mat before the result is announced.
- Severe penalties: Examples include deliberately fleeing to avoid a submission, attempting to disqualify the opponent through illegal setups, competing without proper attire, applying slippery or adhesive substances to the body or gi and illegal strangles (e.g. strangling with direct windpipe pressure applied with the thumbs).
- For a full list of penalties, please visit the IBJJF website.
Reasons for Disqualification
Reasons why a competitor may be disqualified from a tournament include:
- Improper uniform: Competitors must wear a clean, undamaged gi in gi divisions. The permissible colours are white, royal blue and black, and gis with tops and pants of different colours are not permitted. For no-gi, competitors must usually wear a rashguard and shorts or spats without damage.
- Failure to make weight: Competitors must weigh in within their division’s weight limit. Weigh-ins occur the day before or on the day of the tournament.
- Use of illegal techniques: In most competitions, techniques such as slams, strikes, heel hooks, and neck cranks are not permitted. Attempts to use these techniques result in disqualification. However, it's important to note that, starting January 1st, 2021, the IBJJF allowed heel hooks and knee reaping for black and brown belt adult no-gi divisions. Please refer to the rule set of any competition that you are entering for details of which techniques are illegal, as this can vary between rulesets and is different at different belt levels.
- Accumulating warnings: Competitors receiving three warnings in a match for actions like stalling or unsportsmanlike conduct are usually disqualified.
Winning the Match
Victory can be achieved in one of the following ways:
- Points: The competitor with the highest score at the end of the match wins.
- Submission: Securing a submission ends the match immediately.
- Advantages: In the event of a tie, the competitor with more advantage points wins.
- Penalties: Penalties are reviewed if scores and advantage points are tied. The competitor with fewer penalties is declared the winner.
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