More than Musashi; or a Brief Guide to Jiu Jitsu Competition

Tournament Types and Rules

Yelling after a victory or close match is a right-of-passage for white belts but may be frowned upon at the upper levels.

There are a variety of reasons to start one has to start their Jiu Jitsu journey. Whether it is for the martial aspect; the discipline, the challenge, self defense; or it is for fun and fitness eventually you might want to test yourself in a competitive environment. Our goals might not align with a competitive setting. Stalling in guard might be strategy to stay safe in a street altercation where you wait for someone to help or break it up but it won't win you that shiny medal. This isn't a comprehensive guide to competition nor is it a mindset or tactical guide; rather, it is to explain the fundamental competition rules that you must adhere to (to use a different sport, you can have all the required skills in hockey but if you kick the puck in the net it won't help you win a game). This is by no means exhaustive but an overview for what you might expect going into a BJJ competition.

Submission Only

The OG of Jiu Jitsu matches. The days of no time limits has long since passed but the submission remains the decisive win across BJJ competition. Sub Only rules in the modern era mean in a set duration of time you have to submit your opponent. It is the simplest (some may say most pure) form of competition.

However, submissions can be quite hard to achieve in a match so to prevent draws sometimes additional rules might come into play. Advantages are given out for near scoring moves (scores will be discussed later on) like near submissions, dominant position , et cetera. Advantages are verbally given out by the referee and are then used to decide a winner in the case of a draw.

ex 1. Players are stalled in guard for most of the match. Bottom player sweeps before time is up and now has top position. Match time expires, no submission so it is a draw. Player 1 gets awarded the victory for gaining advantage in the sweep.

ex 2. Same scenario, bottom player sweeps gaining advantage but then gets put into guard (still maintaining advantage). Player 2 (now in bottom guard) locks in a triangle seconds before time expires not tap. Player 2 is awarded the victory as they now have been award the advantage.

Local Submission Only Competition: AVA

Points

Point tournaments come in different forms but generally points are given out to award activity (rewarding the execution of techniques) and to force action (ain't no one want to see a match with two people fighting to hold bottom guard). The submission still remains king automatic win. IBJJF is the worlds largest BJJ governing body, its rules are used by a variety of tournaments and is the standard for most points matches.

IBJJF Points

2 pts - Takedown, Sweep, Knee-on-Belly

3 pts - Guard Pass

4 pts - Mount, Back Mount, Back Control

Points shall be awarded by the central referee of a match whenever an athlete stabilizes a position for 3 (three) seconds. You also cannot give up a dominant position in order to return and regain points. Advantages also exist under the IBJJF scoring in case of tie.

Local Points Competition: Prime BJJ, CBJJF

Hybrid Rules

One of the largest and most prestigious grappling tournament is ADCC. Held every two years it is open to grapplers of various disciplines. Outside of the championships, ADCC does smaller tournaments around the world and other tournaments may copy their rule set.

Like most BJJ competitions the match length is variable based upon rank but basic match format remains consistent.

- First half: no points

- Second Half: with points (negative and positive points)

- Overtime: half the match duration (negative and positive points)

2 pts - Knee-on-Belly, Mount, Takedown (ends Guard or Half Guard), Sweeps (ends Guard or Half Guard)

3 pts - Passing the Guard, Back Mount with hooks

4 pts - Clean Sweep (ends passed the guard), Clean Takedown (ends passed the guard)

Positions must be maintained for 3 seconds to be awarded points.

Negative Points are essentially penalties. Like Mother says, don't do illegal things and if you do: Don't Get Caught

Local Hybrid Competition: ADCC Vancouver

Draw Me like One of Your French Girls (in case of draws)

Different competitions may have different over time rules (as listed above ADCC has an OT equal to half the match length in case of a draw).

First takedown

First to secure dominant position

Fastest Submission or Escape (competitors take turn hold a position. Person that gets the fastest submission or fastest escape in that time wins)

And much like our economy it can be vibes based, whomever shows the most dominance or clearest usage of Jiu Jitsu techniques (i.e. referee discretion).

Super Fights

Non-tournament setting. Just you and your opponent. Figure this one out by yourself, you agreed to it, message the promoter.

Notes

Many tournaments roughly follow these formats. They may have particularities and idiosyncrasies that alter how a match is won to varying degrees. Please read the rules when signing up to compete.