Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Rules

The goal of grappling is to control the opponent. This control can be achieved in three distinct ways - pinning, throwing, and submission. The greatest exhibition of control is forcing the opponent to consciously submit.  In the event that no submission occurs, the match must be decided by “Advantage” which is defined below.

Takedown- in determining the Takedown, the referee will look to who initiated the takedown, and how it ended up. Thus if one player shoots, his opponent sprawls, and the sprawling opponent then pulls Guard, a Takedown is awarded, as the initial movement was a Takedown attempt. If however a player aggressively pulls Guard from standing, no Takedown is awarded.  In addition, playing for points is not rewarded. Thus, if a player gets a Takedown, lets his opponent up, and then again goes for the Takedown, no consecutive points need be awarded.

Dominant Control- Controlling your opponent is a crucial step to obtaining a Submission, thus Full Advantage is awarded for aggressively obtaining Dominant Control. Dominant Control is any secure form of control that lends itself to submission. The control has to be long enough to set up a submission attempt, which can be as short as a second or two. These forms of control include: -Back Mount*;  -Cross Side; -Head and Arm; -Knee on Stomach; -Mount; -North/South; *Hooks are not required for Back Mount control.  Among the most common ways to get Dominant Position are: -Ending a Takedown with a Dominant Position. In this situation, two points are awarded for a Takedown, and another two points are awarded for obtaining Dominant Position, for a total of Four Points.  However, playing for points is not rewarded by simply transitioning between Dominant Positions no additional points will be rewarded. For example, if you have Side Control, and you go to Mount, and then Knee on Stomach, no additional points are awarded.  Further, no points are awarded for Escapes. This, if you are Bottom Mount, and you bridge to In Guard, no points are awarded as you went from a disadvantageous position to a neutral position.

Guard Pass or Sweep- Sweep From Guard to a Dominant Position is awarded points. Further, if you take the Back from Guard, this is the functional equivalent to a Sweep. -Full Reverse, defined as going from the bottom of a Dominant Position to the top of a Dominant Position, leaving the situation totally reversed. For Example: You are bottom North-South, you roll the top player, and end up with top North-South.

Submission- Submission is awarded for a Full and Strong Submission Attempt. A Submission is recognized as Full and Strong when is one or more of the following occurs:

• The opponent takes time to escape;  -Upon escaping, the opponent does not instantly move to an attack of his own, but instead assumes a defensive posture;  -The defender is 'In Danger' - the finish has the potential for completion (if a kneebar, the hips have to be placed correctly, if a choke, the neck must have been reached, etc.)
• The finish in question is not a low percentage submission (wrist lock, body scissor, etc).

Minor Advantage is awarded for a Submission Attempt that is significant but does not meet the above criteria.

Tie- In the event that players are equal in terms of Advantage, judges will determine a tie by considering first, who skillfully controlled the Pace, Place, and Position on the mat, in order to ultimately set up an eventual submission. Pace is which Grappler determined the tempo of the match. Place is which Grappler dictated where on the mat the match took place. Position is which Grappler successfully initiated the tie ups and other action.

If they are still equal, Judges will give the decision to the player with less warnings or cautions.

Last, in the absence of any warnings or cautions, the edge shall be given to the fighter who better exemplifies the sport as an exciting, colorful, viable contest.

If the players are still equal, then an overtime period can be called for. However, this should not be usual. While players in a close match are both deserving of respect, the mark of a superior judge is the confident calling of close contests. In a tournament situation, asking both players to go into overtime can exhaust both, giving the next opponent an undeserved edge, a situation that should be avoided if at all possible.

There is never a draw. Bouts will be decided by:

1) SUBMISSION: Submission occurs when a technique forces an opponent into admitting defeat by:

• tapping with the palm against his opponent or the floor in a visible manner
• tapping with his feet on the ground (if he is unable to use his hands)
• requesting verbally to the referee that the fight be stopped (if he can neither tap with his hands or his feet)
• a coach of one of the athletes may request that the fight be ended either by directing himself to the referee or by throwing the towel into the ring for any reason
• When an athlete is under a submission position and he screams or say "Aï" , will be the same as if he taps requesting that the fight be ended if the athlete gets injured or feel physically incapable or unprepared Also:
• •  the referee may end the fight giving victory to the one that applied the lock if he sees a lock being properly applied and is certain that the Athlete is exposed to serious physical damage.
  • The referee may end the fight when one of the athletes is injured or the doctor’s examination proves he is incapable to continue. If this occurs, the victory will be given to the opponent as long as the injury was not caused intentionally by conduct worthy of disqualification.

2) DISQUALIFICATION

Serious Fouls:

• the use of foul language, cursing, or other immoral acts of disrespect towards the referee or any of the assisting public.
• biting, hair pulling, putting fingers into the eyes or nose of one’s opponent, intentionally seeking to injure genitalia or the use of fists, feet, knees, elbows, or heads with the intention to hurt or gain unfair advantage.
• when the fighter has his kimono ripped during the fight, the referee will give him a set time to change it. If the fighter does not change it in time he will be disqualified.
• The fighter must wear shorts under the pants, keeping in mind the risk that the suit might get torn or unsowed, If this occurs, the athlete will be given a set time determined by the referee to find another pair of pants to wear. If the athlete can not change within the set time, he will be immediately disqualified.
• When an athlete has been submitted to a lock and to avoid tapping out he runs out of the ring, he will be immediately disqualified. In such cases when it is considered a technical foul, not a disciplinary foul, the offender may return to the competition to fight the absolute division or in case of a bracket of three.

Fouls not as Serious:
Penalties-

• On the first offence the offender will be given a verbal warning.
• On the second offence the offender’s opponent will be given an advantage.
• On the third offence the offender’s opponent will be given two points.
• After the third offence the referee may disqualify the athlete for any further fouls.
• The athlete will only be allowed to kneel after having taken hold of his opponents kimono
• When either of the athletes run to one of the extremities of the ring to avoid combat, or while ground fighting flee by crawling or rolling out of the ring or by standing up avoiding engaging or purposely stepping out of the ring to gain time.
•  When the athlete avoids engaging by taking off his kimono or by allowing it to be taken off with the intention of stopping the fight to allow himself rest or to avoid the attacks of his opponent.
• When the athlete inserts his fingers inside the sleeves or pants, or with both his hands on his opponent’s belt.
• When the athlete stalls the fight, holding his adversary and, not seeking to engage or gain submissions when in the guard, on top, or on the bottom.
• Holding the opponent, standing up, or any position designed to stall. Noticing this the referee will request that 20 seconds be marked and say  “LUTE”, making the gesture. At the end of the 20 seconds if the athlete hasn’t changed his position or shown visible signs of engagement, the referee say again “LUTE” and make the same gesture, penalising the atlhete and giving an advantage for the other, if he continues stalling the referee will stop the fight saying “PAROU”, and he will penalise  the same, giving 2 points for the other, and both athletes will return to their feet at neutral positions. With the possibility of disqualification on the next offence
• NOTE: A penalty with immediate loss of 2 points occurs when an athlete runs from the ring in order to avoid a sweep that the referee considers would be completed, or when the athlete flees the ring in order to avoid a lock that has not yet been completed and not engaging in the article "E" for disqualification.

3) UNCONSCIOUSNESS:
One of the 2 opponents is defeated after losing consciousness by any of the valid moves: strangling, pressuring, or take downs, or accidents in which the adversary has not committed any foul worthy of disqualification.

4) POINTS:

The competition through its nature makes the athletes use their technical abilities attempting to finish or neutralize their opponents. The point is the superior technique displayed durring the match by putting the positions and negative points on the adversary.

5) ADVANTAGES:

It is considered an advantage when the athlete attempts but does not complete any of the fundamental moves of the fight; i.e. sweep, take down, submission etc.;

• Advantages through takedowns: When there is a visible loss of balance in which the adversary nearly completes the takedown. A visible loss of balance during an attempted throw will also result in an advantage.
• During closed guard (when the athlete on the bottom has his legs wrapped around his opponent’s waist):
• • The one on top will earn the advantage by being on the offensive, trying to dominate his adversary’s guard (pass the guard). For the referee to consider it an advantage, the athlete that is on top must come close to passing the guard, forcing his adversary to exert energy to regain position e.g. half guard, almost immobilizing, etc.
  • The one underneath will earn the advantage if he almost sweeps his opponent, putting him in a dangerous position, as well as when he attempts a lock that forces his opponent to defend. NOTE: for the sweep attempt to be considered worthy of an advantage the athlete underneath must open his legs.
• When there is a tie situation on the scoreboard, it is up to the referee to decide if he will award an advantage, using the following judgments:
• • Advantages will be awarded during standing fights or on the ground if the athlete attempts a technique with more aggressiveness and initiative, trying takedowns , other finalizing moves during the fight. Or showing that he dominate the fight most of the time by putting the opponent on the defensive
  • Advantages will be awarded during ground fighting if the athlete attempts a technique and puts his adversary on the defensive.

Reference - International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation -
Website- http://www.ibjjf.org/rules.htm 
Downloadable Document - Rule Book (PDF)