🏛️Official — IBJJF
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Combat Sports
1 players
indoor
glove, belt
10 essential rules
The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is the most widely recognized governing body for sport Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), administering the World Championships ("Mundials"), Pan-American Championships, European Championships, and the IBJJF World Pro circuit. IBJJF rules govern bo...
Advantage: awarded for near-completion (e.g., near-submission, near-sweep); used as tiebreaker only; Penalty: stalling, fleeing, unsportsmanlike — accumulated → opponent advantage
White Belt: 5 min; Blue/Purple: 6 min; Brown: 7 min; Black: 10 min; If tied at time, ref-decided victory based on advantages, penalties, position
2 points: Sweep (from bottom to top), Knee-on-Belly; 3 points: Guard Pass; 4 points: Mount, Back Mount (back-control with hooks/body-triangle)
Gi (Kimono): IBJJF-approved gi (jacket + pants); minimum thickness; colored belt (white/blue/purple/brown/black + adult black-belt degrees) indicating rank; No-Gi: rashguard + shorts (or grappling pants); rashguard must cover torso, no shoes; Gi colors: white, blue, or black only; no patches in n...
Mat: minimum 8m × 8m IBJJF-approved competition mat with marked center + outer safety border; Match area defined by colored mat edge; Mat material: minimum 4 cm tatami-style thickness
Two competitors per match; Weight classes (Adult Male, kg, gi): Rooster (-57.5), Light Feather (-64), Feather (-70), Light (-76), Middle (-82.3), Medium Heavy (-88.3), Heavy (-94.3), Super Heavy (-100.5), Ultra Heavy (+100.5); Belt classification: White, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black
White Belt: 5 min; Blue/Purple: 6 min; Brown: 7 min; Black: 10 min; If tied at time, ref-decided victory based on advantages, penalties, position; 2 points: Sweep (from bottom to top), Knee-on-Belly
Match decision priority: submission > points > advantages > penalties > referee decision; Tournament: single-elimination bracket within each weight + belt + age group; Absolute: open-weight category at championship level (all weights together)
Stalling: verbal warning → penalty (gives opponent advantage); 4 penalties = DQ; Fleeing match area: penalty; Illegal submissions: any submission not permitted at the belt level → DQ if applied; e.g., heel hooks illegal in gi, knee reaps illegal in many categories
BJJ injury profile: joint injuries (shoulder, elbow, knee), neck strain, occasional concussion. IBJJF prohibits slamming.
Never sandbag — compete at your true belt level
Deliberately competing at a lower belt or division than one's actual skill level to accumulate medals is the most dishonored act in BJJ competition culture. Because IBJJF promotions are fully instructor-controlled with no mandatory timelines, some practitioners delay their own promotion to clean out lower divisions, which is widely condemned by competitors and coaches alike.
IBJJF has no mandatory promotion timelines, making sandbagging structurally easier than in arts with standardized testing.
Tap early in training — never ego-battle past the submission
Refusing to tap or stalling past the clear point of being caught — known as 'ego-rolling' — is strongly condemned. BJJ culture is built on checking ego; holding out until forced or injured endangers training partners and violates the collaborative spirit of the mat. The phrase 'tap early, tap often' is a foundational cultural maxim.
This norm applies specifically to training; in competition, fighters are entitled to continue until the referee intervenes.
Control your submissions — give your partner time to tap
Cranking or torquing submissions at full competition speed in training, without giving the partner time to acknowledge and tap, is considered reckless and disrespectful. Practitioners are expected to apply finishing pressure with controlled pace, especially against lower belts or newer training partners.
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Especially important with high-risk submissions: neck cranks, heel hooks, shoulder locks, and any technique with a narrow window between 'caught' and 'injured.'
Protect your training partners — modulate intensity by level and condition
Going full competition intensity against a white belt, an injured partner, or someone signaling a lighter roll is a serious cultural violation. Higher belts are expected to calibrate pressure, use technique over strength, and actively protect less experienced partners. Training partners with reputations for injuring people lose their welcome on the mat.
The principle 'train to improve, not to win in sparring' reflects this norm. The burden falls on the higher-ranked or physically larger practitioner.
Acknowledge and honor those who promoted you, even after leaving an academy
Publicly dismissing, bad-mouthing, or disowning the professor or academy that promoted you — especially immediately after departing — is considered a serious breach of gratitude and loyalty. BJJ culture places high value on lineage acknowledgment; who promoted you is a public record and part of your identity in the sport.
Academy departures are common; the code governs how you conduct yourself publicly afterward, not whether you may leave.