LearnRules & Scoring7 min read
Jiu-Jitsu Rules, Explained.
Points for position, the three-second rule, advantages and penalties: how an IBJJF-style match is scored, and why kids' divisions ban so many techniques.
- Ruleset
- IBJJF, the format most points tournaments copy. Other formats at the end
- Match length
- Adults: 5 min (white belt) up to 10 min (black belt). Kids: 2 to 5 min, by age
- Fastest way to win
- A submission (tap). It beats any score
- The rule that matters
- Hold a position for 3 seconds or it does not score
- Checked against
- The IBJJF rule book, checked October 2026
The short version
Jiu-jitsu is scored on position. Get to a more dominant spot, hold it for three seconds, and you get points. Make your opponent tap and none of the points matter.
That is why a match can look slow to a new spectator and feel frantic to the people in it. Every inch is a fight over who gets to be on top, past the legs, or behind the back.
How points are scored
| Points | What earns it |
|---|---|
| 2 | Takedown. You take your opponent from standing to the ground and end up on top. |
| 2 | Sweep. From guard (on your back, legs between you and them), you reverse the position and end up on top. |
| 2 | Knee on belly. From on top, one knee on their stomach or chest, other foot posted. |
| 3 | Guard pass. You get past their legs and control them from the side or top. |
| 4 | Mount. You sit on their torso, knees on the mat on both sides. |
| 4 | Back control. You are behind them with both hooks (heels) in front of their hips. |
The three-second rule: a position only scores once it is held, under control, for three seconds. If you chain positions together, a pass straight into mount, say, only the last one needs the count, and you get both (3 + 4 = 7).
Advantages: the tiebreaker you see on the scoreboard
An advantage is awarded when you nearly score: you reached a position but could not hold it for three seconds, or you had a submission that came close. Advantages do not add to points. They only matter if points are tied.
A small detail that confuses people: in IBJJF, locking a body triangle around someone's waist from behind earns an advantage, not the 4 points for back control. The 4 points need both heels hooked inside.
Penalties
Penalties go up in steps. For stalling and most fouls:
- First penalty: a warning, no change to the score.
- Second: your opponent gets an advantage.
- Third: your opponent gets 2 points.
- Fourth: disqualification.
Serious fouls, like a slam or an illegal technique, can mean immediate disqualification.
How a match is decided
- Submission, disqualification or a referee stoppage ends it immediately.
- Otherwise, most points wins.
- Points tied: most advantages wins.
- Still tied: fewest penalties wins.
- Still tied: the referee decides, based on who attacked more.
What is not allowed, and why kids' rules are stricter
Slamming an opponent to escape a guard or a submission is illegal at every level. So are strikes, biting, hair pulling and attacks on the eyes or groin.
Beyond that, legal submissions depend on age and belt. The more dangerous attacks, like heel hooks, are only allowed for experienced adults (brown and black belts in IBJJF no-gi). Kids' divisions ban many more techniques, including most leg locks. Neck cranks are illegal for everyone. A move your kid sees on YouTube may get them disqualified at their next tournament. Ask the coach which list your child's division uses.
Other formats you will run into
- Other points tournaments (NAGA, Grappling Industries, AGF and others) use scoring close to IBJJF, with their own differences in time, advantages and legal moves.
- ADCC-style no-gi often has a period with no points at the start, and penalties for pulling guard.
- Submission-only events have no points at all. You win by tap, or it goes to overtime or a judges' decision.
Before any event, read that event's rules page. Ten minutes of reading saves a lot of surprises.
