rules & Guidelines

2025 UPDATES:

- Weight Allowance is reduced from 1KG to 0.2KG -> Athletes who are over weight will be DQ'd

- Athletes will no longer be moved divisions if weight is missed, a DQ will be issued for overweight competitors. 

- No Mat Side Coaching will be permitted at our competitions and Coaching from the crowds will be monitor'd.

- Parents, coaches and supporters must keep language appropriate when supporting athletes or they will be asked to leave. No using violent or foul language such as “break it”, “kill them" or any foul language. This is a kids competition and support for both competitors is a must.

 Points / scoring system

We will be following the IBJJF points system

2 points - Takedowns, Sweeps, Knee on belly

3 points - Guard passes

4 points - Mount, Back & Back mount

Advantages will only be scored in Juvenile matches.

Legal Submissions (4-15 year olds)

• Rear Naked Choke

• Collar chokes such as Cross collar chokes, lapel chokes & paper cutter chokes -> Chokes that do no attack the spine / back of the neck

• Triangles (From the Guard only)

• Armbars

• Kimura

• Americana 

Illegal Techniques - 4 & 15 year olds

• Chokes with Spinal Locks (Chokes that lock putting pressure behind the neck)

  • Arm triangle

  • Ezekial

  • Kesa-Gatame compression lock

  • Guillotine

  • Darce

  • Anaconda

  • Mounted Triangles

  • Reverse Triangles from the back

• Omoplatas

• Body Triangles from Guard or the back

• Straight ankle locks

• Driving with the head outside on a single leg (Spiking from single legs) “head outside single leg”

• Wrist locks

• Banana splits

• Toehold, knee bar, heel hooks and other twisting variations

• Reaping the knee

• Turning inward (Towards the secondary leg) when attacking the straight ankle lock

• Attempting to have your opponent DQ’d purposely

• Can opener from closed guard top (neck crank)

• Closed guard kidney crush technique

• Bicep and Calf Slicers

• Slams

• Bending fingers back

• Hands, elbows or fore arms in the face

• Suplex takedowns where opponents land on there head or neck

16 & 17 year olds Legal Submissions (Juvenile divisions)

• Chokes with Spinal Locks

  • Arm triangle

  • Ezekial

  • Kesa-Gatame

  • Guillotine

  • Darce

  • Anaconda

• Straight Foot Lock

• Omoplata

• Triangles chokes from any position (Mount & Guard)

• Rear Naked Choke

• Armbars

• Collar Chokes

Juvenile rules will follow the same rules as white belt adults.

Illegal Techniques - 16 & 17 year olds Juveniles

• Head outside single leg

• Wrist locks

• Toehold, knee bar, heel hooks and other twisting variations

• Reaping the knee

• Turning inward (Towards the secondary leg) when attacking the straight ankle lock

• Attempting to have your opponent DQ’d purposely

• Can opener from closed guard top (neck crank)

• Closed guard kidney crush technique

• Bicep and Calf Slicers

• Slams

• Bending fingers back

• Suplex takedowns where opponents land on there head or neck

All submissions that are illegal for adult white belts and above are illegal for juveniles.

Safety for kids

• This includes tapping for the child once a submission has been applied. The referee should not wait for the child to tap. As we progress from Kids, though to Teens and Juveniles, more time will be allowed for the competitor to defend the submission.

• Whenever an illegal technique has been used, referees should stop the match and reset to the last safe position - This rule will only apply for Kids & Juveniles, Adults & Masters will have more strict terms of engagement and may be disqualified where appropriate.

– Outcome –

• The referees should aim to have as few matches as possible end in DQ. Whenever possible, referees should favour resetting the match to a safe position, rather than ending the match. 

• If an illegal technique results in a tap, the referee will then have no choice but to use DQ, however. 

– Mistakes –

• Feedback is welcome and will be used to inform decision making in future events.

• However, abuse toward referees and other members of staff will not be tolerated, and referees’ decisions cannot be overturned. 

- Organisation Guidelines –

• Their will an allowance for Weight on the day of 0.5kg and anything above the allowance we will try to re-bracket the competitor into a bracket that has not yet started.

• If we are unable to match a competitor into a high bracket a DQ will be issued for missed weight.

• Our organisation aim to encourage children and parents to attend competitions regularly at a grassroots level and we have found that the jiu jitsu parent community and young athletes are not yet familiar with competition procedures, along with coaches having an abundance of responsibilities outside of weight management and registrations.

• Most kids & teens competing are first time attendees at our events currently and as such mistakes are going to happen, we feel that the challenge of competition and the experience gained is what will help bring the sport forward in our area.

• We are not a National or International federation, our aim is to create a regular, consistent, youth competition infrastructure within the area so that our young competitors have an opportunity to test themselves and improve.

• Do not expect these allowances at any other competitions.We do plan to reduce this allowance over time as the parents and kids become more familiar with the sport i.e. as the event becomes more regular.

• Competitors must weigh in with Gi and Belt on and shouldn’t attempt to weigh in until their name appears on the screen beside the warmup area. Competitors should be at the venue at least 30 minutes before their first match.

• Their will be no allowance for No Shows. Any child that isn’t checked in by the time their match is called will be disqualified.

• Their will be allowances made for children who are checked in but not present in the bullpen. 

• We have now introduced stricter rules around pooling for the very youngest groups, trying to keep as many competitors within the same pool as there registration details as possible to reduce the number of mismatches at the youngest age, we cannot promise these wont occur as each child is so different the general method of pooling can still give rise to visible differences in size.