YR Sports Lab
Once you have trained for a while and start thinking about competing, the IBJJF is almost impossible to avoid: it runs the World Championship (Mundials), the Pans and the Europeans, and its rule book is the one most events worldwide have adopted. Yet two things trip up nearly everyone reading the IBJJF rules for the first time: what an advantage point actually is and how it decides a match, and whether you are allowed to heel hook. Those two points are exactly where the IBJJF diverges most from ASJJF / SJJIF, the system many beginners meet first. This article follows the current official IBJJF rule book (checked July 2026) and breaks down the scoring system, advantages and referee decisions, the progressive penalty ladder, and a belt-by-belt table of legal and banned techniques, with special attention to how heel hooks and knee reaping differ between Gi and No-Gi.
Three things to remember first
1. Scoring is the same at every belt: white through black use one point system. A guard pass is 3, mount and back control 4 each, and takedowns, sweeps and knee on belly 2 each, with roughly 3 seconds of stable control required for every position.
2. Advantage points exist: this is the biggest difference between the IBJJF and ASJJF / SJJIF. The IBJJF has no sudden-death overtime; a tie is resolved in the order points, advantages, penalties, referee decision.
3. Legality depends on your belt and on whether you are wearing a gi: straight ankle locks are legal from white belt; kneebars, toe holds and slicers require brown belt or above; and heel hooks and knee reaping are open only to adult brown and black belts in No-Gi, banned outright in the gi.
1. What the IBJJF is, and why it sets the standard
The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) was founded in 2002 by Carlos Gracie Jr. and others, and is the largest and most influential competitive jiu-jitsu organisation today. The events it runs, the World Championship (commonly called the Mundials), the Pan and the European, are regarded as the sport's highest stage, which is why the IBJJF rule book has become the shared language of most academies and local events worldwide. Many of the tournaments you will enter locally use IBJJF scoring logic even if they are not IBJJF events.
Be aware that several rule systems coexist in jiu-jitsu, and the same movement can be legal in one and worth different points, or banned outright, in another: IBJJF (the subject of this article, with advantages), ASJJF / SJJIF (no advantages, sudden death on a tie, covered in a separate article), AJP (the Abu Dhabi professional system, with its own scoring), and the No-Gi oriented ADCC / EBI (which open up heel hooks and other rotational leg locks). Always confirm which rule set an event uses before you register. This article covers the IBJJF only.
2. The scoring system (identical at every belt)
The core logic of a jiu-jitsu match: you win by taking progressively more dominant positions for points, or by making your opponent tap (submission). Points quantify positional dominance, and their value reflects how much control that position gives you. IBJJF scoring is exactly the same from white belt to black belt, so memorise it first:
| Points | Technique / position | In plain terms |
|---|---|---|
| 2 points | Takedown | Taking your opponent from standing to their side, hip or back, and establishing top control. |
| 2 points | Sweep | From the bottom with a guard established, reversing your opponent underneath you and coming up on top. |
| 2 points | Knee on Belly | From side control, driving one knee onto the opponent's abdomen with the other foot posted, while holding a grip. |
| 3 points | Pass Guard | Getting past the opponent's legs into a side or lengthwise pin where their legs no longer control you. |
| 4 points | Mount | Sitting on the opponent's torso facing their head, with neither knee nor foot trapped on their legs. |
| 4 points | Back Control | Chest to their back with both heels hooked inside their thighs, or a body triangle, plus control of the shoulders and neck. |
| −1 point and up | Penalty | Minor fouls or stalling that continue after a warning are punished on a progressive ladder (see section 4). |
Three refereeing details that stop you losing points
The 3-second rule: passes, mount, back control, knee on belly and sweeps all require roughly 3 seconds of stable control before they score. Sweeping and being immediately reversed, or mounting and losing it after a second, earns nothing (though it may earn an advantage).
No positional points while a submission is on you: if you mount while your opponent has a guillotine locked, the 4 points are awarded only once you have fully cleared the submission and are still in mount.
No repeat points for the same position: bouncing in and out of knee on belly on purpose will not stack up points again and again.
3. How a match is decided: advantages and referee decisions
This is the section to understand first, and the one ASJJF competitors most often overlook. An IBJJF match is decided in the following order:
- Submission: the opponent taps, verbally submits, or the referee stops the match. Instant win, regardless of score.
- Points: with no submission, the higher score at the end of regulation wins.
- Advantages: if the points are level, the competitor with more advantages wins.
- Penalties: if the advantages are also level, the competitor with fewer penalties wins.
- Referee decision: if all of the above are identical, the referees award the win to whoever attacked more actively throughout.
What an advantage point actually is
An advantage rewards an aggressive action that nearly finished. A sweep that almost came all the way over, a pass held for just under 3 seconds before guard is recovered, a submission locked in so tight the opponent had to fight desperately but still escaped: any of these can earn the attacking competitor an advantage. It rewards the intent behind an attack that almost landed.
Advantages never outrank real points: ten advantages still lose to a single guard pass worth 3 points. But when the scores are level, advantages decide the match, which is why no near-miss is ever wasted.
Here is where the IBJJF feels most different from ASJJF / SJJIF: there is no sudden-death overtime. When time runs out you compare points, then advantages, then penalties, and only if all are level does it go to a referee decision. The match never restarts because of a tie. That differs from ASJJF / SJJIF (a tie goes straight to sudden death, first to score wins) and from ADCC (which adds an overtime round).
What the rules mean for your match strategy
Do not stall when ahead, and hunt advantages when behind. With no sudden-death overtime, the competitor who is behind has to actively manufacture advantages and change the referees' impression. Passive defence to the buzzer usually amounts to conceding.
Chase near-misses as if they were points. One sweep that almost lands, one triangle cinched down hard, may be the single mark that wins you a tied match even if it never finishes. Meanwhile, doing nothing gets you penalised (see the next section).
4. What is allowed and what counts as a foul
IBJJF fouls also come in two kinds: minor fouls and stalling, punished progressively, and serious fouls that get you disqualified on the spot. First, minor fouls and stalling, most of which are attempts to rest, escape or run down the clock:
- Pulling guard by sitting or lying down without first establishing a grip.
- Running toward the edge of the mat, rolling or crawling out of bounds while grappling, or standing up and deliberately walking out to avoid engagement.
- Pushing the opponent's hand or foot away and not re-engaging, or putting fingers inside their sleeve or trouser cuff.
- Disobeying the referee, arguing with the referee, or placing a hand or foot on the opponent's face.
- Holding a position without trying to advance or finish (stalling), or failing to attack after a double guard pull.
The IBJJF progressive penalty ladder (4 steps)
1st offence: verbal warning from the referee, no points awarded.
2nd offence: one advantage to the opponent.
3rd offence: 2 points to the opponent.
4th offence: disqualification (DQ).
Stalling and minor fouls share the same ladder: the referee first calls or signals a stalling warning, and if nothing changes the penalties escalate through the four steps above. This "advantage first, then 2 points, then DQ" structure is not how ASJJF / SJJIF deduct points.
The second category is serious fouls, which the referee can punish with immediate disqualification, with no progressive warnings:
Striking with fists, feet, knees, elbows or the head; biting, hair pulling, eye gouging, or pressing on the genitals; slamming your opponent to the mat, suplexing or spiking them onto their head and neck, or lifting them from guard and dropping them; crushing the windpipe with hands or clothing, or covering the mouth and nose to block breathing; applying neck cranks or spine locks (including the can opener); using the scissor takedown (kani basami); applying oil, lotion or any slippery substance to the body; and using a technique banned for your belt, age division or gi category (for example a heel hook at white, blue or purple belt, or in the gi). Verbal abuse, refusing to accept a decision, violence and unsportsmanlike behaviour can also result in an instant loss.
In other words, jiu-jitsu is a sport won through control and submission: striking, slamming, crushing the throat, twisting the spine and using banned techniques are all red lines, because they all either intend harm or take a shortcut. Remember the principle of winning with position and leverage rather than brute force and you will not stumble into a serious foul.
5. Legal and banned techniques, belt by belt
This is the part beginners most often get wrong and most need to know: the same submission can be legal or illegal depending on your belt, and the IBJJF adds a second layer where Gi and No-Gi differ. The table below applies to the adult (18-29) divisions and covers techniques where the rules are the same in Gi and No-Gi:
| Technique | White | Blue | Purple | Brown | Black |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight Ankle Lock | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Guillotine and other chokes | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Triangle, Omoplata, Ezekiel Choke | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Wrist Lock | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Kneebar | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Toe Hold (legal direction) | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Calf Slicer | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Bicep Slicer | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Neck Crank, Can Opener, spine locks | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Kani Basami (scissor takedown) | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Suplex onto head/neck, Slam | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
Next come the techniques that make the IBJJF distinctive and demand the most care, heel hooks and rotational leg locks, whose legality depends on your belt AND your gi category:
| Technique | White / Blue / Purple | Brown (No-Gi) | Black (No-Gi) | Gi, all belts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heel Hook | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Reaping the Knee | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Twisting Foot Lock | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
* The "Brown / Black (No-Gi)" columns above apply only to the adult (18-29) divisions. Master divisions (30 and over) are banned from heel hooks and knee reaping even at brown or black belt and even in No-Gi. This allowance took effect in January 2021 and is the largest technical difference between the IBJJF and ASJJF / SJJIF, which ban them at every belt.
Condensing both tables into a few lines:
- Legal from white belt: straight ankle locks, guillotines and chokes generally, triangles, omoplatas and the Ezekiel choke. Most submissions that neither twist the knee nor compress the spine are open (though wrist locks require blue belt).
- Brown belt and above only: kneebars, toe holds, calf slicers and bicep slicers. These put heavy load on joints and muscle, and the threshold is the same in Gi and No-Gi.
- Adult brown and black belts in No-Gi only: heel hooks, knee reaping and twisting foot locks. Banned in the gi entirely, banned in Master divisions entirely, banned at white, blue and purple belt entirely.
- Banned for everyone: neck cranks and spine locks, kani basami, and suplexes or slams that drive the head and neck into the mat.
6. Match times, age groups and belts
Adult match length depends on belt, and the higher the belt, the longer the match:
| Belt | White | Blue | Purple | Brown | Black |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult match time | 5 min | 6 min | 7 min | 8 min | 10 min |
* Juvenile (16-17) matches run about 5 minutes; Master divisions are usually 5-6 minutes; kids' divisions are shorter still. The event's published schedule is always the final word.
Age divisions are based on the age you reach during that calendar year, not your actual birthday, and run roughly as follows: Juvenile (16-17), Adult (18-29), then Master 1 (30-35), Master 2 (36-40), Master 3 (41-45), Master 4 (46-50), Master 5 (51-55), Master 6 (56-60) and Master 7 (61+). You may compete "down" (a Master entering the Adult division), but you may not enter an older division than your own. Adult belts run white, blue, purple, brown, black, with a minimum age of 16 for blue belt and 19 for black belt (plus at least one year as a brown belt). The IBJJF states plainly that it does not tolerate sandbagging, and may disqualify or otherwise sanction offenders.
7. Your pre-competition checklist
Beyond the rules themselves, a few administrative details directly determine whether you get to compete at all:
- Weigh-in: gi competitors weigh in wearing their full gi including the belt, and get only one attempt, usually in the bullpen right before their first match. There is zero tolerance: being 0.1 kg over can mean disqualification on the spot. No-Gi competitors weigh in without a gi. The IBJJF discourages aggressive dehydration to make weight.
- Gi inspection: only white, royal blue and black are permitted, and the jacket and trousers must match rather than being mixed. Collar thickness, sleeve length and trouser length are measured with a dedicated gauge, and fabric and patches are also inspected. A failed gi usually earns you time to change; still failing means disqualification.
- No-Gi attire: a fitted, sleeved rashguard (at least 10% of it in your belt rank colour), with pocketless, metal-free board shorts or spats below.
- Hygiene: fingernails and toenails trimmed and filed, no skin infections, no jewellery of any kind, long hair tied back.
- Check in on time: failing to reach the bullpen by the specified time after your name is called can mean disqualification; if your opponent does not show, the competitor present advances.
To condense the whole rule set into one competition mindset: score with position (3 for the pass, 4 for mount and back), chase every near-miss into an advantage, stay away from the leg lock red lines your belt and gi category forbid, and attack before a tied match reaches a referee decision. The IBJJF rules are written in fine detail, but once you understand them you will find that what really decides matches was never knowing the rules; it is executing what you know for a stable 3 seconds. Good luck out there.
FAQ
How do IBJJF rules differ from ASJJF / SJJIF?
There are three key differences. First, the IBJJF uses advantage points; ASJJF (which follows SJJIF rules) does not. Second, the IBJJF has no sudden-death overtime: a tie is settled in the order points, advantages, penalties, referee decision, while SJJIF goes straight to sudden-death overtime. Third, heel hooks and knee reaping are legal in IBJJF adult brown and black belt No-Gi divisions, but banned at every belt under SJJIF. The positional point values are almost identical (3 for a guard pass, 4 each for mount and back control).
Can IBJJF white belts use foot locks?
Only the straight ankle lock, and you must rotate your body outward, away from your opponent's knee, as you finish. Kneebars, toe holds, calf slicers and bicep slicers require brown belt or above; heel hooks and knee reaping require adult brown or black belt and are No-Gi only, so white, blue and purple belts are banned from them in both Gi and No-Gi. Note also that the IBJJF allows wrist locks from blue belt up, and bans them at white belt.
Are heel hooks actually allowed in the IBJJF?
Only adult (18-29) brown and black belts competing in No-Gi may use heel hooks and knee reaping, a change the IBJJF introduced in January 2021. Heel hooks are banned in Gi competition at every belt, and Master divisions (30 and over) may not use them even at brown or black belt in No-Gi. White, blue and purple belts are banned outright.
How are ties scored in an IBJJF match?
The IBJJF has no sudden-death overtime. When regulation time expires the referees compare, in order: points first, then advantages if the points are level, then penalties if the advantages are level as well. If all three are identical the referee decides, awarding the win to whoever attacked more actively and came closer to scoring or submitting. This differs from ASJJF / SJJIF (sudden death on a tie) and from ADCC (overtime).
How many points is a guard pass, and how do you earn an advantage?
A guard pass is 3 points, mount 4, back control 4, and takedowns, sweeps and knee on belly are 2 each, with roughly 3 seconds of stable control required for every position. Advantages reward near-misses: a sweep that almost finishes, a pass held for less than 3 seconds, a submission locked in tight that the opponent still escapes, can all earn an advantage. Advantages never outrank real points, but they decide the match when the score is level.
References
1. International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (2024). Rule Book v6.0 (June 2024 edition). ibjjf.com/rules (The official rule book download page, and the primary source for the scoring system, the order of advantages and referee decisions, the progressive penalty ladder, match times, and the gi inspection and weigh-in requirements described above.)
2. International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (2020). New Rules Updates. ibjjf.com/news/new-rules-updates (The official announcement confirming that from 1 January 2021 heel hooks and knee reaping are permitted only in adult brown and black belt No-Gi divisions.)
3. International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. General System of Graduation. ibjjf.com/graduation-system (The official graduation system page, and the source for the belt order and minimum ages cited here: 16 for blue belt, 19 for black belt with at least one year at brown.)
Note: this is a rules article, so its sources are the organiser's official rule documents rather than academic literature. The rules may be revised each year; this article follows the current official IBJJF rule book as checked in July 2026. For the age and gi restrictions on heel hooks and knee reaping, and for exact weight-class limits, always treat the latest official rulebook and on-site announcements as final.