ADCC rules explained: points, legal moves and Opens

• Ways to win: submission, points, referee decision, or the opponent’s disqualification
• First half: no points. Second half and overtime: positive and negative points both count
• In finals, negative points start in the no-points half too
• Pulling guard or sitting down for 3 seconds or more earns a minus point
• Judges look first at who is the aggressor and initiating the action
• World Championship and Trials allow any leg lock, arm lock and most chokes; the Opens restrict techniques by division

Points only count in the second half of regulation and in overtime. If you complete a takedown or sweep while caught in a submission, you get nothing until you escape it and hold control for 3 seconds. The ADCC rules say the judges look at the whole match, not just overtime, and that their first criterion is who is the aggressor and initiating the action.

Compared with IBJJF scoring, mount is worth less (2 instead of 4) and a takedown that lands past the guard is worth double. That pushes ADCC athletes toward wrestling and passing rather than holding top positions for points.

• Pulling guard: jumping guard, or going from standing to a non-standing position by any means and staying down 3 seconds or more, is a minus point
• When it applies: the second half of regulation, all of overtime, and the first half of a finals match
• If you have had one or both hands on the mat, in contact with your opponent, for 3 seconds or more, you can sit to guard without a penalty, because you count as a downed opponent. Sitting from a full stand with both knees off the mat is still penalised
• Passivity: a passive fighter is warned twice, then given a minus point
• Disengaging: backing away from contact and avoiding re-engagement is penalised
• Leaving the mat does not stop the match; only the referee stops it
• Two teammates who fix a match are both disqualified from the tournament

In every bracket, positive and negative points both count during the points half and all of overtime. In finals, negative points also count during the no-points half. For IBJJF times, see how long BJJ competitions are.

The legal-techniques grid groups beginner and intermediate together, so a blue belt and a white belt follow the same technique list. For the beginner view of that list, read ADCC legal submissions beginners should know.

• Adults and masters: beginner is white belt, intermediate is blue and purple, advanced is brown and black
• Adults and teens with no belt: 0–2 years of training is beginner, 2–4 intermediate, 4 or more advanced. Kids with no belt: 0–1, 1–3 and 3 or more years
• A white belt with 2 or more years in another grappling art, such as wrestling, judo or sambo, must enter intermediate
• Kids: white belt beginner, grey intermediate, yellow and above advanced
• Teens 13–14 and 15–17: white belt beginner, grey and yellow intermediate, orange and above advanced
• Kids age groups are 6 and under, 7–8, 9–10 and 11–12
• Masters start at 30 in the rules PDF and the weight-class document (Masters 1 is 30+), but at 35 on the ADCC rules web page; check your event listing
• The absolute division is adults only, 18 and over

IBJJF scores points for the whole match, uses advantages, and restricts submissions by belt. ADCC scores only in the second half and overtime, and at the World Championship allows leg locks that IBJJF restricts: under IBJJF rules heel hooks are legal only for adult brown and black belt in no-gi; illegal for masters, the gi, and every age and belt below adult brown belt, while at ADCC Worlds they are legal. For the full side-by-side, read IBJJF vs ADCC rules, and use the submission legality matrix to check one technique against every IBJJF, ADCC, NAGA and Grappling Industries division.