Grappling Industries rules: points, round robin, legal moves

• Divisions go by belt. You must register at your gi belt, and in no-gi you may enter a higher level if you want.
• Brackets of 2 to 5 people are best-of-3 or round robin, so most competitors get at least 2 matches.
• Adult, masters and seniors matches are 5 minutes. No overtime.
• Points: 4 mount, 4 back, 3 pass, 2 sweep, 2 takedown, 2 knee on belly, 2 for a strong submission attempt stopped out of bounds. No advantages.
• No weight allowance. Weigh in up to at least 60 minutes before your division.

Adult divisions are named by belt and skill level together, for example “Adult White Belt/Beginner” and “Blue Belt / Intermediate”. You must register at the belt you hold in the gi (unless you are required to compete higher). In no-gi you may freely register above your rank. The rulebook does not give years-of-experience equivalents for no-gi levels. It uses the same belt-based levels.

Athletes with significant experience in other grappling arts must enter at Blue Belt / Intermediate or above. The rulebook names judo black belts, high-level collegiate wrestlers (for example NCAA Division 1), senior-level international wrestlers, experienced catch wrestlers, luta livre blue belts and above, and professional MMA fighters. Exceptions are possible, for example a lower-tier collegiate wrestler with limited experience.

Sandbagging, competing below your rank, means being moved up before event day or disqualified on the day, and can lead to a suspension or ban. Staying at one belt for a long time without promotion is not sandbagging.

Kids levels pair belts with skill names for ages 15 and under: White/Beginner, Grey/Intermediate, Yellow/Orange/Advanced and Green/Expert. Ages 16–17 use a single coloured-belt level. Kids aged 15 and older may move to adult on request: white and grey belts to adult white belt, yellow and above only to adult blue belt. Masters may enter adult, and seniors may enter masters or adult. Under-30s cannot be merged into masters, and under-40s cannot be merged into seniors. Absolutes are 18 and over only.

Group and division winners are decided in this order: most wins, most submissions, the head-to-head match, most points scored, fewest points scored against. A submission win therefore counts for more than a points win when records are level.

There is no overtime in the rulebook. The referee may end a kids match early for safety.

“There is no Advantage scoring.” A tie on points goes to the competitor with fewer penalties, and if that is level too, to a referee decision.

The values match IBJJF for positions, so understanding IBJJF points is a good primer. The difference is that near-misses earn nothing here. For a scoring system built the other way round, see ADCC rules explained and IBJJF vs ADCC rules.

Reading the table left to right: straight ankle locks, wrist locks, Ezekiels and standing guillotines are illegal under 18 and legal at adult white belt. Knee bars, toe holds, knee reaping and slicers are illegal at white belt and legal from blue belt. Neck cranks are legal from purple belt in no-gi and brown belt in the gi. Heel hooks and the scissor takedown are legal only in the no-gi purple, brown and black column.

Attempting a technique that is not allowed at your level is a disqualification. Each cell links back to its rule in the submission legality matrix, next to the IBJJF, ADCC and NAGA columns.

• Knee reaping, under 18 and adult white belt/beginner: the first reap without a submission is a penalty and the referee removes the reap. A second one, or a reap combined with a submission, is a disqualification.
• Guard pull without a grip: pulling guard without a grip on the opponent is a penalty, and the action restarts standing. This applies at every level.
• Slams: a slam is lifting the opponent and returning them to the mat in an uncontrolled way. Controlled suplex-style takedowns are not slams, but spiking the head or neck is not allowed.
• Stalling: the referee may call it after 20 seconds of inactivity or no intent to improve position.
• Progression: for minor fouls the first penalty is a warning, the second gives the opponent 2 points, and the third is a disqualification. Major fouls are an immediate disqualification, and any third penalty of any kind disqualifies.

Check in and weigh in any time up to at least 60 minutes before your division starts. There is no weight allowance: weigh in at or under the limit or you are disqualified, and you will not be moved up a class. Gi competitors may weigh in without the gi. If you enter both gi and no-gi you weigh in once, and absolute or no-limit entrants still check in at the weigh-in desk.

Entering as a beginner? The white belt tournament rules guide puts Grappling Industries next to IBJJF, NAGA and the ADCC Opens, and NAGA rules explained covers the other big US open circuit.