IBJJF no-gi runs on the same Rule Book as the gi. Points, advantages and match times do not change. What changes is the uniform, a ban on grabbing clothing, and one extra column on the Illegal Moves table: adult brown and black belts in no-gi can heel hook and reap the knee. Source: IBJJF Rule Book v6.1 (June 2024). Last verified 2026-11-01.
What changes and what stays the same
The Rule Book does not have a separate no-gi edition. It adds a few no-gi lines to the shared rules.
Match times come from one table by age and belt, for example 5 minutes at adult white belt and 10 minutes at adult black belt. See IBJJF match times and points for the full table, and how IBJJF points work for scoring.
The no-gi weight limits are lower than the gi limits. The IBJJF weight classes chart lists both.
| Rule | Gi | No-gi |
|---|---|---|
| Uniform | Cotton or cotton-like gi in white, royal blue or black | Rash guard and shorts in black, white or belt color (item 8.1.16) |
| Grips on clothing | Allowed, with limits (no fingers inside sleeves or pant legs) | Grabbing any clothing is a serious foul (item 6.2.2 N) |
| Points and advantages | One scoring system | Same |
| Match times | One table by age and belt | Same |
| Illegal moves | Five columns by age and belt | Adds a sixth column for adult brown and black belts |
| Weight classes | Weighed in the gi | Separate, lighter no-gi chart |
The no-gi uniform
Item 8.1.16 of the Rule Book sets the no-gi uniform. It is inspected before you weigh in, like a gi.
- Rash guard, men and women: elastic, skin tight and long enough to cover the torso down to the waistband of the shorts.
- Rash guard colors: black, white, or black and white, with at least 10% of your belt color. A rash guard fully in your belt color is also allowed. Black belts may have a small red area.
- Men: board shorts in black, white, black and white or your belt color. At least halfway down the thigh (no more than 15 cm above the knee) and no longer than the knee.
- Men may wear skin-tight compression shorts under the board shorts, in the same colors.
- Women: shorts, compression shorts or spats in the same colors. Shorts follow the same length rule.
- No pockets unless stitched shut, no buttons, zippers or exposed drawstrings, and no plastic or metal that could hurt the opponent.
- Brief-type underwear is required in no-gi too (item 8.3.10). Competing without it is a severe foul.
- You also need the official no-gi uniform to stand on the podium.
Grips and the no-gi choke foul
Without a gi, the rules close two gaps: clothing grips and bare-hand throat grabs.
- Grabbing your own uniform or your opponent’s in any way is a serious foul in no-gi (item 6.2.2 N). That includes the rash guard and the shorts.
- Serious fouls stack: the first is a marked penalty, the second gives the opponent an advantage, the third gives them 2 points, and the fourth is a disqualification.
- Strangling with one or both hands around the neck without using the gi, or pressing on the windpipe with a thumb, is a severe foul (item 6.2.3 I), which means disqualification from the match. The rule applies in both formats, but in no-gi there is no gi to choke with, so it matters more.
- Covering the nose or mouth with your hands to block air is also a severe foul (item 6.2.3 J).
- A disciplinary disqualification in a gi event also removes you from the no-gi event if you entered both (item 7.1).
Leg locks in IBJJF no-gi by belt
This is the one place the Illegal Moves table treats no-gi differently. Read across each row. The last column is adult brown and black in no-gi.
Straight foot locks are illegal for ages 4–12 and 13–15; legal from ages 16–17 and adult or masters white belt up. Knee bars, toe holds and calf slicers are legal only for adult and masters brown and black belt, gi and no-gi; illegal for every age and belt below adult and masters brown belt, in gi and no-gi alike.
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. IBJJF announced the change for adult brown and black no-gi divisions, in effect from 1 January 2021. Knee reaping, locks that twist the knee and outward pressure in a toe hold open in the same column.
Knee reaping has its own definition in the Rule Book: thigh behind the opponent’s leg, calf across their body above the knee and foot past their midline, with their foot trapped. See what reaping is in BJJ for the full definition and the false reap.
| Move | Ages 4–12 | Ages 13–15 | Ages 16–17 and adult white | Adult and masters blue and purple | Adult and masters brown and black (gi and masters no-gi) | Adult brown and black, no-gi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Straight foot lock | Illegal | Illegal | Allowed | Allowed | Allowed | Allowed |
| Straight foot lock: turning toward the foot not under attack | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Allowed | Allowed |
| Calf slicer | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Allowed | Allowed |
| Knee bar | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Allowed | Allowed |
| Toe hold | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Allowed | Allowed |
| Outward pressure on the foot in a toe hold | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Allowed |
| Heel hook | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Allowed |
| Locks that twist the knee | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Allowed |
| Knee reaping | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Illegal | Allowed |
Common no-gi mistakes
Reading the wrong column of the Illegal Moves table is an easy way to get disqualified in IBJJF no-gi.
Masters brown and black cannot heel hook
A 30-year-old brown belt in a masters division uses the gi column in no-gi, where heel hooks and knee reaping are illegal. Only the adult division gets the no-gi column.
Purple belt no-gi is not brown belt no-gi
Knee bars and toe holds are illegal at blue and purple, gi or no-gi. No-gi only changes heel hooks, knee reaping, knee-twisting locks and outward pressure in a toe hold, and only for adult brown and black.
Holding the shorts is a foul
A grip on the shorts or rash guard to stop a scramble is a serious foul in no-gi. It earns a penalty even if it looks small.
Other no-gi events use other rules
ADCC, NAGA and Grappling Industries set their own leg-lock rules. The submission legality matrix compares them division by division.
IBJJF no-gi events
The same rules apply at every IBJJF no-gi event, from local opens to the world championship.
The IBJJF No-Gi Worlds is the top no-gi event on the IBJJF calendar, held in December. It has no white belt division, so the leg-lock table above matters from blue belt up.
Many IBJJF opens also have a separate no-gi championship, run under this Rule Book. Browse upcoming ones on the events page.
Key Takeaways
- IBJJF no-gi uses the same Rule Book, points, advantages and match times as the gi.
- Uniform: skin-tight rash guard with at least 10% belt color, and board shorts from mid-thigh to the knee with no pockets or zippers.
- Grabbing any clothing is a serious foul in no-gi.
- Heel hooks, knee reaping, knee-twisting locks and outward toe-hold pressure are legal only for adult brown and black belts in no-gi. Masters brown and black use the gi column.
- Knee bars, toe holds and calf slicers open at brown belt in gi and no-gi alike.
Further Study
IBJJF Books and Videos (Rule Book v6.1, June 2024)
Official Rule Book: item 8.1.16 (no-gi uniform), 6.2.2 N (clothing grips), 6.2.3 (severe fouls and the Illegal Moves table).
IBJJF heel hook and knee reaping update
Official IBJJF notice: heel hooks and knee reaping for adult brown and black no-gi, in effect since 1 January 2021.
IBJJF uniform rules
Official gi and no-gi uniform rules.
IBJJF gi rules: colors, fit, patches and no-gi uniform
The full gi inspection checklist.
IBJJF illegal moves by belt and age
All 26 rows of the Illegal Moves table.
Are heel hooks legal at white belt?
Heel-hook rules for beginners in IBJJF and ADCC.
Gi vs no-gi BJJ
How training and strategy change without the gi.
