Rules reference
IBJJF rules
Every IBJJF rule explainer on Open BJJ in one place: divisions, weight classes, match times, scoring, uniform and illegal moves.
- 2 / 3 / 4
- Points: takedown, sweep, knee on belly 2; guard pass 3; mount and back 4
- 5–10 min
- Adult match time, white belt to black belt
- 9 / 8
- Weight classes for men / women, plus the open class
- 26
- Moves on the IBJJF illegal moves table
Based on the IBJJF Rule Book v6.1 (June 2024) and the official IBJJF weight charts. Last verified 2026-10-21. Your event page has the final word. Compare IBJJF, ADCC, NAGA and Grappling Industries rules.
Points per action
- Takedown2
- Sweep2
- Knee on belly2
- Guard pass3
- Mount4
- Back control4
Adult match time by belt
- white belt5 min
- blue belt6 min
- purple belt7 min
- brown belt8 min
- black belt10 min
01
Check your division
Interactive checkers built on the official IBJJF tables.
- InteractiveIBJJF rules checker: what is illegal for your age and beltPick your age, belt and gi or no-gi to see which of the 26 moves on the IBJJF Illegal Moves table you can and cannot use, and what opens up next.Open the checker
- InteractiveIBJJF weight classes: gi and no-gi chart with calculatorEvery IBJJF weight class in kg and lb for gi and no-gi, adult, masters and juvenile, with a calculator that tells you your division from your weight.Open the checker
02
Age and weight divisions
Which bracket your birth year, belt put you in. Weight classes are in the checker above.
- IBJJF age divisions: adult and masters chart (2026–27)IBJJF Adult is 18+, Master 1 is 30+, Master 2 is 36+, and each later master division adds five years. See 2026 and 2027 birth years and belts.
- IBJJF kids and teen divisions: ages and beltsIBJJF sorts kids by birth year: Mighty Mite is 4–6, Pee-Wee 7–9, Junior 10–12, Teen 13–15 and Juvenile 16–17. See birth years, belts and illegal moves.
03
Match times, points and penalties
How long you fight, what scores, and how ties are broken.
- IBJJF match times by belt and age, plus points and penaltiesHow long is a BJJ match? IBJJF adult matches run 5 minutes at white belt to 10 at black belt. Full match times by age and belt, the points table, advantages and penalties.
- BJJ points system: how IBJJF scoring worksIBJJF scores 2 points for a takedown, sweep or knee on belly, 3 for a guard pass and 4 for mount or back control held 3 seconds. Advantages break ties.
- How long are BJJ competition matches?Adult IBJJF match times usually range from about 5 minutes at white belt to 10 minutes at black belt, while ADCC and other no-gi rulesets use different time limits and overtime formats.
04
Gi and no-gi uniform
What passes the uniform check before you weigh in.
05
Illegal moves by belt and age
What you can and cannot use, from kids to black belt no-gi.
- IBJJF illegal moves by belt and age: full chartAll 26 moves on the IBJJF Illegal Moves table in one chart, by age and belt: what kids, teens, white, blue, purple, brown and black belts can and cannot do.
- IBJJF kids rules 2026: what’s legal at ages 4 to 17Under 16, IBJJF bans straight foot locks, omoplatas, frontal guillotines, wrist locks and Ezekiels. At 16–17 foot locks, omoplatas and guillotines open up. See the age-by-age table.
- What submissions are illegal at white belt (IBJJF)?The IBJJF white-belt banned list in one checklist: which leg locks, wrist locks and cranks are out, why, and what white belts should drill instead.
- Are heel hooks legal at white belt?Can a white belt heel hook in IBJJF or ADCC? See the one IBJJF division where heel hooks are legal, how gi and no-gi differ, and how to train them safely.
- Are knee bars legal in IBJJF? 2026 belt rules vs ADCCWhich belts can finish a knee bar under IBJJF rules, why the line sits where it does, how kids brackets differ, and what ADCC allows instead.
- Are toe holds legal in IBJJF?Which IBJJF belts can use a toe hold, why lower belts cannot, and how ADCC rules differ. Plus how to control the knee line before you finish.
- Are calf slicers legal in IBJJF?Which IBJJF belts can use a calf slicer, why lower belts cannot, and how ADCC rules differ. Plus how to drill the compression safely.
- Are bicep slicers and neck cranks legal?Which IBJJF belts can use a bicep slicer, where neck cranks and can openers stand, how ADCC rules compare, and which legal finishes to use instead.
- Are wrist locks legal in IBJJF?Are wrist locks legal at your IBJJF belt? See where the white-belt line sits, how ADCC treats wrist locks, and how to drill them safely.
- Is the twister legal in IBJJF?Is the twister legal at any IBJJF belt? See how IBJJF treats spinal locks, what ADCC allows instead, and what to do when you land the position.
- Submission legality by beltEvery submission on Open BJJ under IBJJF, ADCC and MMA rules in one table.
06
IBJJF vs other rulesets
Where ADCC and IBJJF part ways.
- What is the difference between IBJJF and ADCC rules?How IBJJF and ADCC rules differ on scoring, advantages and leg locks, and what that means for how you train and compete under each.
- ADCC legal submissions beginners should knowWhat ADCC championship rules allow that IBJJF does not, which legal submissions beginners should know, and why the event packet still matters.
07
More rule explainers
Other guides that touch on competition rules.
- ADCC rules explained: points, legal moves and OpensADCC scoring, the no-points half, guard-pull penalties, match times from Worlds to the Opens, and which submissions each ADCC Opens division allows.
- BJJ belt order: every rank from white to red beltThe adult BJJ belt order is white, blue, purple, brown and black, then coral and red. See IBJJF minimum ages, minimum time per belt, stripes and the 13 kids belts.
- Coral, red and kids BJJ belts: IBJJF ages and timesWhat the coral (red and black, red and white) and red belts mean in BJJ, the years they take, and the grey, yellow, orange and green kids belts, from the 2026 IBJJF chart.
- What is reaping in BJJ? Reap and false reap rulesThe IBJJF definition of a knee reap, how the false reap differs, and where reaping is legal in IBJJF, ADCC, NAGA and Grappling Industries.
- White belt tournament rules: IBJJF, NAGA, GI and ADCCFirst BJJ tournament? White belt rules at IBJJF, NAGA, Grappling Industries and ADCC Opens: legal submissions, match length, points and weigh-in.
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