Jiu-Jitsu Kids Competition Rules

gabe628
Oct 20
5 min read

Updated: Nov 20

These competition rules are presented in 2 sections, as a reference for child athletes, parents of athletes, and referees.

TO GET POINTS
ILLEGAL MOVES

Mindful simplifications of the rules are provided below alongside official language and photos from the IBJJFF Rule Book.

Enjoy, and train safe!

Aloha,

Coach Gabe

Mindful Martial Arts

SECTION 1: TO GET POINTS

Note that the point scoring system is the same for kids and adults. Only the list of illegals moves is different.

You Get 4 Points For:

Mount
Back Mount
Back Control

Note: You may often hear these positions referred to as Dominant Positions

You Get 3 Points For:

Guard Pass

You Get 2 Points For:

Takedown
Sweep
Knee On Belly

Definitions:

Mount (4 Points)

Sit on their belly, chest, or side, free from their legs, with at least one knee on the ground, and hold it for 3 seconds.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: "When the athlete is on top, clear of the half-guard, sitting on the opponent’s torso and with two knees or one foot and one knee on the ground, facing the opponent’s head and with up to one arm trapped under his/her leg – and thus remains for 3 (three) seconds."

Side Mount:

If they turn sideways, it still counts as Mount. See the official language above.

Back Mount (4 Points)

Same as Mount, but they're belly-down.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: The official language for Back Mount is exactly the same as for Mount, "When the athlete is on top, clear of the half-guard, sitting on the opponent’s torso and with two knees or one foot and one knee on the ground, facing the opponent’s head and with up to one arm trapped under his/her leg – and thus remains for 3 (three) seconds." However, in the following section, it describes what happens when you transition from Back Mount to Mount or vice versa. See below.

If You Go Back & Forth from Mount to Back Mount:

You get points for each type of Mount, as long as you hold each for at least 3 seconds

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: "In the case of the mount, when there is a transition straight from back mount to mount or vice-versa —for being distinct positions— athletes shall be awarded four points for the first mount and another four points for the subsequent mount, so long as the three-second stabilization period was achieved in each position."

Back Control (4 Points)

Control their back, gets hooks (put your feet inside their thighs), don't cross your feet, and hold it for 3 seconds.
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: "When the athlete takes control of the opponent’s back, placing his/her heels between the opponent’s thighs without crossing his/her legs and in a position to trap up to one of the opponent’s arms without trapping the arm above the shoulder line – and thus remains for 3 (three) seconds."

Guard Pass (3 Points)

From Guard Top, get past their legs to side-control, north-south position, or another dominant position, and hold it for 3 seconds.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: "When the athlete in top position manages to surmount the legs of the opponent in bottom position (pass guard or half-guard) and maintain side-control or north-south position over him/her for 3 (three) seconds."

If you go directly to Mount or any other Points-Scoring Position:
You get points for the pass and the position.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: "Athletes shall be awarded cumulative points when they progress through a number of point-scoring positions, as long as the three-second positional control from the final point-scoring position is a continuation of the positional control from the point-scoring positions from earlier in the sequence. In this case, the referee shall count only 3 (three) seconds of control at the end of the sequence before signaling the points be scored. Ex: Guard pass followed by mount shall add up 7 points (3+4)."

Takedown (2 Points)

From standing, initiate the movement and put them on their back, side, or butt, and keep a top position for 3 seconds.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: "When one of the athletes, starting the movement with 2 feet on the ground, causes the opponent to land on his/ her back, sideways or seated, establishing top position for 3 (three) seconds..."

SPECIAL NOTE: To receive points, the you must, "starting the movement... cause the opponent to land..."

In other words, you must initiate the movement and cause them to fall to receive points. If you end up on top after they fail a takedown attempt, that doesn't count.

Takedown to All Fours or Belly-Down:

It still counts as a Takedown as long as you "control the back", and keep at least one of their knees on the mat for 3 seconds.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: "When an athlete forces his/her opponent to the ground on all fours or belly-down, points shall only be awarded once the athlete performing the takedown controls the opponent’s back without the requirement of placing hooks and keeping at least one of the opponent’s knees on the ground for 3 (three) seconds."

Sweep (2 Points)

From Guard Bottom, get to the top and keep a top position for 3 seconds.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: "When the athlete on bottom with the opponent in his/her guard or half-guard inverts the position, forcing the opponent who was on top to be on bottom – and maintains him/her in this position for 3 (three) seconds."

NOTE: The Arm Drag Counts as a Sweep:

This may not be intuitive, but the rule is that if you start in Guard Bottom, then get to a top position and hold it for 3 seconds, it counts as a sweep. If they end up Belly Down or on All Fours, it still counts as long as you "control the back" and keep at least one of their knees on the mat for 3 seconds.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: "When the athlete on bottom with the opponent in his/her guard or half-guard inverts the position and the opponent turns his/her back on all fours and the athlete who initiated the reversal controls the opponent’s back without the requirement of placing hooks and keeping at least one of the opponent’s knees on the ground for 3 (three) seconds."

Knee on Belly (2 Points)

Place your knee or shin that's closes to their Hip on their belly, chest, or side and hold it for 3 seconds.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: "When the athlete on top and free of the opponent’s guard, places the knee or shin(closest to the opponent’s hip) on the opponent’s belly, chest or ribs, without the opposite knee touching the ground, maintaining the position stable for 3 seconds, while the opponent is lying on his/her back or side."

SECTION 2: ILLEGAL MOVES

The following moves are illegal in competition for children aged 15 and younger:

Triangle Choke (when pulling the head)
Omoplata
Front Guillotine (or anything that puts direct pressure on the throat)
Ezequiel Choke (or anything that puts direct pressure on the throat)
Straight Foot Lock
Arm Triangle

Note that all of the above moves are actually LEGAL for ages 16+.

Illegal For All Kids Ages 17 & Below:

Note that the below techniques are illegal for all kids. Many of these techniques are also illegal for adults.:

Slams
Bending Fingers Backwards
- Grabbing 1 or 2 fingers is generally considered illegal
- Note that grabbing 3 or more fingers is generally considered okay
Wrist Locks
Bicep Slicers
Calf Slicers
Toe Hold
Heel Hooks
Knee Reaping
Knee Bar

I've included this limited set of illegal techniques as they are ones that may not be immediately intuitive for child athletes (e.g. slams and bending fingers backwards) OR because they are techniques that are sometimes allowed for adults and which kids may have some exposure to.

This is Not an Exhaustive List.