Mindful Samurai Jiu-Jitsu
Jiu-Jitsu for Self-Defense
What Is Mindful Samurai Jiu-Jitsu?
Mindful Samurai Jiu-Jitsu is a safety-first, self-defense-oriented competition format for kids.
For Current Families
It’s intended to give current students and parents a competition experience that feels safer, simpler, and easier to say yes to.
For Potential New Families
We also hope it helps Jiu-Jitsu feel more approachable for families considering it for the first time.
For Local Academies
We are seeking your feedback and are grateful for your help and partnership in shaping this rule set.
"If they can touch your face when you're grappling, you're doing it wrong."
-Helio Gracie
Main Ideas
Defenders seek control, not damage.
Defenders must protect their head and face.
Self-Defense usually happens on hard ground, like concrete.
The 'Why' Behind The Rules
Matches Are Always 3 Minutes
Gives a better opportunity to showcase skills.
Older Kids: Catch, Don't Submit
The goal is control. We want kids to be able to control an aggressor without doing major damage.
Proportional Response
Proportional response is a core self-defense principle: use only the force reasonably necessary to stay safe.
Only Approved Catches
Eliminating surprise Catches makes matches safer.
Position Before Submission
Establishing a dominant position first is good self-defense.
Younger Kids: Extended Dominant Position Only
Kids younger than 8 aren't ready to decide when an armbar or choke is appropriate when off the mat.
Top Position Points
Getting on top is always a good self-defense move. It's also simpler for the students and audience to understand.
Rule Details
WHAT IS A CATCH?
A Catch is a position that is nearly a submission that can detain a would-be attacker until help arrives.
WHAT CATCHES ARE LEGAL?
- Armbar Control performed from Mount Top
- Rear Naked Choke Control completed with proper Back Control or Back Mount.
WHY ARE ONLY TWO CATCHES LEGAL?
- To make the introduction to this unique rule set simpler.
- Also, armbar and rear choke are two of the most powerful and commonly executed submissions in all of jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts, and translate very well to self-defense.
- They also provide a great ability to exercise Proportional Force and at a very low risk to the joints most prone to injuries.
- By focusing their training on these "high percentage" moves, we hope to help participants focus on developing skills that matter most importantly in an encounter with a strong and untrained aggressor.
- Not having to worry about surprise submissions they've never heard of before also decreases unnecessary fear and greatly improves safety during competition.
PREPARING FOR AN UNTRAINED AGGRESSOR?
- We know that martial arts, taught well, also teach discipline, humility and respect — which is why we want to arm our students for their more likely adversaries — those who are physically and mentally untrained and undisciplined.
- Also, untrained aggressors are less likely to tap to legitimate submissions and holds, meaning they are more likely to wreck their own shoulders, knees, wrists, feet, etc, when trying to escape out of hopeless positions. From a self-defense perspective, we want to give our students support to train the techniques that are most likely to control without maiming.
WHY MUST THE ARMBAR BE GOTTEN FROM MOUNT?
- We want to encourage participantes to obtain a dominant position before securing a submission. Seeking a submission from the bottom puts students at risk for ground-and-pound destruction in a real-life situation. Mount-Top is an extremely dominant and controlling top-position that we want students to seek before putting themselves at risk by going for a submission.
- Also, the armbar from guard-bottom can easily induces a fair amount of pain on the recipient before there is time to tap. We want to spare our participants the fear or actual experience of this.
SHOULDN'T STUDENTS LEARN ARMBAR FROM BOTTOM?
Absolutely. That technique, and many others, are core to traditional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
This rule set is intended to attract newcomers to the art, and to encourage competition from those who would otherwise be too afraid.
We are in support of advanced students seeking a more intense experience to engage in regular IBJJF-rules (and similar) competitions.
PROPORTIONAL RESPONSE
Students may not force a tap. They may not lift their hips for an armbar or squeeze for a choke except in proportional response to an escape attempt.
This improves participant safety and encourages the kind of behavior we wish to see in real self-defense encounters — students who seek control over damage.
HEAD DEFENSE CHECK
From Mount, the top person may place a hand on the forehead in order to provoke head-defense.
They may not slide their hand into position under a defender's hands.
If the bottom person does not effectively defend the position within 3 seconds, four points will be awarded to the top person.
If the Head Defense Check points are awarded twice in a row, the match is reset from the feet.
Tip: You'll likely never get these points, but when the other person is forced to defend it, you'll have a better chance of getting the armbar.
POINTS DECIDE THE WINNER
After a Catch or Extended Dominant Position, the action is reset from the feet
GAINING TOP POSITION
Points are awarded any time a student gains top position from a bottom or neutral position.
This includes from Standing (takedown), Guard Bottom (sweep), Half-Guard Bottom, Side-Control Bottom, Mount Bottom etc.
You don't have to clear the guard to get top position points.
Achieving Seated Back Control (with or without hooks) whether from standing or from any other position, doesn't count as a Top Position.
Note on Pulling Guard:
Pulling guard on the street is generally not good self-defense. It also looks silly when two athletes are competing to see who can sit down first.
If a student pulls guard, sits down, or gives up top position from standing in any shape or form, the other student earns 2 points for gaining top position.
Because They're Not Great Ideas on Hard Surfaces:
-
No jumping guard.
-
No flying submissions.
-
No jumping onto Back Control.
-
No holding onto Guard when someone stands up.
-
No holding onto Back Control when someone stands up.
Keeping It Clean & Safe:
-
No pressure on the throat.
-
Headlocks are okay, including front headlocks as long as there's no pressure applied to the throat.
-
No rough face pressure.
-
No Submissions — Catches only
-
No points awarded for a forced tap.
Normal Rules We Are Keeping:
-
No slamming.
-
No striking.
-
No neck or back cranks.
-
If the action stalls the referee can restart the match from the feet.
What About Knee-on-Belly?
We're trying to keep the rule-set super simple, especially for our first test of it. So there's no Knee-on-Belly points.
Why Only 2 Points For Passing Guard?
Again, trying to keep it simple. Everything is 2 points except Dominant Positions (4 points) and Catches (8 points).
Catch Details
WHEN THE TAP COUNTS
If a student taps while their opponent is securing a legal Catch, the Catch counts, as long as the opponent was using controlled pressure and not cranking.
ARMBAR CONTROL - DETAILS:
- Must be achieved from Mount or Back Control
- Attacked Arm Position:
-must be isolated and extended away from their body
-not be held by the other person's other hand
-its elbow must be above the thigh/crotch.
-it may be bent to the side and not fully straightened out, so long as the person remains immobilized for the full 10 seconds.
REAR NAKED CHOKE CONTROL - DETAILS:
- Must be completed with proper Back Control or Back Mount.
- Attacking arm must be under the chin.
- Elbow of the attacking arm must be directly under the chin.
- Position of the attackers' other elbow or their hands are not relevant to the Catch, as long as the above remains in place for a full 10 seconds.
What do you think?
Whether you represent a local academy, are a Jiu-Jitsu instructor, student, or a student's parent or guardian:
We are seeking community feedback and are grateful for your help and partnership in shaping this rule set.
Email us: gabe@mindfulmartialarts.org