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Home » BJJ Competition » What techniques are illegal in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
1

What techniques are illegal in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?

- John Q. Whitebelt

Posted by John Q. Whitebelt in BJJ Competition | 1 comment

Community Answers

  1. 76
    7-27-13
    Aesopian says:

    The following techniques are illegal at all levels in IBJJF tournaments:

    • Striking, punching, or kicking
    • Slamming (picking someone up and forcefully smashing them down)
    • Eye gouging, hair pulling, fish hooking, oil checking
    • Grabbing individual fingers or bending fingers backwards
    • Spine and neck cranks
    • Heelhooks and twisting the knee
    • Scissors takedown (kani-basami)
    • Leg reaping (as explained in this video)

    Straight footlocks are legal at all levels, assuming they don’t break the rules for leg reaping.

    The banana split is legal at all belts.

    Wristlocks are illegal at white belt.

    Calf slicers/crushes, bicep slicer/crushes, kneebars, and toeholds are legal for brown and black belts.

    Pulling guard by sitting to the ground without any grips is illegal.

    Trying to avoid the fight or purposefully going out of bounds is illegal.

    Grabbing inside the sleeve or pants is illegal, as is sticking your foot inside the gi or belt.

    Pushing on the face with the feet or hands, covering and smothering the nose and mouth, and choking the neck by squeezing it with bare hands are all illegal.

    And sorry, no chokes using anyone’s belt.

    Kids and juvenile divisions have their own rules, with more banned submissions, especially those that involve the neck.

    While this brief summary reflects the most common BJJ rules, other organizations like NAGA, Grapplers Quest, ADCC, Gracie Tournaments, and many local tournaments each have their own rules.

    No-gi divisions tend to allow more submissions at lower experience levels, even within the same organization (for example, calf cranks may be illegal for blue belts in the gi, but legal at the intermediate level no-gi).

    Always read the rules of the competition you are going to compete in, and ask a referee for any needed clarifications before your matches.

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