BJJ Rules and Points: How Scoring Works in Jiu-Jitsu

You win a BJJ match by submission. If nobody taps, you win on points, then advantages, then penalties, and if it's still dead even, the referee decides. That's the short version of the IBJJF rules, which most gi and no-gi tournaments use as their starting point.

The long version matters, because most first-time competitors don't lose to a better grappler. They lose to a rule they didn't know. They let go of the pass before three seconds, get penalized for stalling while up by two, or reap the knee and get told to stand up and leave. Here's how scoring really works, what's illegal at each belt, and how NAGA and ADCC do it differently.

How You Win a BJJ Match

Under IBJJF rules, the order goes like this:

1. Submission. Your opponent taps, verbally submits, or the referee stops it. Game over, regardless of the score.
2. Points. If time runs out, whoever has more points wins.
3. Advantages. If points are tied, more advantages wins.
4. Penalties. Still tied? The athlete with fewer penalties wins.
5. Referee decision. If everything is level, the referee picks the winner based on who was more active and closer to finishing.

Disqualification can also end it early, either for a serious foul like a slam or for collecting four penalties.

The BJJ Point System

Points reward reaching a better position. The more control a position gives you, the more it's worth.

A classic sequence: you pass the guard (3), slide to knee on belly (2), then mount (4). That's 9 points. In tournaments, points add up quickly once the top player starts moving, which is why "position before submission" is the oldest advice in the room.

There are no points for pulling guard, for escaping, or for a submission attempt. If you're stuck on the bottom of closed guard or half guard, the only ways to score are a sweep or a finish.

The Three-Second Rule

Every position has to be held for three seconds to score. Pass the guard, and if they recover guard after two seconds, you get nothing (though you'll usually get an advantage).

This is the single biggest rule that catches white belts out. In the gym you pass and immediately go for the armbar. In a tournament, you pass, settle your hips, count "one, two, three" in your head, and then attack. Coaches yell "hold it!" from the side of the mat for exactly this reason.

If you flow through several positions without pausing, for example a sweep straight into mount, you get points for each position as long as you stabilize the final one for three seconds.

Advantages

An advantage is a near miss. The referee gives one when you almost score points or almost finish a submission:

• A sweep where they scramble back before three seconds.
• A guard pass where they recover guard just in time.
• A deep armbar or choke that they escape.

Advantages only count when points are tied. Plenty of IBJJF finals at every level have been decided 0-0 with one advantage. It's not glamorous, but if you're grinding through a tight bracket, attacking enough to collect advantages is how you win the close ones.

Penalties

Penalties punish stalling and minor fouls. Under the IBJJF system they escalate:

The most common penalty is stalling, especially from the person who's ahead. Being up by two with a minute left and hugging your opponent in closed guard is a good way to hand them an advantage, then two points. Leaving the mat to escape a submission, grabbing inside the sleeve or pant leg in the gi, and not engaging after a guard pull all get penalized too.

Serious fouls, like slamming someone out of a guard, a heel hook in the gi, or bad sportsmanship, skip the ladder entirely and mean instant disqualification.

IBJJF Match Length by Belt

Juvenile matches are 5 minutes. Master 1 is 5 minutes for white and blue belts and 6 for purple and up, and every masters division from Master 2 (36 and over) is 5 minutes at every belt. Five minutes sounds easy until the adrenaline dump hits at minute two, which is why we recommend competition rounds in your comp prep training week, timed at your real match length.

Illegal Techniques by Belt

The IBJJF opens up more submissions as you go up the BJJ belt ranks. These are the adult rules for the moves people ask about most.

Masters divisions keep heel hooks and reaping illegal at every belt. If your gym has a purple belt who heel hooks everyone at open mat, that's fine at open mat. At an IBJJF event, it's a DQ.

Reaping is the one that catches people out. It means crossing your leg across the outside of their knee line while you're attacking their leg. You don't need to finish anything for it to be illegal. Just putting your leg there is enough for the referee to stop the match.

Everything else on the list of common BJJ submissions, from the rear naked choke to the kimura, is fair game at every adult belt.

What the Referee Is Shouting

IBJJF referees often use Portuguese commands, which can throw you if no one has told you about them:

• "Combate" means start or restart.
• "Pare" means stop. Freeze where you are.
• "Lute" means fight. You're being told to stop stalling, and a penalty is close.

The referee will also hold up fingers to signal points (two, three or four) and raise a hand flat to signal an advantage. Glance at the scoreboard during a pause. Knowing whether you're up or down with 30 seconds left changes everything.

NAGA, ADCC and Sub-Only Rules

Every organization starts from roughly the same place, but the differences matter when you're planning a game plan.

• NAGA: gi divisions follow IBJJF-style scoring. No-gi divisions use NAGA's own points, which reward takedowns, back takes and dominant positions, and also give credit for near submissions.
• Fuji: scoring mirrors the IBJJF (2 for a takedown, sweep or knee on belly, 3 for a pass, 4 for mount or back). Advantages only count for real submission attempts, and there are no draws: a tied match goes to the referee's decision. Heel hooks are only legal in the adult Expert no-gi division.
• ADCC: no positive points in the first half of the match, only penalties. Points start counting in the second half, and pulling guard costs you a negative point. It's designed to push people to wrestle and attack submissions rather than ride out a lead.
• Submission only: no points at all. If nobody taps in regulation, it goes to overtime or a decision depending on the event. Big-money no-gi shows like the Craig Jones Invitational have helped make finish-focused formats popular with fans.

Before any tournament, read the rules page on its registration site. It takes ten minutes and saves you from finding out about a rule from the referee.

Knowing the rules is half of preparing for your first BJJ competition. The other half is making weight, so check the BJJ weight classes for your event well before registration closes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many points is a takedown in BJJ?

Two points under IBJJF rules, as long as you land on top and hold it for three seconds.

Is pulling guard legal in BJJ?

Yes, at the IBJJF and most gi tournaments. You don't score for it, and you can't pull guard and then refuse to engage. In ADCC, pulling guard costs you a negative point.

How many points is taking the back?

Four. You need both hooks in (or a body triangle) and to hold the position for three seconds.

Can white belts do heel hooks?

Not at IBJJF events. Heel hooks are only legal for adult brown and black belts in no-gi. Some other organizations allow them at lower levels in no-gi, so check the rules for your event.

Does a submission attempt score points?

Not under IBJJF rules. A close submission attempt earns an advantage, which only counts if points are tied.

What is the most common way to lose on penalties?

Stalling, usually by the person who's ahead late in the match. The referee will shout "lute" first, then start giving penalties.