Full List of Rules

Click here for a full list of rules. 

Allowable Techniques

Click here for chart of allowable techniques by division. 

Bracketing

Competitors will be bracketed based on age, experience and weight. 

5-person Madison Bracketing (Weight): Competitors will be grouped with up to 4 other competitors nearest their weight class (& Age/Experience) for groups of 5 competitors.

Example: 10 competitors sign up for Intermediate Adult Men's division and 15 competitors sign up for Advanced Adult Men's division. After weigh ins, the 10 Intermediate Adult Men will be divided into two groups of 5 from lowest to heaviest weight, creating two Intermediate Adult Men's divisions, and the 15 Advanced Adult Men will do the same, being divided into 3 groups of 5 Advanced Adult Men. Competitors stay within their age and experience level and are matched with the 4 nearest weight competitors.

Click here for an example of how 40 competitors in an Adult Men's division may be bracketed based on age, experience and weight using Madison Bracketing.   

Bracket Mergers: In the event there are not enough competitors to make a 5 person bracket within a division, mergers with other age or experience levels may be required in order to guarantee matches. Tournament organizers will make merger decisions based on age, experience and weight to ensure a competitive, fun and safe environment. Competitors will be notified if they are moved into a different bracket and have the right to refuse to compete if so, resulting in a refund. 

True Round Robin: Every competitor will face every other competitor in their bracket.

Scheduling: Brackets will be created after weigh-ins and posted on this site under the "Brackets & scheduling" for live tracking. Match times will be estimated and may change at any time. Competitors are encouraged to stay near their mats to ensure they do not miss their matches. 

Weigh-ins

Early weigh-ins: Take advantage of early weigh-ins at the venue the night before in order to avoid last minute issues the morning of the event and help with the bracketing process. Competitors do not need to weigh in again the morning of the event if participating in early weigh-ins. 

Competitors do not need to wear their Gi while weighing in. 

Due to the Madison Bracketing method, competitors do not need to worry about hitting certain target weights. You will be matched with the nearest weight competitors within your age and experience level. 

Match Rules

Submission Only.

Matches ending without a submission will be decided by referee decision. Decisions are heavily influenced by the competitor that was more aggressive with their submission attempts. 

Match times:

      Peewee 8 and under: 3 minutes

      Youth 9 - 12: 4 minutes

      Teens 13 - 17: 5 minutes

      Adult Beginner & White Belts: 5 minutes

      Adult Intermediate & Blue Belts: 6 minutes

      Adult Advanced, Expert, Purple, Brown & Black Belts: 7 minutes

      Masters (All): 5 minutes

Reaping is only allowed in Adult or Masters Advanced or Expert No Gi divisions. 

Reaping: When one of the athletes places his thigh behind the leg of his opponent and passes his calf on top of the opponent’s body above the knee, placing his foot beyond the vertical midline of the opponent’s body and applying pressure on his opponent’s knee from the outside.

Get-down Rule: Matches still on their feet without any takedowns or guard pulls after 2 minutes have elapsed will be paused so the Referee can place the competitors in full guard in the center of the mat. Referees will use their judgment to determine who is more aggressive and in control of the match, giving them the option of whether they wish to be on top or bottom of full guard. Once decided, Referee will place competitors in the desired position and resume the match. This may only happen once and may only happen if no takedowns or guard pulls have occurred within the first 2 minutes. 

Division Winners

Division winners will be decided based on total points earned by method of winning matches: Submission, Decision, Disqualification or Walkover (No Show).

Submission: 2 points

Points (Peewee 8U Only): 2 points

Referee Decision: 1 point

Disqualification or Walkover: 1 point for the winner and a 1 point deduction for the loser

Example: Competitor wins 2 of their 4 matches by submission, 1 match by decision and loses their final match. They would earn a total of 5 points (2 subs x 2 pts = 4, plus 1 decision x 1 pt = 1, for a total of 5 points).

Tiebreakers: In the event of a tie in total match points, head to head method will be used to determine the winner, that is whoever won the matchup between the two tying competitors.

Points (Peewee 8 and under only)

4 points: mount, back mount

3 points: passing guard

2 points: takedowns, knee on belly, sweeps

Reversals: Do not count as sweeps for 2 points. A reversal is generally when a competitor reverses from a bad position into a good position, such as from bottom of mount into someone's guard from top. A sweep is generally when a competitor initiates the change in position from an advantageous position on the bottom, such as guard or half-guard, and uses their legs to initiate the move. 

Advantages: No advantages.

Positions must be held for 3 seconds in order for points to be awarded.

Transitioning from mount to back mount and back will continually result in 4 points for each position as long as the 3 seconds are held. Knee on belly can be scored repeatedly if position is lost and then regained.

Mercy Rule: If a competitor is 15 or more points ahead of their opponent at any point during the match, the match will end in a points victory.  

Penalties

A violation of a rule may result in a verbal warning, 2 point deduction (Peewee Only) or disqualification at the discretion of the referee. All referee decisions are final. 

Intentionally fleeing the mat in order to force a position reset or to escape a submission will result in an immediate disqualification.

Uniforms

Gi: Any color is acceptable. Gis must be clean, dry and serviceable without any rips, tears, or unpleasant odors. Gis that are extremely short or long will not be allowed, nor will Gis with an excessive number or size of patches preventing an opponent from getting grips. Rash guards may be worn under a Gi top, but cotton t-shirts are not allowed. Spats or compression pants are not allowed under Gi pants. 

No Gi: Any color is acceptable. Rash guards or compression shirts of an elastic/spandex material is required for the top. Fight trunks, compression shorts, board shorts, spats, or compression pants are required for the bottom. Cotton t-shirts or loose fitting shirts are not allowed. Shirtless is not allowed. Bottoms cannot have any hard objects that could hurt opponents, such as any rings or zippers. Bottoms cannot have any pockets unless the pockets are sewn shut. Spats or compression pants may be worn under shorts. 

Accessories: Footgear and headgear are not allowed. Joint protectors, such as knee or elbow braces, are not allowed unless they are tight fitting, made of an elastic/spandex material, do not contain any hard objects and do not increase the mass of the joint. Cups or genital protectors are not allowed. Hair pins or any other jewelry are not allowed. 

Hygiene

Hair: Long hair should be restrained in order to avoid interfering with an opponent's vision or ability to apply a grip or submission. Hair pulling is not allowed.

Nails: Finger and toenails should be trimmed short to not cause injury to an opponent. Please attempt to do this before the day of the tournament, as freshly trimmed nails can be sharp.

Wounds: Competitors may not compete with open wounds, such as cuts or sores, even if covered by bandages since bandages are likely to slide off during competition. 

Cosmetics: Excessive hair dye or makeup that may stain an opponent's uniform is not allowed.