JJIF

Overview

Two competitors face off in JJIF’s groundwork-only jiu-jitsu discipline. They win by scoring points or securing a submission for an instant victory, competing in either gi or no-gi categories.

How to win

• Decision priority — Submission ranks above points, golden score, and referee decision.
• Decision priority — Rank outcomes: submission, points, golden score, then referee decision.
• Tournament format — Uses single-elimination with repechage.
• Medals awarded — Each weight, gender, age, and format category awards gold, silver, and two bronze medals.

The game

• Match divisions — Two competitors wear red and blue sash/rashguards; weight and age categories follow JJIF divisions (+ variants).
• Two competitors per match (red sash/rashguard + blue sash/rashguard)
• Weight classes — Follow the JJIF schedule for weight classes.
• Age categories — Cadet, Junior, Senior, and Veteran.
• Officials — Use 1 mat referee, 2 corner judges, 1 scoring official, and 1 timekeeper.

Playing the ball

• 5 minutes (single period); If tied: 2-minute golden-score overtime, first scoring action wins; Match begins standing; both competitors approach + engage
• Submission limits — Arm locks are legal; leg locks vary by belt and age; no heel hooks, twisters, or neck cranks (+ variants).
• 5 minutes (single period); If tied: 2-minute golden-score overtime, first scoring action wins
• Start and engage — Begin standing and engage; guard pulling is allowed, but continuous pulling without action may draw referee intervention.
• Scoring positions — Award 2 points for takedown, sweep, or knee-on-belly; 3 for guard pass; 4 for mount or back mount.

Fouls & penalties

• Stalling penalties — Stalling escalates from verbal warning to caution, then opponent advantage. (+ variants)
• Stalling — Penalty escalates from verbal warning to caution, then opponent advantage.
• Illegal submissions — Illegal submissions result in a caution, then disqualification.
• Slamming — Slamming results in disqualification.
• Fleeing match — Fleeing the match results in a caution.

Equipment

• Required attire — Gi: white JJIF-approved gi with colored belt and red/blue sash; No-Gi: rashguard and shorts (+ variants).
• Gi requirements — Wear a JJIF-approved white gi, colored belt, and red or blue sash.
• No-Gi attire — Wear a rashguard and shorts; use a red or blue rashguard for competitor distinction.

🚨 Cardinal Rule— Serious violation — may trigger retaliation or social exclusion

• Release the submission immediately on tap
  — The moment an opponent taps — whether the mat, your body, or their own body — you release the lock or choke without hesitation. Holding even a fraction of a second past the tap to 'finish' is considered a serious breach of the code and a genuine safety violation. This norm predates written rules and is the bedrock ethic of all grappling arts.(Applies equally in competition and randori. Referees may not catch the tap — competitors are expected to self-police.)[1]
• Check on an opponent who goes limp in a choke
  — If an opponent loses consciousness during a strangle rather than tapping, the accepted norm is to release immediately and assist or signal for medical attention rather than celebrating or walking away. The practitioner applying the choke is expected to ease the opponent to the mat safely.(Rare in competition but the expectation is uniform across the community.)[1]

⚠️ Strong Expectation— Most experienced players will take notice and be upset

• Don't crank submissions — apply with progressive control⚡ Contested
  — Submissions should be applied with increasing, controlled pressure, giving the opponent a window to recognize they are caught and tap. Jerking or cranking a joint lock on explosively — especially in randori — is seen as reckless and disrespectful, as it denies the opponent a chance to submit safely.(More strictly observed in training than high-level competition, where speed is legitimate, but even competitors are expected to show awareness of the opponent's capacity to tap.)[1]

📋 General Expectation— Generally expected; soft social enforcement among regulars

• Work actively from dominant ground positions — don't stall⚡ Contested
  — Holding a dominant ne-waza position (mount, back control, side control) without actively pursuing a submission or transition is considered stalling and disrespectful to the spirit of the match. The expectation is continuous progress toward a finish, not passive time-burning.(Referees enforce activity rules (ne-waza must show progress), but the unwritten norm extends beyond what referees call — competitors who chronically stall earn reputational consequences in their communities.)[1]