The Bayou Jiu-Jitsu League rule set was made by the owners and trusted consultants after simplifying concepts and abiding by established Jiu Jitsu norms in accordance with well recognized international tournaments. It is the responsibility of the competitor and coaches to know the rules prior to the match start. 

If you have any questions that are not addressed here or would like clarification, please do not hesitate to Contact Us. 

Bayou Jiu Jitsu League 

Last Update: Oct 2022 

Tournament Brackets 

• Bayou Jiu Jitsu League follows a modified single elimination tournament format.
• Be aware that a single loss could eliminate a participant from competing further in their division, depending on the size of the bracket. Kids have a two match guarantee and are offered consolation matches in this case. 
• Divisions with 4 or more participants will be single elimination until the semi-finals. The two participants that lose their semi-final match will compete for third place. 

Bracketing 

It is sometimes necessary to collapse divisions when bracketing. In this situation, the safety and fairness of the participants is the Bayou Jiu-Jitsu League’s number one priority.  

Some ways divisions may be collapsed are as follows:

• Mix genders 
• Tiny Grapplers, Little Kids, Kids and Juniors will be merged automatically
• Juniors and Teens will be moved only with parent or coach request 
• Move in Age
• Tiny Grapplers, Little Kids, Kids, and Juniors may be moved up one age group 
• Pre Teens may be moved up to Teen 1 (Orange and Green- Adult upon request)
• Teen 2 may be moved up to Adult 
• Masters, Seniors, and Executives may be moved down multiple age groups. 
• Move in Weight
• Any participant may be moved up in weight (10 lbs or less) 
• Move in Belt Rank (only 1 rank for kids unless Open division) 

Ideally, only one option will be needed to find the participant a match, aside from collapsing the genders. Some exception examples include: 

• A 7-year-old boy that weighs 54 lbs can be moved to the 8-9 year old division against an 8-year-old girl that weighs 57 lbs. 
• A 16 year old boy may be moved into the Adult division. 
• A 13 year old Orange belt may be moved into the Blue belt division Teen or Adult. 

Bonus Divisions 

• If the situation arises where a participant cannot be fairly matched in a division, the participant that is closest in age, weight and rank will be offered a bonus division. 
• Bonus divisions are free and optional. If you (or your child/student) have been added to an additional division, and do not wish to participate, please Contact Us (clickable email link). 

In the event you receive a bonus match we will make every attempt for you to compete in your normal division first, before competing in the bonus division. 

Two Match Minimums

• Kids’ divisions (4-17 years old) will be guaranteed two matches, excluding open divisions. 
• If a kid participant loses the first match in a bracket that would eliminate them from the bracket, that participant will be given a second match at the end of the division. This is called a Consolation Match. Consolation matches provide kid participants more competition experience for the same registration fee.
• Consolation matches are for experience only. Consolation match results will not affect medal placement. Example: In a two person bracket, Person A wins the first match, and Person B wins the consolation match. Person A will receive gold and person B takes silver. 
•  We provide every opportunity for each kid participant to receive a consolation match. There are rare occasions out of our control that prevent these matches. If your child does not have two matches in their division (excluding open class), please reach out to our tournament staff at the event. 

Consolation Match Examples

Two-person division – This is not the best two out of three. The first match will dictate medal placement. The match clock will be reset for rest time and the second match is the consolation match. Example: if your match time is 2 minutes, 2 minutes rest will be provided before the consolation match. 

Three-person division – If the loser of match one also loses match two, a consolation match is not necessary. If the loser of match one wins match two,  a consolation match between the winner of match one and the loser of match two is run as a consolation after the first-place match. 

Four-person division – Bracket begins with the semi-final matches. The second match will be the Finals for the winners and Third Place match for the losers. No consolation matches necessary.

Five+ person division - This is where bracket placement will indicate which competitors are awarded consolation matches. In a five person bracket, the loser of  match one would be offered a consolation match at the end of the bracket. The remaining participants would not need consolation matches because they would still have  a second match in the division. 

Divisions

• No matter what your weight, age or rank, Bayou Jiu-Jitsu League has you covered! With well over 1,800 possible weight, age and rank combinations, we are certain we can find a division for you. 
• When creating divisions, it is common to mix the genders for the Kids divisions to ensure matches. Genders will not be mixed in the Teen, Juvenile, Adult, Masters, Seniors, or Executives divisions. 

Belt Selections: 

Kids/Teens 

1. White 
2. Grey/White, Grey, Grey/black 
3. Yellow/White, Yellow, Yellow/Black 
4. Orange/White, Orange, Orange/Black 
5. Green/White, Green, Green/Black 
6. Blue 

Adults, Masters, Seniors, and Executive 

1. White 
2. Blue 
3. Purple 
4. Brown 
5. Black 

Age Groups 

• Bayou Jiu-jitsu League has divisions for all ages. Please select the division that would reflect the participants age on the day of the tournament.  

 

Kids/Teen 

1. 4-5 years-old “Tiny Grapplers” 
2. 6 -7 years-old “Little Kids” 
3. 8-9 years-old “Kids” 
4. 10-11 years-old “Junior” 
5. 12-13 years-old “Pre Teen” 
6. 14-15 years-old “Teen 1” 
7. 16-17 years-old “Teen 2” 

Adults 

1. 18-29 “Adults” 
2. 30+ “Masters” 
3. 40+ “Seniors” 
4. 50+ “Executives” 

Match duration by division 

Kids- All Ranks

1. Tiny Grapplers - 2 minutes 
2. Little Kids - 2 minutes 
3. Kids - 3 minutes 
4. Juniors - 3 minutes 
5. Pre Teen- 4 minutes
6. Teens - 4 minutes 
7. Open Kids - 3 minutes 

Adult, Master, Senior, Executive, and Open 

1. White - 5 minutes 
   
2. Blue - 5 minutes 
3. Purple - 6 minutes 
4. Brown - 6 minutes 
5. Black - 6 minutes 

Additional information

• You must register for the division you currently hold Brazilian Jiu Jitsu rank in. The only exceptions are as follows: 

1. Judo Black Belts, collegiate wrestlers and professional MMA fighters must register as a Blue Belt if they hold no rank in Brazilian JiuJitsu. 
2. Orange Belts can enter both their Teen division and the Adult Blue Belt divisions 
3. Green Belts can enter both their Teen division and the Adult, Blue or Purple Belt divisions

Weight Divisions 

Competitors will weigh-in the day of the tournament upon arriving. Participants will not be required to weigh with a gi on. Keep in mind the penalty for missing weight is disqualification. We realize home scales may be calibrated differently than our tournament scales, and we offer a 1 lb weight allowance for this reason.

 

Kids and Teens Weight: (lbs) 

1. Light Rooster - 45
   
2. Rooster - 55 
3. Light Feather - 65 
4. Feather - 75 
5. Light - 85 
6. Middle - 95 
7. Light Heavy - 105 
8. Medium Heavy - 115 
9. Heavy - 125 
10. Super Heavy - 135 
11.  Ultra Heavy - 145 
12. Super Ultra Heavy - 146+ 

ADULTS-Executives Weight: (lbs) 

Male: 

1. Light Rooster -115 
2. Rooster - 126 
3. Light Feather - 138 
4. Feather - 145 
5. Light - 152 
6. Middle - 170 
7. Medium Heavy - 182 
8. Heavy - 195 
9. Super Heavy - 220 
10.  Ultra Heavy - 220+ 

Female: 

1. Rooster - 105 
2. Light Feather - 120 
3. Feather - 135 
4. Light - 150 
5. Middle - 165 
6. Medium Heavy - 180 
7. Heavy - 195 
8. Super Heavy - 196+ 

Open Class Divisions 

Kids: 

1. The Kids Open Class divisions  group participants by weight rather than rank. 
2. For safety reasons we require Youth Open Class participants to be White,

Gray, Yellow, Orange, or Green Belt and be between 7-15 years old. (Teen II Competitors will be eligible for the adult open class divisions.) 

• Example: An 75 lb, Orange belt, 10 year old competitor can compete against an 73 lb, 11 year old, Grey belt. 
  

Adults: 

1. The Open Class divisions for adult allows competitors the opportunity to compete at their age and rank against other weight classes. 
2. Generally, these divisions have little participation from lighter weight competitors for fear of injury. 
3. Bayou Jiu-Jitsu League split each Open Class division into two groups to offer the opportunity to compete against other weight classes without extreme weight differences. 
• For those competitors who would like to compete in a division with an extreme weight class difference, they are welcome to enter the Open II division. 
4. The limit for the female Open I division is 135 lbs  and the male Open I division is 175 lbs. 
5. Open II has no weight limit 

Scoring 

Points - Gi and No Gi 

For any points to be awarded, all takedowns, guard passes, sweeps, knee on belly, mounts and back control must be held for 3 seconds. Unless a submission is in play. Once the submission is cleared the count will begin. 

Takedown- 2 points

• Anytime two competitors are on the feet, and one forces the other to the mat in a bottom position. Must stabilize and remain on top for three seconds to receive points.
• Snap down, circle and control. If during the takedown attempt an opponent lands on his knee, the initiating competitor must circle his body behind the opponent's shoulders, and remain in control. Upper body control variations do not affect scoring. The top player must clear the bottom player’s arms for the count to start for points to be awarded. Hands can still be gripping pants and the count start, but the count will not start if the bottom player's arms are holding the top player’s legs from bottom turtle. One or both knees must be on the ground for 3 seconds  with the top player controlling from behind in order for points to be given.

Knee on Belly- 2 

• Points are awarded if the opponent is on their back or side.
• Must be the leg closest to the opponent's legs. 
• Not awarded if the opponent has spider guard. 

Sweep- 2 points  

• First person to come on top in a double guard pull earns an advantage.
• Passers must free all limbs from guard before count begins. 
• Passer must clear the him line and legs before the count starts.
• After a double guard pull the competitors have 20 seconds to come on top or will be reset standing with one penalty each.
• To earn points for a sweep a guard must be in play (using the legs). All sweeps must come from a guard. 
• Side control, knee on belly, mount or reversals do not earn sweep points.
• Sweeps from 50/50 will only be awarded points one time each, unless the position changes and returns to 50/50; competitors may earn points one time each again. 
• If after a sweep the person who initiated the sweep can control their opponent from turtle behind their shoulders for 3 seconds, two points will be awarded. (see circle and control section ).  

Guard Pass- 3 points

• A guard (bottom player’s legs in play) must be established for passing points to be considered. 
• Passer must free all limbs to be considered out of the guards. Cradles are considered a guard pass.
• Passer must clear the hip line and legs before the count starts. If there is a guard pass to an unpoint worthy position;only pass points will be awarded. 

Back (Back Mount, Back Control, Body Triangle, or Hooks)- 4 points

• Body Triangle – feet must be outside the opponent's legs. 
• Hooks - without feet crossed.  
• Legs are allowed to trap arms but are not allowed over the shoulder of their opponent..
• Back Mount - when the bottom player is belly down and top players' shins are on either side of the opponent's hips. 

Mount (Reverse Mount, Technical Mount, or Traditional)- 4 points 

• Traditional Mount – must be knees below the shoulders.
• Sweeping with a triangle will not constitute mount points.
• Technical Mount – when one is on their side and the top player has heel tight to belly and shin tight to back. 
• Reverse Mount will not be awarded any points

Advantages

• Advantages are only awarded for strong submission attempts and double guard situations.
• There needs to be no more needed steps to apply the submission.
• There is no time requirement for a submission to be held to be awarded an advantage. 

Additional Guidelines 

1. Referees will count the stabilization time by vertically moving their fist from their shoulder to their thigh. If the refs hit their thigh a third time, points will be awarded. If the count never touches the refs thigh a third time there is no point awarded 
2. Points will not be awarded for competitors who voluntarily abandon a position and then regain that same position. 
3. Points can be awarded after the end of the match. If the referee has begun to count stabilizing time during the match period, and the clock expires, the points will be awarded to the person controlling their position. 
4. No points will be awarded outside of the mat boundary line. All points must be scored inside the competition ring 
5. Restarts in Gi divisions with a lapel taken out or being used will be left out and restarted with the belt tied and the lapel shall be restarted in the same grips 
6. Legally blind competitors can start the match, and any restart, with both hands palm to palm with their opponent. One hand will be facing up and one facing down. 
7. Hand over mouth suffocation techniques can only be attacked from the back. 

Additional Kids Division Rules 

1. Kids are not permitted to “jump” to gain a closed guard. They are required to pull guard. They can not have both soles of their feet leave the ground for a guard jump or back take. The kids divisions are not allowed to jump on top of any standing opponent for safety reasons. The back and side positions when standing are included in this rule. 
2. Kids must pull guard with a submission from standing. Standing submissions are not permitted and will result in disqualification if their opponent taps. If a referee is able to stop the submission before a tap happens, the submission will not be restarted. The two competitors will start from a neutral standing position in the center of the mat and the attacker will be penalized. 

3. Flying submissions are legal versus a seated opponent . (Example: A is standing, B is sitting Butterfly, A can jump to a triangle because the danger of breaking knees is changed.)
4. All Guillotines, Arm Triangle variations, all shoulder lock submissions, and pulling the head of a Triangle are legal. 
5. No submissions below the waist are legal for kids divisions. 

Submissions

A competitor wins via submission by forcing an opponent to: 

• Referee Stoppage 

○ The referee has the ability to stop a match when a competitor is caught in a submission that could cause a serious injury. 

• Verbally Tap 

○ Request the referee to stop the match 

○ Make any noise that sounds like pain while a match is in progress 

○ Crying during a match is a verbal tap 

• Physically tap two (2) times 

○ Tap with hand on an opponent or on the mat 

○ Tap with foot on the mat 

Coach Challenges

*If a coach feels the need to challenge a refs call, video evidence must be provided for the ref to review and it must be called to the refs attention BEFORE the match ends. All changes to calls must be done before competitors leave the mat. 

*After a match has been called, questions may be brought to the league managers and clarification will be provided but will NOT change the results. 

Disqualification 

Please note, you will not receive a refund for any disqualification.

There are multiple ways a competitor can be disqualified. 

1. Verbal tap request- If a referee or ring coordinator is given a verbal request from a competitor or competitor’s coach.
2. No show for your bracket time.- Failure to report when your name is called, or if the competitor leaves the pit or staging area. 
3. Uniform not to regulation (see uniform guide).
4. Unsportsmanlike Conduct Disqualification 

The following fouls will result in a warning, penalty and/or disqualification. Malicious fouls will result in immediate disqualification and possible banning from future BJJL events. The list is general and may include other unsportsmanlike conduct perceived by the refs and/or staff that could result in disqualification. 

• Striking (hitting, kicking, head butting, etc.)
• Eye gouging 
• Intentional face or limb scratching 
• Pinching, tickling, or skin twisting 
• Groin attacks
• Fish hooking your opponents mouth
• Biting and spitting 
• Hair yanking 
• Small joint manipulation 
• Cursing and/or foul language 
• Any malicious conduct
• Slamming 
• Touching the referee (unless in need of help or medical attention) 
• Attacking opponent anytime before or after your match
• Illegal submissions (specific to your division) 
• Unethical or wrongful acts against referee, staff, competitors or any attendees will result in immediate disqualification and possible banning from future BJJL events. 
• Interruption/interference by coach or teammate. 

5. Medical Disqualification- Not limited to, but including: cramping, vomiting, loss of bowels, loss of consciousness, or bleeding that cannot be stopped a second time. Any competitor with a concussion or head injury is not permitted to compete for the rest of the day. If the medical staff rules a competitor to be medically disqualified, then that competitor will not be allowed to compete for the remainder of the tournament. Bleeding, eye pokes, groin hits, and dislocated fingers or toes are given a maximum of 5 minutes to recover. 

• Example: If a competitor bleeds from the nose and stops the bleeding, he can continue. If his lip starts bleeding, he is allowed to stop that bleeding and continue. However, the same spot cannot bleed more than once.

Fleeing Warning and Disqualification 

1. Any time a competitor flees the competition area to avoid a submission, the penalty is disqualification (DQ). If the competitor flees the mat to avoid being scored upon, the attacking competitor will be awarded 2 points and the match will begin standing in the center of the mat. 
2. If a competitor’s natural method of escaping the submission causes them to leave the competition area, the competitor will not be disqualified, but 2 points will be awarded and both competitors will resume standing in the center of the mat. 

Penalties and Warnings 

1. Coaches are not allowed inside the competition area unless they are brought in by staff or there is a medical emergency. 
2. For competitors some infractions do not merit an immediate disqualification. In those situations, a warning will be issued in an attempt to discourage that infraction from being repeated. Warnings are not limited to, but include: 

• Arguing with the referee 
• Disengaging from competition (avoiding contact with opponent, fleeing a sweep or takedown, etc.) 
• Illegal grips (grabbing inside the opponent’s sleeve or pant leg) 
• Intentionally removing the gi or belt during a match 
• Pushing an opponent out of bounds 
• Stalling (20 seconds of inactivity)

Excessive penalties/warnings 

1. When a warning is issued, the following penalties are applied: ● First Penalty- Verbal Warning, penalty advantage given 

• Second Penalty– 2 points for opponent and penalty given to the competitor penalized 
• Third Penalty - Disqualification 

Hygiene and Uniform Guidelines 

Competitors must follow the uniform and hygiene requirements to be permitted to compete. Failure to comply will result in disqualification. 

Uniform Guidelines and Inspection 

1. Upon reporting to the Pit a competitor will need to remove any clothing or footwear they will not be competing in. Qualified AGF employees will inspect the competitors for proper uniform requirements as well as excessive hair products (no products or styles that can effect the match are allowed), jewelry, trimmed toe & finger nails, hair length (not to exceed shoulders), excessive lotions or greasing and cleanliness. 
2. If a uniform is damaged during a match, the referee will allow a competitor 5 minutes to change the uniform and return to the match. If the period of time exceeds 5 minutes, then the referee will disqualify the competitor. 

General allowances 

1. Cups are not permitted
2. Headgear of any type is not permitted 
3. Mouthpieces are not required 
4. Wrestling shoes are not permitted 
5. Elbow/Knee sleeves are permitted but cannot contain any hard plastic/metal or aid in preventing a submission. 
6. Bobby pins or any metal hairpins are not permitted 
7. Grappling socks that cover the ball or heel of the foot are not permitted 8. Hair that passes shoulder length must be tied or braided 

Gi 

1. Competitor must wear a valid BJJ kimono 
2. The kimono must not have any tears or loose thread 
3. The kimono must be clean and be free of any excessive stains and odors 
4. Any color kimono is permitted, however the top and bottoms must match 
5. Belt must be intact and in decent shape with no hanging strings 
6. Pants cannot be shorter than 2 inches above the ankle bone 
7. Jacket sleeves cannot be shorter than 1 inch from the wrist 
8. Patches cannot be used in a manner that prevents grips or to cover tears 
9. Competitors are not allowed to wear t-shirts under their gi 
10. Rash guards are allowed under the gi 

No Gi 

1. Wrestling singlets are not allowed. 
2. Competitor must wear a rash guard (t-shirts are not permitted) 
3. Short and long sleeve rash guards are permitted. 
4. Competitors may wear fight shorts, board shorts, spats, or tight biking shorts. 
5. Cut offs are not permitted. Kimono pants that have been hemmed are not permitted. 
6. Shorts with any metal attachments, buttons or gramlets are not permitted. 
7. Shorts must NOT have any pockets, whatsoever. 
8. Shorts with strings are permitted, however the strings must be tucked in and the shorts tied tight so that the shorts do not fall off during a match 

Hygiene Guidelines 

1. Finger and toenails must be trimmed with no sharp edges 
2. Fingernails and toenails must be clean with no dirt underneath them 
3. Competitors with long hair must have it controlled so that it does not interfere with either the competitor or their opponent. Hair must be restricted above the shoulders. 
4. Competitor must not have any open cuts or lacerations 
5. Competitors cannot compete if they have any active skin infections: ringworm, staph, herpes, chicken pox, etc. 
6. Skin must be dry and not be slippery (no lotions, oils or grease that can cause excess slippage)