The rules that govern every match at an LVL event.
# LVL Grappling Federation: Competition Rules > **What this is:** the rules that govern every match at an LVL event. It covers how matches are officiated, how points and advantages are scored, what counts as a foul, how penalties are applied, and what athletes wear on the mat. > > **Who it is for:** athletes, parents, coaches, and referees. The athlete and parent sections are written to be read by a nervous first-timer and a 25-tournament veteran alike. The referee and scoring sections are precise enough to officiate from. > > **How LVL placement fits:** your division at an LVL event is set by our fair-match placement, not by your belt alone. Your LVL and age still matter for one thing in this document: they determine which techniques are legal for you, because that is a safety standard. Your placement never changes what is safe for you to do on the mat. **Most tournaments are designed around the bracket. LVL is designed around the athlete.** These rules exist so that every athlete competes at their level, is kept safe, and is treated with respect from the first whistle to the raised hand. --- ## How to read this document LVL competition follows the established international standard for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, written in LVL's language and ordered by LVL's priorities: safety first, then fairness, then a clean and well-run match. Where a rule protects younger athletes specifically, it is called out plainly. Nothing here is invented for effect. If a rule is an LVL choice rather than the common standard, it says so. The document is organized into nine sections: 1. Legal Techniques by Age and LVL 2. Refereeing 3. Match Decisions 4. Scoring Principles 5. Scoring Positions 6. Advantages 7. Fouls 8. Penalties 9. Uniform, Hygiene, and Equipment --- ## 1 · Legal Techniques by Age and LVL This is the chart parents read most closely, and it is the one LVL holds most firmly. A technique is legal for an athlete only when it is allowed for both their age and their LVL. **This protects developing bodies. It is a safety standard, not a competitive one, and an athlete's placement never changes it.** The simplest way to read it: techniques unlock as an athlete grows older and more experienced. Here is what becomes legal, and when. **Always prohibited, for every athlete at every level (these can cause serious injury):** - Slam (lifting and driving the opponent down to escape or finish). - Spinal lock without a choke. - Scissor takedown (kani basami). - Bending the fingers backward. - Grabbing the belt to throw an opponent onto their head when defending a single leg with the head outside. - Suplex that lands the opponent on the head or neck. **Legal only for adult LVL 3-4, in No-Gi:** - Heel hook. - Locks that twist the knee. - Knee reaping. - Toe hold applying outward pressure on the foot. **Legal from adult LVL 3-4 (Gi and No-Gi):** - Bicep slicer. - Calf slicer. - Knee bar. - Toe hold. - Straight foot lock turning toward the foot that is not under attack. **Legal from adult LVL 2:** - A lock inside the closed guard with the legs compressing the kidneys or ribs. - Wrist lock. - Single-leg takedown while the attacking athlete's head is on the outside of the opponent's body. **Legal from age 16 (all LVLs):** - Choke with a spinal lock. - Straight foot lock. - Forearm choke using the sleeve (Ezequiel choke). - Frontal guillotine choke. - Omoplata. - Triangle with the head pulled. - Arm triangle. - Submission techniques that stretch the legs apart. *For all divisions under 18, referees may pause or stop the match at any time to prioritize athlete safety.* --- ## 2 · Refereeing ### 2.1 Authority of the referee The referee is the highest authority on the mat. The referee's ruling on the result of a match stands and is not open to debate at the table. A result may be corrected only in narrow circumstances: - The score on the board was misread. - The athlete declared the winner finished their opponent with a hold that is illegal for that division and the referee did not see it at the time. - An athlete was disqualified in error for using a legal hold. If the match was stopped and the athlete disqualified before the athlete under attack tapped, the match restarts at the center of the mat and the attacking athlete is awarded two points. If the athlete under attack tapped before the stoppage, the athlete applying the hold is the winner. A referee's judgment on points, advantages, or penalties is final and not subject to change. To overturn a result, the referee may consult the event's head referee, but the final call is the referee's. A result may be overturned only if the bracket has not yet advanced to the next stage. Once awards for a bracket have been given, results are not overturned. ### 2.2 Refereeing format LVL may assign three referees to a single match when the moment calls for it. Two corner referees are seated at opposite corners and hold the same authority as the central referee. Any point, advantage, or penalty must be confirmed by at least two of the three. When the three referees disagree on what a single action earned, the middle ruling stands. Example: if one referee signals a guard pass, one signals an advantage, and one signals a deduction, the advantage is recorded. When a match ends level on points, advantages, and penalties, the three referees decide the winner together by a show of hands, and the central referee announces the majority decision. When available, LVL may use video replay to correct points, advantages, or penalties. A correction is made only when the two replay referees agree, and their decision is not contested by the referees on the mat. ### 2.3 Referee duties The referee runs the match from start to finish. The referee's duties include: - Calling the athletes onto the mat and starting the match. - Confirming each athlete meets attire and hygiene requirements before the match, and deciding whether any gap can be corrected within a set amount of time. - Positioning the athletes, and signaling scores for the athlete on the right with the right arm (marked on the colored side of the scoreboard) and the athlete on the left with the left arm. - Positioning athletes by gi color so the two are always distinguishable, providing a colored identification belt when both wear the same color. - Stepping in whenever needed. When the referee stops the action, athletes hold their position as best they can. - Keeping the match inside the competition area, and restarting at the center when the action leaves it, following the boundary rules in 1.3.7 below. - Protecting the athlete's spine in matches for athletes under twelve, by positioning behind a child who is lifted off the ground, as in a triangle or closed guard. - Signaling every point, advantage, and penalty, calling medical staff when needed, calling time at the end of regulation, announcing the result, and raising the arm of the winner and only the winner. **2.3.7 Boundary rules.** When two thirds of the athletes' bodies are outside the competition area in a stabilized ground position, the referee stops the match and restarts it at the center in the same positions. While standing, if an athlete steps into the safety area before a takedown is underway, or when two thirds of the bodies leave the area during unstabilized ground action, the referee stands both athletes up at the center. A submission hold in progress in the safety area is not interrupted. If the athlete under attack escapes by moving out of the area, the referee restarts at the center standing, and awards two points to the athlete applying the hold when it is clear the defending athlete caused the exit. Points and advantages are assessed only up to the edge of the safety area. ### 2.4 Referee gestures and commands LVL referees use a shared set of gestures and spoken commands so athletes, coaches, and the table always know what was called. The core spoken commands are the standard ones used across the sport: - **Combate** (Portuguese), **Start** (English). Begin the match. - **Parou** (Portuguese), **Stop** (English). Stop. The clock and the action both pause. - **Lute** (Portuguese), **Stalling** (English). Engage and pursue the position. Used when an athlete is not working to progress (see lack of combativeness in 6.2). - **Falta** (Portuguese), **Penalty** (English). A penalty has been called. Gestures cover the full match: summoning athletes, starting and stopping, awarding two, three, and four points, awarding an advantage, deducting points, calling a penalty for stalling or a serious foul, signaling a disqualification, directing an athlete to fix their gi or stay inside the area, instructing an athlete to stand or return to the ground, and announcing the result by raising the winner's arm. --- ## 3 · Match Decisions A match is decided in one of the following ways: submission, stoppage, disqualification, loss of consciousness, score, referee decision, or random draw. ### 3.1 Submission A submission ends the match. It is recognized when an athlete: - Taps clearly twice with the hand on the opponent, the mat, or themselves. - Taps the mat twice with a foot when the arms are trapped. - Verbally asks to stop. - Calls out or makes a sound expressing pain while caught in a hold. ### 3.2 Stoppage The referee or medical staff stops the match, and the opponent is declared the winner, when an athlete cannot safely continue. This includes cramping, a hold the referee judges likely to cause serious injury, a doctor ruling an athlete unable to continue after an injury caused by a legal hold, bleeding that cannot be controlled after two treatments per injury, or an athlete losing control of basic bodily functions. ### 3.3 Disqualification When an athlete commits a foul covered in Section 7, the referee applies the penalties in Section 8, up to disqualification. ### 3.4 Loss of consciousness An athlete who loses consciousness from a legal hold, or from an accident not caused by an illegal move, loses the match. An athlete who loses consciousness from head trauma does not compete again at the same event and is directed to medical staff. Athlete safety is not negotiable. ### 3.5 Scoring When a match reaches regulation time, or is stopped because both athletes are injured, the athlete with the most points wins. The points table: | Points | Positions | |---|---| | 4 points | Mount, Back mount, Back control | | 3 points | Guard pass | | 2 points | Takedown, Sweep, Knee on belly | If points are level, the athlete with more advantages wins. If points and advantages are level, the athlete with fewer penalties wins. ### 3.6 Referee decision If points, advantages, and penalties are all level, the referee declares a winner based on who showed greater offense and came closest to scoring or finishing. ### 3.7 Random draw If both athletes are accidentally injured in a final, the score is tied at that moment, and neither can continue, the result is decided by random draw. --- ## 4 · Scoring Principles Points are awarded by the central referee when an athlete stabilizes a scoring position for three seconds. A match should unfold as a progression of controlled positions leading toward a finish. An athlete who gives up a position and then reaches the same position again does not score for it twice. An athlete who reaches a scoring position while still caught in a submission hold scores only after escaping the hold and holding the position for three seconds. If the athlete escapes only after leaving the scoring position, no points or advantages are awarded for it. If the opponent locks in a submission during the three-second count, the count stops, and the athlete is awarded an advantage for each scoring position reached, whether or not the position is held after the escape. An athlete who reaches several positions while being attacked and does not escape before the match ends is awarded a single advantage. Points accumulate through a sequence of positions when the final three-second control continues directly from the earlier control. The referee counts three seconds at the end of the sequence, then awards the total. Example: a guard pass followed by mount is worth seven points (3 + 4). When both athletes pull guard at the same time, the athlete who reaches the top position first is awarded an advantage. --- ## 5 · Scoring Positions ### 5.1 Takedown (2 points) Awarded when an athlete who starts the movement with both feet on the ground brings the opponent to their back, side, or seat and establishes top control for three seconds. When the opponent is forced down to all fours or belly-down, points are awarded once the athlete controls the back, without needing hooks, keeping at least one of the opponent's knees on the ground for three seconds. Key cases: - A takedown started inside the area but finishing in the safety area still scores if it stabilizes for three seconds. The referee scores it, then restarts at the center in the same position. - No points are awarded for taking an opponent down from their knees, whether the action starts from guard or any other ground position, unless it is a sweep-defense situation as described here. - An athlete who initiates a takedown before the opponent begins to pull guard is awarded the takedown. An athlete who initiates after the opponent has begun to pull guard is not. - When an athlete has a grip on the opponent's pants and the opponent pulls guard, the athlete with the grip scores the takedown by stabilizing top position on the ground for three seconds. ### 5.2 Guard pass (3 points) Awarded when the athlete on top clears the opponent's legs (passing guard or half-guard) and holds side control or north-south for three seconds. Guard is the use of one or more legs to block the top athlete from reaching side or north-south control. Half-guard is when the bottom athlete traps one of the top athlete's legs while on their back or side. If an athlete attacking from the top ends up on the bottom and does not use the legs to block the pass, no guard-pass points or advantages are awarded. ### 5.3 Knee on belly (2 points) Awarded when the top athlete, clear of the guard, places the knee or shin on the opponent's belly, chest, or ribs, with the other knee off the ground, and holds it stable for three seconds while the opponent is on their back or side. ### 5.4 Mount and back mount (4 points) Awarded when the athlete is on top, clear of half-guard, seated on the opponent's torso, facing the head, with two knees or one foot and one knee on the ground, and at most one of the opponent's arms trapped under a leg, held for three seconds. If a leg traps one of the opponent's arms, it scores only when that leg does not extend past the opponent's shoulder. No mount points are awarded when the athlete lands with a triangle locked around the opponent. A direct transition between mount and back mount earns four points for each, when each is stabilized for three seconds. ### 5.5 Back control (4 points) Awarded when the athlete takes the opponent's back, places both heels between the opponent's thighs without crossing the legs, and is positioned to trap at most one of the opponent's arms below the shoulder line, held for three seconds. Crossed feet or a figure-four lock around the waist is an advantage, not back-control points. ### 5.6 Sweep (2 points) Awarded when the bottom athlete, with the opponent in guard or half-guard, reverses the position to top and holds it for three seconds. This also applies when the reversal turns the opponent to all fours and the sweeping athlete controls the back (without needing hooks, with one of the opponent's knees on the ground for three seconds), or when the bottom athlete stands, puts the opponent down, and holds the top position for three seconds. > The positions above describe the common cases. They do not capture every situation that can earn points on the mat. The referee applies these principles to what actually happens. --- ## 6 · Advantages An advantage recognizes near-completion. It is awarded when an athlete clearly comes close to a scoring position but cannot hold it for the full three seconds, or when an athlete attempts a submission that puts the opponent in real danger of being finished. The referee judges how close the position or submission came. An advantage may be awarded after time expires but before the result is announced, and only once there is no longer a chance of completing the scoring position. Advantages can come from a takedown that does not stabilize, a guard pass that controls the back in a kneeling position without hooks or reaches half-guard without finishing, a knee on belly with the other knee down rather than the foot, a mount or back-control attempt with both arms trapped or the feet crossed, or a sweep that reaches the top without stabilizing. Advantages are not awarded in certain cases, including: a half-guard that does not come from a pass attempt or that is then completed into a pass, a defended takedown that the defender rolls out of into top position, a sweep that begins and ends in 50/50 guard, or an attempt that drags the opponent out of bounds without ever reaching the top. --- ## 7 · Fouls A foul is a disciplinary or technical infraction committed before, during, or after a match. **Safety and respect are the reasons these rules exist.** Section 7 sets out how each foul is penalized. ### 7.1 Disciplinary fouls A disciplinary foul is conduct that has no place at an LVL event. It includes profane language or obscene gestures toward an opponent, the table, an official, or the public; hostile behavior toward anyone in the building; biting, hair-pulling, striking, pressure to the eyes or groin, or any deliberate traumatic blow such as a punch, elbow, knee, head butt, or kick; disrespectful behavior in words or gestures, including in celebration; treating the competition as a joke or simulating fake action; and any other conduct incompatible with a respectful competition environment. Respect at LVL runs in every direction: athletes, referees, coaches, and parents. ### 7.2 Technical fouls Technical fouls fall into three groups: lack of combativeness, serious fouls, and severe fouls. **7.2.1 Lack of combativeness (stalling).** Stalling is when an athlete clearly is not working to progress the position. It is called when neither athlete engages, or when both pull guard at the same time and, after a 20-second count, neither has reached the top, secured a submission, or is on the verge of scoring (in which case both are penalized and the match restarts standing). It is not called against an athlete who is defending from underneath mount, back control, side control, or north-south, or against an athlete holding a legitimate mount or back position. An athlete in 50/50 guard who grips the opponent's lapel or belt has 20 seconds to progress before being penalized, regardless of intent. **7.2.2 Serious fouls.** A serious foul interrupts the spirit of fair competition without endangering an athlete. Serious fouls include: - Kneeling, sitting, or pulling guard without first establishing a grip. - Fleeing the area while standing to avoid engagement, or pushing the opponent out of bounds without a clear attempt to score or finish. - Sliding out of bounds on the ground to avoid action, standing up to escape and not returning to the ground, or breaking a guard-pull grip and not returning to the ground. - Deliberately removing one's own gi or belt and forcing a stoppage. - Gripping inside the opponent's sleeve or pant cuff with fingers placed inside the garment, gripping inside the gi top or pants, or reaching through the inside of the gi to grip the outside. - Communicating, by word or gesture, in a way that disputes the referee's decision, or disobeying a referee's order. - Leaving the mat after a match before the result is announced. - Deliberately fleeing the area to avoid a worse position or to deny the opponent's score. In this case the referee penalizes the fleeing athlete and awards the opponent two points. - In No-Gi, gripping one's own or the opponent's clothing in any way. - Placing a hand or foot on the opponent's face. - Placing a foot in the opponent's belt, on the lapel without a supporting hand grip, or in the lapel behind the neck. - Using either athlete's belt to assist a choke while it is untied. - Taking more than 20 seconds to adjust the uniform (counted separately for the gi top and belt, the identification belt, and the drawstring). - Running around the area instead of engaging. - Unintentionally reacting in a way that places the opponent in an illegal position. - **In divisions under fifteen years old (all LVLs) and in all adult LVL 1 divisions, jumping to closed guard on a standing opponent, including flying attacks such as flying triangles and flying armbars.** When this happens the referee stands both athletes up. If the athlete was defending a takedown or sweep and jumped guard, the opponent is awarded two points. - Displaying conduct unsuited to the competition environment that falls short of a disciplinary foul, such as gestures meant to suggest superiority or to ridicule. **7.2.3 Severe fouls.** A severe foul endangers an athlete or deliberately undermines the match, and it ends the match immediately. Severe fouls include: - A gi rendered unusable that cannot be replaced in the time the referee allows. - Deliberately fleeing the area to avoid tapping to a submission. - Committing a penalty that forces a stoppage while being attacked with a submission. - Deliberately placing the opponent in an illegal position to get them disqualified. - Competing without the required undergarment (see 8.3). - Applying any cream, oil, gel, or slippery substance to the body, any substance that increases grip on the body, or any substance that makes the gi slippery. - Choking the opponent without the gi using one or both hands around the neck, or pressing the windpipe with the thumb. - Blocking the opponent's nose or mouth with the hands. - When defending a single-leg takedown with the attacker's head outside the body, deliberately driving the attacker to the ground by the belt so they land on the head. - A suplex that drives or forces the opponent's head or neck into the ground. The suplex itself is allowed only when it does not force the head or neck into the mat. - Applying a hold that is prohibited for the athlete's division, as set out in the legal-techniques chart below. ### 7.3 Knee reaping (definition) Knee reaping is a specific, prohibited action. It occurs when an athlete places the thigh behind the opponent's leg and passes the calf across the opponent's body above the knee, carrying the foot past the vertical midline of the opponent's body and applying pressure on the knee from outside to inside, while the foot of the at-risk leg is trapped between the athlete's hip and armpit. The foot does not need to be held to be considered trapped. When an athlete stands and bears weight on the foot of the same leg as the endangered knee, that foot is considered trapped. For all athletes except Adults LVL 3-4 No-Gi (ages 4–15, ages 16–17, and Adult & Masters LVL 1 and LVL 2), when both athletes sit with legs crossed in a legal position and one stands up, putting the opponent into the reaping position, the referee stops the match, reseats the bottom athlete, stands the top athlete at a distance to allow new grips, and restarts. If this follows a sweep, the referee waits three seconds to confirm stabilization, awards two points to the top athlete, then resets as above. For Adults LVL 3-4 No-Gi, the referee does not interrupt, and no penalty is applied in this specific case. Crossing the foot past the body's limit, or doing so while a submission is in hold, is a severe foul. --- ## 8 · Penalties Penalties keep a match flowing and keep the rules respected. They fall into three groups: severe fouls, serious fouls, and penalties for lack of combativeness. ### 8.1 Severe penalties A severe technical foul is summary disqualification from the match at the moment it happens. A severe disciplinary foul is summary disqualification from the match and from the competition. An athlete disqualified from a Gi event who is also entered in No-Gi is disqualified from both. ### 8.2 Serious penalties Serious fouls and lack-of-combativeness penalties accumulate together on the same escalating scale: - **1st penalty.** Marked against the athlete. - **2nd penalty.** An advantage is awarded to the opponent, and the second penalty is marked. - **3rd penalty.** Two points are awarded to the opponent, and the third penalty is marked. - **4th penalty.** Disqualification. If both athletes reach a third penalty for stalling at the same time, the match restarts standing. **Youth protection (under 15).** In divisions under fifteen years old, the scale is more forgiving so a young athlete is not sent home early over technical errors. On the fourth and fifth penalties, the referee awards two points to the opponent and marks one penalty against the athlete for each. Disqualification comes only on the sixth penalty. ### 8.3 Penalties for lack of combativeness When an athlete is stalling as described in 7.2.1, the referee counts 20 consecutive seconds, signals with the command **Lute, or Stalling**, and applies the next penalty on the scale in 8.2. Penalties for stalling and penalties for serious fouls are added together on the same scoreboard. --- ## 9 · Uniform, Hygiene, and Equipment A clean, correct uniform is part of competing with respect, and it keeps both athletes safe. ### 9.1 Gi and uniform - The gi is made of cotton or a cotton-like woven fabric (pearl weave for juvenile, adult, and master divisions), not so thick or stiff that it cannot be gripped. - The gi is a single solid color: white, royal blue, or black. Jackets, pants, and collars must match. No shirts under the gi, except in female divisions, where a close-fitting elastic top (short or long sleeved) or a one-piece athletic garment is required. - The gi must be clean, dry, free of tears or mending, and free of odor. - The jacket reaches the thigh. Sleeves end within 2 cm of the wrist when the arm is extended. Pants end within 2 cm of the ankle bone. Under male gi pants, no other pants are worn. Under female gi pants, close-fitting elastic pants shorter than the gi pants are allowed. - The belt is 4 to 5 cm wide, colored to rank, with a black tip (white or red tip for black belts). It wraps the waist twice over the jacket and ties in a double knot snug enough to hold the jacket closed, with each end hanging 20 to 30 cm. - Painted gis are not allowed except for an academy or sponsor logo in permitted patch areas, and the athlete must change if the paint marks the opponent's gi. - Every athlete is entitled to three uniform inspections. Inspectors check sleeve and pant length, collar thickness (up to 1.3 cm) and width (up to 5 cm), and sleeve slack (up to 7 cm), along with the condition of the belt. - After weigh-in, an athlete may not change the gi before the first match, under penalty of disqualification. After the first match, a change may be requested from the Ring Coordinator and must pass a new inspection. **No-Gi attire.** Both athletes wear a close-fitting elastic shirt long enough to cover the torso to the waistband, colored black, white, or black and white, carrying at least 10 percent of the athlete's rank color (a shirt fully in the rank color is also allowed). Shorts are black, white, black and white, or the rank color, without pockets (or with pockets stitched shut), buttons, zippers, exposed drawstrings, or any hard material, reaching at least halfway down the thigh and no longer than the knee. Close-fitting compression shorts or spats in the same colors may be worn beneath. ### 9.2 Hygiene - Fingernails and toenails are trimmed short. - Long hair is tied back so it does not bother the opponent. - An athlete is disqualified if hair dye or makeup stains the opponent's gi during a match. - Footwear is worn up to the edge of the mat. - After weigh-in, inspectors check for skin conditions. An athlete with a skin lesion is sent to the medical area and must present a doctor's statement that it is not contagious or harmful. The event physician has the final say on whether an athlete may compete. ### 9.3 Further requirements - An athlete steps on the official scale only once. Knee or elbow braces are removed for weigh-in but worn at gi inspection. Nothing beyond the regular uniform is worn on the scale. - Patches must sit in authorized areas, be cotton, and be properly sewn. Unsewn or misplaced patches are removed. - No patches or text, embroidered or handwritten, that relate to political ideology, or that are offensive on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, culture, or religion, or that promote violence, vandalism, sexual content, drugs, alcohol, or tobacco. - No footwear, headgear, hairpins, jewelry, hard genital protectors, or any hard protector that could injure either athlete, including eye protectors. Joint braces that add enough bulk to block grips are not allowed. - In female divisions, a head covering is permitted if it is fixed, made of elastic fabric without plastic, hard parts, or strings, free of any logo or text, and colored black, white, black and white, or the rank color. A single-piece elastic covering for the neck, ears, and hair is also allowed in the same colors. - An undergarment of the brief type is mandatory in every competition, Gi or No-Gi. Failing to wear one is a severe foul under 7.2.3 and carries the penalty in 8.1. --- ## A note on how LVL applies these rules These rules describe how a match is officiated and scored. They sit alongside, and never override, LVL's promises to the athlete: that you are matched fairly, kept safe, and treated with respect. Division placement at an LVL event is determined by LVL's fair-match system. LVL and age appear in this document only where safety requires them, in the legal-techniques chart and the youth-protection penalty scale. When a question on the mat is not answered here, the referee applies the principles above, with athlete safety first. When a question off the mat is not answered here, it is decided by LVL's event guidelines. --- **LVL Grappling Federation. Compete. Improve. Level Up.**