If you want to compete in BJJ but are unsure of the rules or point system, this article is for you. After you finish reading, you’ll know everything you need to know to start competing. You’ll also be able to strategize your BJJ game to gain as many points and advantages as possible.
I find it unfortunate whenever I see grapplers lose matches since they’re unfamiliar with the rules. You can see that happening when they give up on obvious points for advantages. You can do other things that deprive you of points and might even get your opponent a point or an advantage.
This is unfortunate because they might be playing better. However, they’ll end up losing the match, since they were unable to submit the opponent.
You already know the most fundamental rule of BJJ: you can win a fight in two ways, (1) by submission, and (2) by having more points. Both ways are valid and we’ll review them in this article.
An important note is that this article applies to IBJJF guidelines and not other BJJ official tournaments. However, I will mention some of them and how their scoring system works throughout this article.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the first section of this point system breakdown.
How Does the Point System Work in BJJ?
BJJ’s point system is unique. The average person watching an IBJJF tournament will not understand why the competitors were granted points. This phenomenon can make watching BJJ tournaments quite tedious and annoying. So let’s solve this problem by explaining how it works.
You get points in BJJ by attaining a dominant position for more than 3 seconds. If, for instance, you attain the Knee on Belly position for more than 3 seconds, you get 2 points. Conversely, if you attain the Knee on Belly position for 2 seconds, you will not be rewarded with any points, but with an advantage instead.
This might be too complicated for you to understand, and that’s fine. By continuously reading this article in the order I’ve thoughtfully decided to order it in, you’ll understand everything real soon.
BJJ is all about control. The more control you have, the more likely you are to win any fight. The official BJJ tournaments have realized that and they’ve decided to reward the grapplers with points every time they get control.
The more dominant of a position you attain, the more points you’ll get. In the upcoming parts of this article, you’ll understand how many points you gain for each position. Furthermore, we’ll introduce a critical term you want to understand and familiarize yourself with: advantages.
How to Get 2 Points
The minimum number of points you can get in BJJ competitions is 2. As of 2023, attaining 1 point in an official BJJ tournament—is impossible. This part of the article will explain how you can attain 2, 3, and 4 points, which is the maximum amount.
My aim with this part is to allow you to understand how to get points in BJJ competitions. This is perhaps the most critical part to understand if you desire to compete in BJJ.
| Method | Points Granted |
|---|---|
| Takedown | 2 |
| Sweep | 2 |
| Attain Knee on Belly | 2 |
To get 2 points, you want to either take your opponent down, sweep him, or attain a Knee on Belly position. As you remember, you want to do each one for 3 seconds.
Do them for less and you’ll not be rewarded with any points. Let’s now assume you took your opponent down and he was able to get back on his feet after 2 seconds. In that case, you’ll be rewarded with an advantage, which is less powerful than points.
However, if both competitors have an equal number of points and were unable to submit one another, it’ll be down to who has the most advantages. But if you have 20 advantages and 2 points while your opponent has 0 advantages and 3 points, he’ll win.
Here are a few examples:
| You | Your opponent | Who wins? |
|---|---|---|
| 0 advantages 5 points | 5 advantages 0 points | You |
| 1 advantages 2 points | 0 advantages 2 points | You |
| 1 advantage 2 points | 1 advantage 2 points | Tie |
Here are other articles of mine you want to read if you desire to start attaining 2 points more often in BJJ:
Lumberjack Sweep 101: How to Perform & Master
Flower Sweep (Pendulum): Complete BJJ Breakdown
Mastering the Elevator Sweep in BJJ – Guide
How to Get 3 Points
Alright. So you now have a basic understanding of how to get 2 points in BJJ official tournaments. Likewise, you know that advantages are less powerful than points, but are granted whenever you’re incapable of holding a dominant position for more than 3 seconds.
You also know to judge who’s the winner if you have their advantages and points in front of you. Fantastic! Now, let’s review how to attain 3 points in competitions.
| Method | Points Granted |
|---|---|
| Guard Pass | 3 |
The only way you can get 3 points is by passing the opponent’s guard. However, if you break his closed guard and get on your feet, you will not be rewarded with the points.
So, how do you get the points? You want to pass the opponent’s guard and gain either Side Control or Mount. Now, you’ll be rewarded more if you attain Mount. But the key point here is to attain a more dominant position as a result of passing the opponent’s guard.
If your guard passing game isn’t as solid, here are some articles you’ll definitely enjoy reading:
Stack Pass 101 – BJJ’s Most Important Guard Pass
Toreando Pass 101 – Pass Anyone’s Guard Easily!
The 7 Best BJJ Guard Passes You Must Learn – Guide
Knee Slice/Cut Pass 101 – BJJ Comprehensive Guide
How to Get 4 Points
And for the last section of this part in the article, let’s review how you can get 4 points. Getting 4 points—is harder than getting 2 or 3, as you can imagine.
Naturally, you’ll get more points for attaining more control. So if you manage to attain 4 points, you’re likely in a position to go for a submission and win the fight.
| Method | Points Granted |
|---|---|
| Attain Mount | 4 |
| Attain Back Control | 4 |
Both Full Mount and Rear Mount are incredibly important and dominant positions in BJJ. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say that these are the two most effective and useful positions you can attain in the world of BJJ.
Once you attain one of these, your options are endless, to say the least! The number of viable and effective submissions you can go for—is truly remarkable. I have clue what this number is as there are simply too many.
Here are articles you’ll enjoy reading if you want to finish from the Mount position more often:
9 Most Effective Submissions From Mount (Must-Know)
Head and Arm Choke 101 – BJJ Guide
Mastering the Triangle Choke – Complete BJJ Guide
For more clarification, here are 2 other point systems you want to familiarize yourself with. Who knows? These might be what you use in the future of your BJJ journey.
For the first one, here’s the NAGA point system:
| Method | Points Granted |
|---|---|
| Takedown | 1 or 2 |
| Sweep | 2 |
| Knee on Belly | 2 |
| Submission Attempt | 1 or 2 |
| Side Control Variation | 2 |
| Mount | 2 |
| Back Grab | 2 |
| Passing the Guard | 3 |
Here’s the ADCC point system:
| Method | Points Granted |
|---|---|
| Takedown | 2 |
| Sweep | 2 |
| Knee on Belly | 2 |
| Clean Sweep | 4 |
| Clean Takedown | 4 |
| Mount | 2 |
| Back Mount with Hooks | 3 |
| Passing the Guard | 3 |
Strategize Your BJJ Competition
You have two ways of winning a BJJ tournament. Both are viable and used by a wide range of grapplers. In fact, planning to go for both of them—is fine. However, many grapplers show up to a tournament unprepared, and thus, are unable to attain a lot of points and win the fight.
The best way to strategize your BJJ tournament is to go for as many points as possible while not giving up on opportunities to attack and try to submit the opponent. For instance, you can attain 2 points for each side you attain the Knee on Belly on; which means that’s 4 points in total.
And 4 points is much better than 2 points! That’s why I encourage you to switch sides when you’re in Knee on Belly. But you can only do that once, so that’s 4 points in total for using the Knee on Belly position.
The worst thing you can do right now is to stop going for submissions. You might think that getting points is your first priority, which is only partly true. Points are granted for control, which you want to get.
The more control you have, the more likely you are to be successful in submitting the opponent. Never forget to try and attack the opponent and force a tap, especially if you’re in a more dominant position, such as Mount, Back Mount, and Side Control.
Tips to Get More Points in BJJ
Getting more points in BJJ—is attractive. Points are granted for control. So the more points you have, the more likely you are to have the advantage in the fight. What if I told you that you can squeeze more points in by following a few neat tricks that IBJJF rules allow? That would be awesome, wouldn’t it?
Knee on Belly Trick
The first tip is regarding the Knee on Belly position. Once you attain it on one side, you also want to attain the other side. This will give you 4 points, instead of 2. You essentially have attained control twice, on different sides. But the maximum with this is 4 points, so don’t go around constantly switching sides.
Research the Rules
Furthermore, you want to research the rules prior to participating in the tournament. Every local tournament has its own rules. The last thing you want is to be unprepared and get disqualified since you didn’t follow the rules.
Keep Attacking
You don’t get any points for defending an attack. You might be able to escape the Kesa-Gatame position, but if you’re unable to attain a dominant position, you’re out of luck points-wise. Therefore, please don’t forget to attack, even if it seems that getting points is worth it.
Remember, if you submit the opponent, the points he attained before the submission don’t mean anything! You won the fight and that is what truly matters.
Don’t Make Points Your Focus
And lastly, don’t make points your focus. I know this is counterintuitive, but hear me out. Focus means control. But the thing you should focus on isn’t points, but control. The more control you have, the more likely you are to win. Therefore, if you concentrate on getting more control, points will naturally come.
Final Words
You now are capable of competing in BJJ tournaments. The first competition you’ll ever attend—is going to be an event you’ll remember. I know it might seem too hard to step out of your comfort zone and compete, but trust me when I say this: it’ll be worth it!
The amount of progression you can make is nothing less than spectacular. Competing in BJJ should be one of your priorities. Not only will you get to see your skills in real-time, but you’ll also progress faster leading up to the competition.
Frankly, a win-win situation.
Here are other articles you’d enjoy reading:
The 5 Best North-South Attacks in BJJ (And Tips!)
BJJ 101: North-South Position – Basics & Attacks & Tips
7 Tips to Progress Faster in BJJ | Guide
5 Reasons You Should Learn BJJ | Beginners walkthrough
5 Reasons BJJ is Effective for Self-Defense – Breakthrough
Here’s How Often You Should Do BJJ | Training Guide