Tournament Rules & Regulations
We follow International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation Rules for ALL divisions.
You can download / view the IBJJF rulebook here.
Answers to rules and regulations questions not addressed here may be found on our FAQ Page.
Tap Cancer Out Rule Differentiations
- Rashguards are OPTIONAL for all competitors. Spats / Leggings under the Gi pants, however, are NOT allowed.
- You may wear any Gi color you’d like, as long as the top and bottom match.
- All athletes 15 and under as well as all White and Blue Belts (16 and over) will NOT be disqualified for certain (but not all) illegal moves of a positional nature (ex: knee reap) that do NOT result in an immediate tap/submission unless the foul was flagrant or caused opponent unable to continue match. However, they will be penalized.
- Also, a fourth infraction of serious fouls (such as pulling guard without grip and stalling) for the aforementioned divisions would concede two points to an opponent for each infraction, as would each subsequent infraction. Illegal moves and serious fouls are stated in the IBJJF rules manual linked above.
- For athletes 15 and under as well as all White and Blue Belts (16 and over) , Tap Cancer Out referees have the discretion to warn competitors in advance that they are about to apply an illegal submission hold in order to help prevent disqualification and injury. However, if they do not warn a competitor and an illegal submission is applied, that competitor may be disqualified.
- If ANY competitor, regardless of age/rank, uses an illegal move which results in a submission / tap, that competitor will be disqualified from that match (they may continue to compete if it is Round Robin or if they have an additional third-place match in a Single Elimination bracket).
- Purple, Brown, and Black belts are still subject to disqualification as stated in the IBJJF rulebook.
Legal and Illegal Submissions
We follow IBJJF’s list of legal and illegal submissions. This means there ARE legal submissions at ALL ages as well as illegal submissions that, if they’re applied, will result in disqualification.
Please click on the thumbnail below to see the full PDF of Technical Fouls and Illegal Moves per the IBJJF.
Download the full PDF of IBJJF Legal and Illegal Submissions here
Gender Splitting in Youth Divisions
- All Divisions 9 and Under are inherently MIXED Gender, BUT will be split when division size allows
- All Divisions 10 and Up (with 4 or more competitors) are inherently SPLIT Gender, BUT may be mixed/combined in certain cases
- While we may offer the option for competitors to move to same-gender divisions at higher age/belt/weight classes, competitors in divisions of 2 or 3 will NOT automatically be split at any age
- In other words, divisions will never be split by gender if it leaves one competitor alone. We may give that single competitor the option to move, or we may run the division as-is with no discussion.
Uniform & Protective Gear
As of 2021 – The wearing of rashguards is OPTIONAL for all competitors. This is one of the few rules that does not align with the IBJJF rulebook.
Spats / Leggings under the Gi pants, however, are NOT allowed.
We do not require any specific Gi color, however, the Gi top and bottom MUST match.
Only fabric-based protective gear (ex: knee brace) may be worn. They may not contain any metal or plastic pieces. This means no cups/groin protectors for men.
Ear protection may NOT be worn.
Division Formats
For Adult / Masters / Executive Divisions
We generally use double-elimination. However, if a division exceeds 8 competitors (beyond the Quarterfinal Round), prior rounds of 16, 32, etc are Single-Elimination. Competitors must make it to the Final 8 in order to have the Consolation Bracket available to them.
A competitor who has lost their primary match and is moved to the Consolation Bracket will ONLY be able to win Bronze at best.
The final match in the Winner’s Bracket will be a TRUE Final, awarding Gold and Silver. The loser of the Finals will not have any additional matches.
- Divisions of 2 Competitors: Best two-of-three
- Divisions of 3 Competitors: Round Robin (each competitor fights the other two – best record wins or we go to tiebreakers)
- Divisions of 4 Competitors: Single Elimination with 3rd place matches (all competitors fight twice)
- Divisions of 5 – 8 Competitors: Double Elimination – Loser Bracket fights for THIRD PLACE – Finals of the Winners Bracket is a True Final for 1st and 2nd.
- Divisions of 9+ Competitors: Double Elimination ONLY BEGINS in the Quarterfinal Round of 8 – Prior Rounds (16, 32, etc) are Single Elimination. Competitors must make their way into the Quarterfinals to fight for third place.
For Kids/Teens (4-15) divisions
All Youth Competitors are GUARANTEED two matches or your money back (if applicable). We strive to get our kids enough matches without giving them too many. It’s a fine line we have to walk to ensure that parents and coaches feel their kids are getting enough experience without wearing them out. Tournaments and divisions can vary greatly in size, so we reserve the right to use whichever format we feel is most prudent. It’s not a perfect science, but please understand we are doing our best.
Once a Youth Division exceeds 7 competitors we will divide them to make them smaller and more manageable. We will split by gender first, but ONLY when doing so doesn’t significantly reduce the amount of potential matches for a given competitor. More on our Youth Gender Policy here.
When a child is alone in their division, we will move them to another division to ensure they get matches. Any movement will be discussed with a parent and/or coach. We will never move a child without a parent or coach’s consent.
- Divisions of 2 Competitors: Best two-of-three
- Divisions of 3 Competitors: Round Robin (each competitor fights the other two – best record wins or we go to tiebreakers)
- Divisions of 4 Competitors: Single Elimination with 3rd place matches (all competitors fight twice)
- Divisions of 5+ Competitors: Double Elimination – Loser Bracket fights for THIRD PLACE – Finals of the Winners Bracket is a True Final for 1st and 2nd.
- Once Youth Divisions exceed 7 competitors we will split them into separate, unique divisions. We split by gender ONLY WHEN POSSIBLE, then belt and weight.
Round-Robin Tie-Breakers
On the right is the hierarchy of tie-breakers to determine the results in a pool of competitors or in the rare case of a round robin format for adults (typically divisions of 3).
We will award multiple third-place medals for competitors under 16-years old (as many as those who tie for third in terms of record). These tie-breakers will be used to specifically have one first-place and one second-place competitor.
- Overall record
- Head-to-head record
- # of wins by submission
- # of wins by points
- # of wins by advantages
- # of wins by referee decision
- # of wins by opponent disqualification
- # of wins by forfeit or walkover
- Fastest submission (across all victories)
- Most points (across all victories)
Transgender Policy
Tap Cancer Out aims to fulfill our vision of giving every grappler the opportunity to fight for those in the fight of their lives.
With regards to transgender athletes competing in a Tap Cancer Out event, we do work within a policy that strives to provide fairness, inclusivity, and safety throughout all our divisions. Transgender athletes may not compete in Female divisions, but we do work with athletes to provide them with matches with opponents on an opt-in basis.