BJJ black belt
IBJJF requirements and competition rules for black belts.
- Minimum age
- 19
- Minimum time at this belt
- not applicable (highest adult belt)
- Age exception
- 18 (adult world champion at brown)
Rules change. Check the official rulebook for your event before competing. This site is not affiliated with IBJJF, ADCC, NAGA or Grappling Industries.
IBJJF: Adult and master brown and black belts, except adult no-gi
17 of 27 listed techniques are legal in this division.
| Technique | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Submissions stretching the legs apart | Legal | |
| Choke with spinal lock | Legal | |
| Straight foot lock | Legal | |
| Ezekiel choke (forearm choke using the sleeve) | Legal | |
| Frontal guillotine choke | Legal | |
| Omoplata | Legal | |
| Triangle pulling the head | Legal | |
| Arm triangle | Legal | |
| Compressing the kidneys or ribs with the legs in closed guard | Legal | |
| Wrist lock | Legal | |
| Single leg takedown with the head outside | Legal | Prohibited but not penalized where illegal: the referee restarts the match standing (Art. 1.3.6). |
| Bicep slicer | Legal | |
| Calf slicer | Legal | |
| Knee bar | Legal | |
| Toe hold | Legal | |
| Straight foot lock turning toward the foot not under attack | Legal | |
| Heel hook | Illegal | |
| Locks twisting the knees | Illegal | |
| Knee reaping | Illegal | Reaping: the thigh is behind the opponent's leg, the calf crosses over the body above the knee, and the foot passes the opponent's midline, putting pressure on the knee from outside to inside. Nobody needs to be holding the foot. |
| Toe hold with outward pressure on the foot | Illegal | |
| Slam | Illegal | |
| Spinal lock without a choke (neck cranks, twisters, can openers) | Illegal | The IBJJF table lists spinal locks without a choke. Neck cranks, twisters, and can openers aren't named, but that is the rule that covers them. |
| Scissor takedown (kani basami) | Illegal | |
| Bending the fingers backward | Illegal | |
| Throwing the opponent onto their head by the belt while defending a head-outside single leg | Illegal | |
| Suplex landing the opponent on the head or neck | Illegal | |
| Jumping to closed guard | Legal | A serious foul for under-15 divisions and for white belts of any age (Art. 6.2.2). Juvenile blue and purple belts may jump guard. Check the event for 15-year-olds. |
IBJJF: Adult brown and black belts, no-gi
21 of 27 listed techniques are legal in this division.
| Technique | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Submissions stretching the legs apart | Legal | |
| Choke with spinal lock | Legal | |
| Straight foot lock | Legal | |
| Ezekiel choke (forearm choke using the sleeve) | Legal | |
| Frontal guillotine choke | Legal | |
| Omoplata | Legal | |
| Triangle pulling the head | Legal | |
| Arm triangle | Legal | |
| Compressing the kidneys or ribs with the legs in closed guard | Legal | |
| Wrist lock | Legal | |
| Single leg takedown with the head outside | Legal | Prohibited but not penalized where illegal: the referee restarts the match standing (Art. 1.3.6). |
| Bicep slicer | Legal | |
| Calf slicer | Legal | |
| Knee bar | Legal | |
| Toe hold | Legal | |
| Straight foot lock turning toward the foot not under attack | Legal | |
| Heel hook | Legal | |
| Locks twisting the knees | Legal | |
| Knee reaping | Legal | Reaping: the thigh is behind the opponent's leg, the calf crosses over the body above the knee, and the foot passes the opponent's midline, putting pressure on the knee from outside to inside. Nobody needs to be holding the foot. |
| Toe hold with outward pressure on the foot | Legal | |
| Slam | Illegal | |
| Spinal lock without a choke (neck cranks, twisters, can openers) | Illegal | The IBJJF table lists spinal locks without a choke. Neck cranks, twisters, and can openers aren't named, but that is the rule that covers them. |
| Scissor takedown (kani basami) | Illegal | |
| Bending the fingers backward | Illegal | |
| Throwing the opponent onto their head by the belt while defending a head-outside single leg | Illegal | |
| Suplex landing the opponent on the head or neck | Illegal | |
| Jumping to closed guard | Legal | A serious foul for under-15 divisions and for white belts of any age (Art. 6.2.2). Juvenile blue and purple belts may jump guard. Check the event for 15-year-olds. |
NAGA gi: Brown and black belt
7 of 12 listed techniques are legal in this division.
| Technique | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Straight foot lock | Legal | |
| Wrist lock | Legal | |
| Rib or neck compression with the legs | Legal | |
| Knee bar | Legal | |
| Toe hold | Legal | |
| Calf and bicep slicers | Legal | |
| Heel hook | Illegal | |
| Neck crank and twister | Illegal | |
| Scissor takedown (kani basami) | Illegal | |
| Slam | Illegal | |
| Jumping guard | Legal | Teens: expert division with flying submissions only. White belts: only against a higher belt. |
| Knee reaping | Depends | Not covered by NAGA's gi chart. NAGA says its gi divisions follow IBJJF rules, so expect reaping to be illegal. |
NAGA no-gi: Adult intermediate and expert (blue belt and up)
10 of 12 listed techniques are legal in this division.
| Technique | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Heel hook | Legal | |
| Straight ankle lock | Legal | Teens: no knee reaping on a straight ankle lock. |
| Knee reaping | Legal | NAGA sets no reaping restriction for adults. Teens may not reap on a straight ankle lock. |
| Knee bar | Legal | |
| Toe hold | Legal | |
| Calf and bicep slicers | Legal | |
| Neck crank | Legal | |
| Twister and spinal locks | Legal | |
| Wrist lock | Legal | Adult beginners must hold at least 3 fingers. |
| Scissor takedown (kani basami) | Depends | Legal for adults only if a hand is placed on the mat first. |
| Jumping guard | Legal | Teens: expert division only. |
| Slam | Illegal | Slamming on a takedown or to escape a position or submission is illegal for everyone. |
Grappling Industries: Purple belt in no-gi, brown and black belt
11 of 14 listed techniques are legal in this division.
| Technique | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Ezekiel choke and gogoplata | Legal | |
| Kidney compression and groin stretch | Legal | |
| Straight or rotational ankle lock | Legal | |
| Wrist lock | Legal | |
| Standing guillotine | Legal | |
| Jumping attacks | Legal | |
| Knee bar | Legal | |
| Toe hold | Legal | |
| Knee reaping | Legal | Below the legal level, the first reap without a submission is a penalty, and a second reap or a reap with a submission is a disqualification. |
| Bicep and calf slicers | Legal | |
| Neck and spinal cranks | Legal | |
| Heel hook and Z-lock | Depends | No-gi only. |
| Scissor takedown (kani basami) | Depends | No-gi only. |
| Slam and attacks on the trachea | Illegal | A controlled suplex is not a slam. Spiking the head or neck is never allowed. |
Black belt degrees
| Degree | Years since previous | Total years | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st degree | 3 | 3 | |
| 2nd degree | 3 | 6 | |
| 3rd degree | 3 | 9 | |
| 4th degree | 5 | 14 | |
| 5th degree | 5 | 19 | |
| 6th degree | 5 | 24 | |
| 7th degree, red and black belt | 7 | 31 | 49 |
| 8th degree, red and white belt | 7 | 38 | 56 |
| 9th degree, red belt | 10 | 48 | 66 |
See also
Data from bjj-data by Grapple Flows (grappleflows.com), licensed CC BY 4.0; reformatted into tables on this page.
Data: bjj-data (Grapple Flows) (CC BY 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.