BJJ brown belt

IBJJF requirements and competition rules for brown belts.

Minimum age: 18
Minimum time at this belt: 12 months

Rules change. Check the official rulebook for your event before competing. This site is not affiliated with IBJJF, ADCC, NAGA or Grappling Industries.

Time needed before the brown belt

Minimum	Rule
12 months	The standard adult minimum (Art. 3.1.3 a).
none	No minimum: Adult Brown Belt World Champion (Art. 3.1.3 b).

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.