BORETS
In this guide
You hold mount, look at the scoreboard and expect four points. At an ADCC event, a qualifying mount is worth two. The position has not become less useful; you are reading a different scoring system. “Grappling rules” is not one rulebook. Before your first tournament, identify the organizer, the format and the exact division you will enter.
Start with the name on the registration page
IBJJF, ADCC and UWW all publish grappling-related competition rules. A local event may adopt one of them, modify it or use a different system. “No-gi” tells you about clothing; it does not tell you the duration, scoring or legal submission list. “Submission-only” also needs an explanation of what happens when nobody submits.
Before paying an entry fee, save the event’s rules link and your chosen division. Ask the organizer to resolve any mismatch between the event page and a federation rulebook. A short message is enough: “I am entering adult beginner no-gi. Which legal-technique chart and match duration apply?” Keep the answer with your registration.
The same position, a different score
Under IBJJF rules, a qualifying guard pass earns three points and mount or back control four; scoring requires the relevant position and stabilization criteria. A reversal is not automatically a sweep: the starting guard matters. In ADCC, mount is two points and back mount three. ADCC also scores qualifying reversals from positions such as side control, which explains why an exchange can score differently from the IBJJF version.
UWW’s July 2026 rules award two points for a qualifying takedown or reversal, three for a guard pass and four for full mount or back mount. Their control requirements and reset conditions matter. Memorizing “two, three, four” without knowing what each action requires leaves you guessing at the edge cases.
Watch one complete exchange before pausing. Write down the starting position, the transition, the control at the finish and the score actually awarded. If you landed on top but the score did not move, that four-part note gives a coach or referee something precise to explain.
Read the clock before planning the round
In ADCC North and South American Opens, adult regulation matches last six minutes, with positive points in the second half. Finals have a different timing rule for negative points. Do not take the length of a World Championship final and apply it to an Open beginner bracket. UWW senior grappling uses a five-minute period; other ages differ.
Rehearse two situations with the coach: being ahead late in the match and needing a score late in the match. Start from a position you actually reach in training. You are practicing the connection between position, score and time, not trying to invent an entirely new game on competition morning.
Legal at one event does not mean legal in your bracket
Age, experience level and format can change the permitted techniques. Read the chart for your division rather than copying an elite highlight. Check the entry and grips as well as the finish: a familiar submission name does not settle every rule question.
In practice, tell a new partner which rules you are preparing for and confirm the coach’s limits. If a position is unfamiliar, ask for an explanation before adding resistance. Tapping ends the attempt; release immediately. Competition permission is never a reason to surprise a training partner with a technique they did not agree to practice.
A useful one-page competition note
Put these items on one page: event and division, rules link, match length, scoring start time, permitted techniques, weigh-in instructions and the coach’s contact. Add one unresolved question rather than another page of copied rules. Show the note to your coach while there is still time to correct it.
If you are a parent, concentrate on the child’s own division and the organizer’s reporting instructions. Their job is to listen to the referee and compete; your practical contribution is helping them arrive prepared. Use the related BORETS LAB guides to understand the positions you will see, then bring one concrete question back to the team.