What is Submission Grappling?

Submission Grappling is one of the main components of Mixed Martial Arts and encompasses the ground fighting aspects of the sport. Grappling is easily the largest of the MMA sports combined in consideration of participants. It combines the powerful throws of Olympic Judo competitors, the stealth-like takedowns of Greco-Roman/Freestyle Wrestlers, the slick Leg Lock attacks of Russian Sambo specialists, and the Snake-like submission skills of a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter. From Children (ages 4 yrs. and up) to Men and Women of all ages, Submission Grappling has caught the nation by storm!

Submission grappling is a sports modality and a general term describing the aspect of martial arts and combat sports that focus on clinch and ground fighting with the aim of obtaining a submission using submission holds . Submission wrestling as a separate sport integrates many grappling arts into a single system, and can include techniques from a wide range of arts. Submission grappling as an element in a larger sport setting is very common in judo , Brazilian jiu-jitsu , catch wrestling , shootfighting , Shooto and others.

Mitsuyo Maeda (Conde Koma) competed and trained extensively in catch wrestling. Maeda was the original teacher of the legendary Gracie family who eventually developed the modern fighting system of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu . Submission grapppling was one of the formative influences of the Russian martial art of Sambo wrestling. Submission grappling based fighting is propagated in the U.S. by organizations such as Scientific Wrestling , the Lion's Den centre run by Ken Shamrock , or The Danger Zone ran by UFC Triple Crown Champion, Dan Severn . Other teachers of catch wrestling based arts include Frank Shamrock , Gene LeBell , Erik Paulson , Matt Hume , and Larry Hartsell .

International pioneers of mixed martial arts, like Antonio Inoki , Bruce Lee and Gene LeBell have studied catch wrestling. Their submission grappling skills have been used in modern fighting systems and training methodologies of the arts propagated by them and their students.

Karate World Ratings Jiu Jitsu/Submission Grappling General Rules

All competitors will display good sportsmanship.

No obscene language or gestures.

No taunting or heckling.

All submission/ grappling techniques are allowed with the following exceptions:

No hair pulling, biting, head butting, ear pulling or eye gouging. 

No neck cranks.

No pressure points on face or grinding of face.

No back or spinal pressures or cranks.

No hands around throat or crushing of wind pipe.

No small joint manipulation. This includes fingers, toes, and wrists. 

No twisting of legs or twisting knee bars.

No heel hooks.

No slamming.

Competitor apparel

The wearing of protective cups and mouth gear is recommended. No body piercing or jewelry is to be worn. No foot wear is to be worn.

No Gi competitions

T-shirts and athletic shorts or gi pants are allowed. One piece wrestling apparel is allowed. Competitors are allowed to remove T-shirts if desired. The wearing of gi belt is optional.

Gi competitions

A Judo gi or heavyweight gi is recommended but any standard gi is acceptable. The wearing of gi belt is mandatory.

Judging

Judges are to be KWR certified or approved by the tournament promoter. Three judges should be used when possible, one ring judge and two scoring judges (one for each competitor). If only two judges available the ring judge will assist in scoring. In extreme circumstances one judge may me used.

Scoring

Take down - 2 points

Judo throws - 3 points

Pass guard or escape a mount - 3 points

Any mount or hold down – 4 points

There are no points taken for illegal techniques. You will be warned and/or disqualified at ring judge’s discretion.

Matches

Regulation time for a match is 4 minutes. Matches will be won by submission, highest point total at end of regulation time, or opponent disqualification/forfeiture. In the case of a tie point score at the end of regulation, overtime will commence with the next competitor to score being declared the winner. Time in a match is continuous except for an injury/ judge’s time out. If competitors exit the ring they will be brought to the center and restarted in same position on standing position at the discretion of the ring judge.

Tournament and class organization

Due to unique challenge of establishing fair matches, classes may vary. The factors taken into account for this are age, sex, experience in competition, rank, and weight. A competitor with no suitable opponent may move to another class or withdraw from competition. A competitor may not compete in more than one class. Class assignments may be challenged but final decision is by tournament promoter.

Proposed weight classes

55+, 67+, 80+, 100+, 125+, 135+, 145+, 155+, 165+, 175+, 185+, 195+, 205+, 250 and up.

Proposed experience levels

Beginner - under 1 yr of competition

Intermediate - 1-3 yrs of competition

Advanced – 3+ yrs of competition

Competition Area

The competition area shall be a minimum of 14 meters X 14 meters and a maximum of 16m X 16m and shall be covered by tatami or similarly acceptable material, generally green in color. The competition area shall be divided into two zones. The demarcation between these two zones shall be called the danger zone and shall be indicated by a red area, approximately 1m wide, forming part of the contest area, parallel to the four sides of the competition area.

The area within and including the danger zone, shall be called the contest area and shall always be a minimum of 8m X 8m or a maximum of 10m X 10m. The area outside the danger zone shall be called the safety area and shall be 3m wide. An adhesive red tape and a white tape, approximately 10 centimeters wide and 50 centimeters long shall be fixed on the center of the contest area at a distance of 4m apart, to indicate the positions at which the contestants must start and end the contest. The red tape shall be to the referee's right and the white to his left.

Where two or more adjoining competition areas are used, a common safety area of a minimum of 4m is permitted. A free zone, a minimum of 50cm must be maintained around the competition area.

Acceptable mats must be firm under foot and have the property of absorbing shock during "ukemi" and must not be slippery nor too rough. The mats must be aligned without space in between them and fixed in such a way that they will not be displaced.

Scoreboards

For each contest area there shall be two scoreboards that indicate the scores for each contestant, placed outside the contest area where they can be easily seen by the referee, officials and spectators.

Timing Clocks

There shall be one timing clock visible to the referee, officials and spectators. There shall be a bell or similar audible device to indicate to the referee the end of the time allotted for the contest. The "clocks" must be accessible to those persons responsible for maintaining their accuracy, and they must be checked regularly for accuracy at the start and during the competition.

Red and White Sashes

The contestant shall wear a red or white sash at least 5cm wide, long enough to go once around the contestant's waist over a grade belt, and when tied, to leave 20 to 30cm protruding at each end. For No Gi competition, armbands shall be used.

Competition uniform

Judo Gi Competition

The contestants shall wear judogi (Judo uniform) complying with the following conditions:

(1) Strongly made in cotton or similar material, good condition (without rent or tear).

(2) Any color.

(3) The jacket shall be long enough to cover the thighs and shall at a minimum reach to the fists when the arms are fully extended downwards at the sides of the body. The body of the jacket shall be wide enough to cross over at the level of the bottom to the edge with a minimum overlap of 20 centimeters. The sleeves of the jacket must reach to the wrist joint at a maximum and 5 centimeters above the wrist joint at a minimum. A space of 10-15 centimeters shall exist between the sleeve and the arm (inclusive of bandages), on the entire length of the sleeve.

(4) The trousers, free of any markings, shall be long enough to cover the legs and shall at a maximum reach to the ankle joint and at a minimum 5 centimeters above the ankle joint. A space of 10-15 centimeters shall exist between the trouser leg and the leg (inclusive of bandages), on the whole length of the trouser leg.

(5) A strong belt, 4 to 5 cm wide, which color corresponds to the grade, shall be worn over the jacket at waist level and tied with a square knot, tight enough to prevent the jacket from being too loose and long enough to go twice around the waist and leave 20 to 30 cm protruding from each side of the knot when tied.

(6) Female contestants shall wear under the jacket a shirt with short sleeves, rather strong, long enough to be worn inside the trousers.

If the judogi of a contestant does not comply with the above, the referee may order the contestant to change in the shortest possible time, into a judogi which does comply with the above.

Hygiene

(1) The judogi shall be clean, generally dry and without unpleasant odor.

(2) The nails of the feet and hands shall be cut short.

(3) The personal hygiene of the contestant shall be of a high standard.

(4) Long hair shall be tied so as to avoid causing inconvenience to the other contestant.

Any contestant who will not comply with the requirements will be refused the right to compete and the opponent shall win the contest by "Kiken-gachi" (win by withdrawal), according to the rule of "majority of three".

Referees and Officials

Generally, the contest shall be conducted by one ring judge and two scoring judges, under the supervision of the Refereeing Commission. The judges shall be assisted by contest recorders and timekeepers. The tournament organizer must ensure that they have been thoroughly trained prior to officiating.

The timekeeper starts his watch on hearing the comments "Hajime" or "begin" and stops it on signal from the ring judge. When the time allowed for the contest has expired, the timekeepers shall notify the ring judge of this fact by a clearly audible signal.

The contest recorder must ensure that he is completely informed of the current signs and signals in use to indicate the result of a contest. In addition to the above persons, there shall be a list writer to record the overall course of the contests.

Before officiating at a contest, the referees and judges should familiarize themselves with the sound of the bell or means of indicating the end of the contest on their particular mat area. When assuming control of a competition area the judges should ensure that the mat surface is clean and in good condition, that there are no gaps between the mats, that the judges' chairs are in position and that the contestants comply with the contest rules.

The ring judge should ensure that there are no spectators, supporters or photographers in a position to cause a nuisance or risk injury to the contestants.

Position and function of ring judge

The ring judge shall generally stay within the contest area. He shall conduct the contest and administer the judgment.

Position and function of scoring judge

He shall ensure that his decisions are correctly recorded. Each judge must indicate his opinion by making the appropriate official gesture. The scoring judges should position themselves to allow an unobstructed view of their contestant without interference the competition.

Should the scoring judge note that the scoreboard is incorrect, he should draw the ring judge’s attention to the mistake.

Location

The contest shall be fought in the contest area. Any technique applied when one or both contestants are outside the contest area shall not be recognized. That is to say that if one contestant shall have even one of his feet, hands or knees outside the contest area  while standing or more than half body outside the contest area while doing sutemi waza or ne

waza, he shall be considered as being  outside the contest area.

Exceptions:

(1)When one contestant throws his opponent outside the contest area, but he stays within the contest area long enough for the effectiveness of the technique to be clearly apparent, the technique shall be recognized. When a throw is started with both contestants inside the contest are, but during the throw, the contestant being thrown moves outside the contest area, the action may be considered for point scoring purposes if the throwing action continues uninterrupted and the contestant executing the throwing stays within the contest area long enough for the effectiveness of the action to be clearly apparent.

(2)In ne waza, the action is valid and may continue so long as at least one contestant has any part of the body touching the contest area.

(3)If during the course of an attack such as a reaping throw, the foot or leg of the thrower leaves the contest area and moves over the mat of the safety area, the action should be considered valid (for scoring purposes) so long as the thrower does not place any weight upon the foot or leg while it is outside the contest area.

Duration of Contest

4 minutes real contest time. Any contestant is entitled to rest between contests for a period of 10 minutes. The ring judge should be aware of the "duration" of the contest before he comes onto the competition area.

Technique Coinciding with Time Signal

Any immediate result of a technique started simultaneously with the time signal shall be valid. Any technique applied after the ringing of the bell or other device to indicate the expiry of the time, the contest shall not be valid, even if the referee has not at that time called "Stop". Although a throwing technique may be applied simultaneously with the bell, if the referee decides that it will not be effective immediately, he should announce "Stop".

Start of contest

Before the start of each contest the referee and judges shall stand together inside the limits of the competition area (and centered) and shall bow to Joseki before taking their places. To leave the competition area, they also must bow toward Joseki. The contestants shall stand facing each other on the contest area at the assigned red or white tape corresponding to the sash they are wearing. After the contestants have made the standing bow and taken one step forward, the referee must announce "Hajime" to start the contest.

The contest shall always begin in the standing position. Only the members of the Refereeing Commission may interrupt the contest. The ring judge should ensure that all is correct, e.g., competition area, equipment, uniforms, hygiene, officials, etc. before starting the contest.

Application of Matte (wait)

The ring judge shall announce "Matte"(wait) in order to stop the contest temporarily in the following cases and to recommence the contest shall announce "Hajime"(begin).

(1) When one or both of the contestants go outside the contest area.

(2) When one or both of the contestants perform one of the prohibited acts

(3) When one or both of the contestants are injured or taken ill

(4) When it is necessary for one or both of the contestants to adjust their uniform

(5) When during ne waza (groundwork), there is no apparent progress.

(6) When one contestant regains a standing or semi-standing position from ne waza bearing his opponent on his back.

(7) When one contestant remains in, or from ne waza regains a standing position and lifts his opponent who is on his back with his leg(s) around and part of the standing contestant clears the mat.

(8) When in any other case that the referee deems it necessary to do so.

(9) When the referees or Refereeing Commission wishes to confer.

The ring judge having announced "Matte” must take care to maintain the contestants within his view, in case they do not hear the Matte announced and continue fighting. The ring judge should not call "Matte" to stop the contestants going outside the contest area, unless the situation is considered dangerous. Should the referee call "Matte" in error during ne waza and the contestants therefore separate, the referee and judges may, if possible, and in accordance with the "majority of three" rule, replace the contestants into as close to their original position as possible and restart the contest, if so doing will rectify an injustice to one of the contestants. After the announcement of "Matte" the contestants must quickly return to the position in which they started the contest. When the referee has called "Matte", the contestant(s) must either stand if being spoken to or adjusting their uniform, or may sit if a lengthy delay is envisaged. Only when receiving medical attention should a contestant be permitted to adopt any other position? The referee may announce "Matte" if a contestant is injured or indisposed and may ask the contestant's accredited doctor to come on the competition area and proceed with a quick examination. The referee may announce "Matte" if a contestant who is injured indicates to the referee that he requires an examination. This must be undertaken as quickly as possible.

Injury, illness or accident

The decision to win or draw where one contestant is unable to continue because of injury, illness or accident during                 the contest shall be given by the referee after consultation with the judges according to the following clauses:

(a) Injury

(i) Where the cause of the injury is attributed to the injured contestant he shall lose the contest.

(ii) Where the cause of the injury is attributed to the uninjured contestant the uninjured contestant shall lose the contest.

(iii) Where it is impossible to determine the cause of injury to either contestant, the decision of draw may be given.