OFFICIAL SGF RULES & SAFETY

GRAPPLING • CJJ • PANKRATION

Sport Grappling Federation (SGF) is a grappling competition and athlete-development program of Born To Win Athlete Development Pathway, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Competition Formats

SGF-sanctioned competitions may utilize the following formats:

All competitors within a bracket compete against one another, with placement determined by cumulative wins, submissions, and points differential. This format is primarily used for smaller weight-class brackets.

ROUND ROBIN

Standard tournament bracket competition. Double-elimination brackets provide a second-chance path through the consolation bracket and are preferred for larger divisions.

SINGLE OR DOUBLE ELIMINATION

SUPER FIGHT / EXHIBITION

A prearranged individual match between designated competitors, typically athletes of high competitive standing.

Each SGF event will identify its applicable competition format in the official event announcement.

Age Divisions

Male and female weight divisions apply.

Adult Open divisions are available for Intermediate and Advanced competitors as provided by the Official SGF Policy Manual.

Skill Divisions

BEGINNER

0–18 months of grappling experience.

Competitors with college wrestling experience are not eligible for the Beginner division.

Jiu-Jitsu blue belts and higher may not compete in the Beginner division.

INTERMEDIATE

18 months–4 years of grappling experience.

ADVANCED

More than 4 years of grappling experience.

Skill Divisions

PEE WEE — AGES 5–7

Match - 3 minutes

If tied: 1-minute overtime, followed by referee decision if still tied.

YOUTH — AGES 8–12

Beginner 3-minute match

Intermediate 4-minute match

If tied: 2-minute overtime, followed by referee decision if still tied.

TEEN, ADULT & MASTERS — AGES 13+

Beginner - Two 2-minute rounds

Intermediate - Two 3-minute rounds

Advanced - Two 4-minute rounds

Rest Period - 1 minute between rounds

If each athlete wins one round (1–1), a third tiebreaker round determines the winner.

How SGF Matches Are Won

Scoring Criteria

  • Officials consider:

    • Takedowns and sustained top control

    • Guard passing and positional advancement

    • Dominant positions, including mount, back control, and side control

    • High-quality submission attempts, with deeper attempts prioritized

    • Effective striking when applicable to CJJ and Pankration

  • Officials consider:

    • Initiating grappling exchanges

    • Initiating striking when applicable

    • Pushing the pace

    • Attempting to finish

  • Officials consider:

    • Escaping dominant positions

    • Defending submissions

    • Sweeps and reversals

    • Guard recovery

There are no tied rounds. Each round must have a winner.

Competition Uniform

Athletes must wear a form-fitting rash guard or compression shirt with no loose fabric.

Permitted bottoms include board shorts, compression shorts, or spats with no pockets, exposed zippers, buttons, or loose drawstrings.

Bare-torso competition is prohibited.

Colors are at the athlete’s discretion unless event rules establish specific team colors or uniform requirements.

Hair Control

Long hair must be securely tied down to prevent it from being grabbed, trapped, or causing accidental injury.

Hard clips and metal pins are prohibited.

DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC RULES

GRAPPLING

Submission grappling competition built around technical control, positional advancement, submission offense and defense, and athlete safety.

VIEW GRAPPLING RULES

COMBAT JIU-JITSU — CJJ

A discipline-specific SGF competition format incorporating grappling and permitted striking under established technical and safety standards.

VIEW CJJ RULES

PANKRATION

A discipline-specific SGF competition format conducted under established SGF technical, striking, grappling, scoring, and safety standards.

View Pankration Rules

Athlete Safety Comes First

The Official SGF Policy Manual establishes safety standards addressing:

  1.     Competition Environment Standards

  2.     Weight Management & Cutting

  3.     Submission Safety

  4.     Injury Response

  5. Return Following Injury

  6. Communicable Disease Prevention

  7. Concussion Recognition & Management

  8. Youth Athlete Safeguards

  9. Referee Intervention

View Athlete Safety Policies

SGF’s Code of Conduct applies to athletes, coaches, officials, staff, volunteers, spectators, and parents or legal guardians participating in or attending SGF-sanctioned activities.

Participants are expected to demonstrate sportsmanship, respect, integrity, fair play, and appropriate conduct.

SGF maintains disciplinary, sanction, appeal, and reinstatement procedures for violations of organizational standards.

Code of Conduct

SPORTSMANSHIP • RESPECT • INTEGRITY • FAIR PLAY

View Code of Conduct

OFFICIAL POLICY MANUAL

Sport Grappling Federation
Official Rules, Safety & Operations Manual

The Sport Grappling Federation Policy Manual establishes SGF’s official standards for:

·         Code of Conduct

·         Athlete Safety

·         Competition Formats

·         Age, Weight & Skill Divisions

·         Match Duration

·         Scoring

·         Grappling Rules

·         CJJ Rules

·         Pankration Rules

·         Officiating

·         Match Administration

·         Dispute Resolution

Download Official SGF Policy Manual

IMPORTANT NOTICE

The current Sport Grappling Federation Policy Manual — Official Rules, Safety & Operations Manual is the controlling source for SGF competition rules, safety standards, policies, and event administration.

Website information is provided as a public summary. If any discrepancy exists between information presented on the website and the current Official SGF Policy Manual, the current Official SGF Policy Manual governs.

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