Ju-jitsu words · Beginner

The words you will hear in your first match, grouped the way you meet them.

B · Beginner · 32 words · Step 1 of 2

General terms

Ju-jitsu

A Japanese martial art of strikes, throws, locks, chokes and ground control. In JJIF sport it is competed in separate systems: Fighting (head-to-head with all three kinds of technique), Duo (a prearranged defence presentation by two team-mates) and Ne-Waza (ground grappling, also called Jiu-Jitsu).

Fighting: the three parts and scoring

Ju-jitsu fighting

A match between two competitors in a sportsmanlike contest in three parts: strikes, throws and locks, and ground holds. The aim is to win by full ippon (an ippon in every part) or by outscoring the opponent. Matches last 3 minutes for adults and the older youth categories, 2 for masters and children.

Part 1

The standing part of the fight, in which punches, strikes and kicks (atemi) score. It is where every match and every restart after mate begins, and the fight returns to it when a grip in part 2 or 3 is lost.

Part 2

The part that starts when a grip is established and lasts until both competitors have both knees down, or one sits or lies. Takedowns and submission holds score. Strikes are not allowed, except one made at the same moment as the grip.

Part 3

The ground part, starting when both competitors have both knees on the mat or one sits or lies, and ending when part 1 or 2 applies again. Holds (osae-komi) and submission holds score; strikes are forbidden and takedowns are not scored.

Atemi

Strikes: punches, strikes and kicks. In fighting they may be scored on the torso and head, but a straight strike to the head is not allowed and contact must be no harder than light.

Ippon

The top score in a part. It is worth 3 points for a head kick that meets all three criteria and is unblocked, or for a submission, and 2 points for other unblocked strikes, for a full-control dynamic takedown and for a hold lasting 15 seconds. An ippon in each of the three parts wins the fight at once.

Waza-ari

The lesser score, worth 1 point: a strike that meets all three criteria but is partly blocked, or meets two of the three and is unblocked, a partly controlled takedown, and a hold held for more than 10 but less than 15 seconds.

Submission hold

A lock or strangulation that forces the opponent to give up, scoring an ippon of 3 points. The opponent taps, or taps verbally if unable to, and the referee also stops the fight if a competitor is in danger. Submission holds are not allowed in part 2 for under-16s.

Osae-komi

A holding or pinning control on the ground, announced when the held person is on their back, side or abdomen and held by someone whose legs are free. The time is counted and scores waza-ari or ippon. It does not end for half guard or turtle position, but does for closed guard, a turn, or standing up. Scores for a hold and a submission cannot be added together.

Hajime, mate, sonomama and yoshi

The referee's commands. Hajime starts or restarts the match, mate stops it (for leaving the area, a lost grip, a tap, a penalty in part 1, injury, and so on), sonomama freezes the competitors where they are in part 2 or 3 so a warning or penalty can be given, and yoshi unfreezes them.

Fighting: fouls and settlement

Shido, chui and hansoku-make

The three levels of penalty. A minor foul gets shido and gives the opponent 1 waza-ari. A major foul gets chui and gives the opponent 3 waza-ari. A severe foul gets hansoku-make, a disqualification from the match, and a competitor who reaches 6 penalty points also gets hansoku-make. Penalties need a majority of the referees.

Winning on points (fighting)

At the end of the time the competitor with more points wins. If equal, the one with ippons in more parts wins, then the one with more ippons. If still level, there is an extra round after a one-minute break, two-thirds of the match time, with scores carried over, repeated until there is a winner.

Duo

A system in which two athletes of the same team, a couple, present their defence against a set of prearranged attacks, and jury referees score the quality of the technique. The attacks are in three series of four, and every attack is prepared by a pre-attack.

Tori and uke

Tori is the defender and uke the attacker. The couple may swap roles, even within a series, and may choose which side to attack from and any defence, but the defender may not move before the attack starts and must react to it.

Series A, B and C

The three series of attacks: series A is grips, embraces and neck-lock attacks, series B is punches, strikes and kicks, and series C is weapon attacks with a stick or knife. Each has four numbered attacks, A1 to A4, B1 to B4 and C1 to C4.

Ne-waza: scoring

Ne-waza (jiu-jitsu)

Ground grappling, where the highest aim is to win by submission with a legal choke or lock. If there is none, a points system rewards throws, takedowns, positional advances and control. It is competed in the gi or in rash guards and shorts (No Gi).

Three-second stabilization

A scoring movement or position scores only after it is held for three seconds of control. If it is reached but not held, the athlete gets an advantage instead. Defending actions, such as reversing from the bottom without a guard, are not scored.

Points table (ne-waza)

2 points for a takedown, a sweep or knee on belly; 3 points for a guard pass; 4 points for full mount, back mount or back control. Simultaneous scoring actions are cumulative with one three-count.

Takedown (ne-waza)

Forcing the opponent from standing, with continuity, to the ground in a bottom position (back, side or seated, or kneeling or belly-down with hip control from behind the shoulder line), then holding top position for three seconds. It scores 2 points, and counts once both are standing again.

Sweep

Coming from guard, changing level to the top position with continuity while putting the opponent in the bottom, held for three seconds. It scores 2 points. A reversal that does not start from guard is not a sweep.

See also: Continuity, Guard, Top position

Guard

Using one or both legs to control or block an opponent in top position so they cannot get a dominant pin on the upper body. The legs need not touch the opponent, but must be between the two athletes.

Guard pass

From top position against a guard player, getting completely past the opponent's legs into a dominant top control while keeping them on their back or side with a hip on the mat. It scores 3 points after three seconds. Forcing the guard player to turtle earns an advantage.

See also: Guard, Top position, Advantage

Knee on belly

A top player puts a knee or shin on or across the stomach, chest or ribs of an opponent who is lying on their back or side, facing the opponent's head, with the other knee off the mat. It scores 2 points after three seconds.

Full mount and back mount

Straddling the torso of an opponent who is on their back or side (full mount) or on their belly (back mount), with neither knee higher than the opponent's shoulder line and at most one of their arms trapped. They are equal, worth 4 points after three seconds, and moving between them scores again.

Back control

From behind, using both legs as hooks, heels in front of the hipbones or between the legs, with hooks below the shoulder line, one arm trapped at most, and the legs not crossed. It scores 4 points after three seconds. The athlete must completely lose the back before scoring it again.

Advantage

A tie-break mark for a scoring action not held for three seconds, or for a legal submission attempt that put the opponent in real danger of surrender, unconsciousness or injury. It is given only when there is no more chance of completing the score or the submission is fully escaped, and only the mat referee awards or removes advantages for submissions.

Ne-waza: submissions, fouls and settlement

Tap-out

The sign that a hold can no longer be defended, which stops the match at once: tapping the opponent, the ground or oneself with a hand (or a foot if the arms are unusable), saying tap or anything similar, or crying out in pain. An athlete who loses consciousness loses the match and may not compete for the rest of the event.

Order of penalties (ne-waza)

For under-18 and older: the first minor foul is a penalty, the second a penalty and an advantage for the opponent, the third a penalty and 2 points for the opponent, and the fourth a disqualification. In under-16 and younger categories the fourth and fifth each give 2 points and the sixth is a disqualification.

Ways to win (ne-waza)

By submission, by points (then by advantages, then by fewer penalties), by disqualification of the opponent, by walk-over or withdrawal, or by golden score. There are no referee decisions to break ties.

Golden score

The tie-breaking overtime used when points, advantages and penalties are all equal. It has no time limit and ends with a submission, any action that earns points or an advantage, a penalty against one athlete, or an inability to continue.

Referees, area and equipment

Gi and No Gi

The gi is a white cotton jacket and trousers with a red or blue belt. No Gi uses a skin-tight red or blue rash guard and plain shorts reaching at least mid-thigh. In fighting, soft red or blue hand and shin protectors are worn under the gi, and women wear a rash guard under the gi in all JJIF systems.