Can a ju-jitsu fighter be penalised for avoiding part of the fight?
I · Intermediate · Fouls and officials · 3 of 3Fighters must try to score in every part. Skipping part 1, refusing to take a grip, dropping straight to the ground or only blocking are all passivity, which is a minor foul. At the start a fighter must make a real attempt in at least two exchanges of strikes before taking a grip. Seizing a real opportunity is not passivity.
How it works
- In every part: showing no activity aimed at scoring.
- Part 1: going straight to part 2 or 3 without being active. Being active means a real attempt to score in at least two engagements at the start of the fight.
- Part 2: staying in part 1 and refusing to take a grip. The referee allows about 30 seconds, and about 15 after a first penalty.
- Part 2: going straight to the ground, making a false attack to get there or only blocking.
- Part 3: refusing to fight on the ground and going straight back up.
- Allowed: moving on to the next part after real, unsuccessful attempts to score.
- Not passivity: seizing an opportunity, such as catching a kick or a flying arm lock.
- Restart: in the part the passivity was given for.
- Related fouls: stepping out with both feet, and wasting time over the kit.
The glossary has the passivity, the part 1, the part 2, the part 3, the engagement and the shido, chui and hansoku-make.
Tricky cases
A fighter catches the opponent's first kick and throws them. Is that skipping part 1?
No. Seizing an opportunity is an exception. If a fighter does it again and again in a way that shows a refusal to fight part 1, a shido follows.
A fighter keeps striking and never takes a grip. Is that allowed?
Not for long. Refusing to go to part 2 while active in part 1 is passivity if the fighters do not progress within about 30 seconds.
A fighter drops to the knees and pulls the opponent down without trying a throw. What is that?
Passivity in part 2. Going straight to part 3, or using a false attack only to get there, is penalised.
After a passivity penalty for skipping part 2, where does the fight restart?
In part 2. The fight resumes in the part the passivity was given for.
Why the rule exists
A fighter who is strong on the ground would otherwise dive for the legs at once and never strike, and a striker would never close. The passivity rule forces both to fight the whole of the sport, which is the point of having three parts.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Start of the fight | Two real engagements before a grip | JJIF Fighting 7.1.4 |
| Refusing the grip | About 30 seconds, then about 15 | JJIF Fighting 7.1.4 |
| Third identical foul | Chui | JJIF Fighting 7.2.1 |
| Seizing an opportunity | No penalty | JJIF Fighting 7.1.4 |
| Ne-waza | Ten seconds without progress | JJIF Ne-Waza 11.1.1 |
From the rule book
Ju-Jitsu International Federation, Ju-Jitsu Fighting Rulebook (version 4.0, approved October 2022), Sections 4.4, 7.1.2, 7.1.4 and 7.1.5. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the federation's Ju-Jitsu Fighting Rulebook.