What gets an athlete disqualified in jiu-jitsu?
A · Advanced · Submissions, fouls and referees · 2 of 3Some acts mean disqualification at once. Technical ones include slamming an opponent out of guard or a submission, neck and spine locks without a choke, finger and toe locks, throws that spike the head and leaving the mat to escape a submission. Disciplinary ones include striking, biting, abuse and not taking the match seriously.
How it works
- Technical major fouls: disqualification without discussion.
- Slams: slamming an opponent who is in guard, on the back or attempting a submission. The athlete who lifts is responsible even if it is a loss of balance.
- Spikes: a suplex or any takedown that drives the opponent's head or neck into the ground.
- Neck and spine: force on the neck or spine without a choke attempt in place.
- Small joints: locks on fingers or toes.
- Bare-hand strangles: hands round the neck, fingers on the windpipe or a hand over the nose and mouth.
- Fleeing a submission: leaving the match area while under attack.
- Kit: no proper undergarments, slippery substances on the skin or failing to change attire when told.
- Intent: any action meant to injure, or trying to get the opponent disqualified by putting them in an illegal position.
- Disciplinary major fouls: profanity, hostility, biting, hair pulling, any strike, attacks on the eyes or groin, disrespect, and fake fighting.
- Confirmation: the mat referee signals first, and the decision stands if at least one video referee agrees.
The glossary has the major fouls (ne-waza), the prohibited acts by division, the fleeing the mat, the knee reaping, the referee team and the video replay challenge.
Tricky cases
An athlete in a triangle choke is lifted and dropped on their back. Is that a slam?
Yes. Slamming an opponent attempting a submission is a disqualifying foul, even if it was unintentional or from a loss of balance.
Pulling the top athlete's head down to break their posture: is that a neck attack?
No. Pulling the top player's neck or head from the bottom to break posture is not considered an attack on the neck.
An athlete trapped in an arm bar rolls off the mat to escape. Is that fleeing?
It depends. A legitimate escape that happens to take both off the mat gives the attacker two points. Leaving deliberately without a real defensive action is disqualification.
Can a disqualification be overturned on review?
Yes. If both video referees disagree with it, the match continues.
Why the rule exists
These acts can cause serious injury in a moment, or show that an athlete is not competing in good faith, so there is no warning and no scale. Making the lifter responsible for any slam means athletes do not lift an opponent they cannot set down safely.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Technical major foul | Disqualification | JJIF Ne-Waza 11.3 |
| Disciplinary major foul | Disqualification, with possible further sanctions | JJIF Ne-Waza 11.2 |
| Both video referees disagree | Match continues | JJIF Ne-Waza 5.11 |
| Injury caused by a prohibited action | Offender disqualified | JJIF Ne-Waza 14.3 |
| Ju-jitsu fighting | Hansoku-make; disciplinary fouls also expel from the event | JJIF Fighting 7.3 |
From the rule book
Ju-Jitsu International Federation and Ju-Jitsu Asian Union, Jiu-Jitsu (Ne-Waza) Rulebook (version 2.7, reviewed 2024), Sections 5.11, 10.7, 11.2, 11.3 and 14.3 and the tables of prohibited acts. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the federation's Jiu-Jitsu (Ne-Waza) Rulebook.