What is jazo in kurash?
A · Advanced · Scores and penalties · 1 of 4If neither athlete has a score or a penalty by half time, the referee stops the bout and calls jazo. The two take a set grip on each other's belts, chest to chest, and must attempt a throw. A khalol ends the bout. Any other score or penalty sends it back to normal kurash for the time left.
How it works
- When: at half time, if neither athlete has any score or penalty.
- Once only: jazo is announced once in a bout.
- The signal: the referee raises the right arm with a closed fist and calls "Jazo".
- The grip: each athlete holds the other's belt, right hand under the opponent's left arm and left hand over the opponent's right.
- The stance: upright, chests touching, heads level, hands 20 cm apart on the belt.
- Then: on "Kurash" both must attempt a technique.
- Avoiding it: bending away, dropping to the knees on purpose or letting go of the belt to avoid a throw brings a tanbekh.
- The clock: stopped during jazo. It restarts after the score or penalty.
- Both fall together: jazo is taken again.
The glossary has the jazo, the tanbekh, the khalol, the arbitrator, the side referee and the bout.
Tricky cases
One athlete has a tanbekh at half time and nobody has scored a throw. Is jazo called?
No. Jazo is for a bout in which neither athlete has any score or penalty. A tanbekh has already put a chala on the board.
A yonbosh is scored from the jazo grip. Do the athletes take the belt grip again?
No. After any score or penalty short of a khalol the bout continues as normal kurash, without the belt grip, for the remaining time.
An athlete lets go of the belt as the throw comes. Is that allowed?
No. Releasing the grip on purpose to avoid being thrown brings a tanbekh.
Is jazo called at half time in every bout?
No. It is called only when the board is empty, and no more than once.
Why the rule exists
Two cautious athletes can spend a whole bout fighting for grips and never throw. Jazo breaks that deadlock by giving both the same strong grip and no way to defend except by throwing. The grip is the one used in belt wrestling.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Normal kurash | The athletes take their own grips | C |
| Jazo | Fixed belt grip, chest to chest | IKA Rules 28.11 |
| Khalol from jazo | Bout over | IKA Rules 28.11 |
| Any other score or penalty from jazo | Normal kurash resumes | IKA Rules 28.11 |
From the rule book
International Kurash Association, International rules of organization and holding of Kurash competitions (web page, adopted 1998, categories for 2026), section 28, item 11. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the federation's competition rules (saved as a web page only).