Points in BJJ: what each position is worth, and what advantages are
Two points for the takedown, three for the pass, four for the mount. But the rule that decides the most matches is none of these: it is the three seconds.
BJJ Square · Updated on 08/11/2026
Jiu-jitsu scoring rewards one thing only: advancing towards positions from which the match can be finished. The more dominant the position, the more it is worth. It is the reason the mount is worth double the guard pass, and the takedown — which in wrestling is everything — is worth little.
What each position is worth
- Takedown — 2 points. Taking the opponent to the ground from standing and stabilising the position on top.
- Sweep — 2 points. Reversing the situation from underneath, swapping the positions round.
- Knee on belly — 2 points.
- Guard pass — 3 points. Getting past the opponent's legs and arriving at side control.
- Mount — 4 points. Sitting on the opponent's torso.
- Back control — 4 points. Controlling the back with both heels hooked between their thighs. Without the hooks, no points.
The three-second rule
None of these positions is worth anything unless you hold it for three seconds. It is the rule that decides close matches, and it is the one beginners discover in the worst way: you arrive in mount, the opponent gets straight out, and nothing appears on the scoreboard.
Note Three seconds sounds like nothing. In a match, with somebody driving to get out, they are very long — and that is exactly the point: the rulebook is there to reward control, not the passage itself.
Advantages: the score that is not a score
An advantage is awarded when something nearly came off: a position reached but not held for the three seconds, or a submission in which the opponent was in real danger of having to give in. It is not half a point and it does not add to the points: it counts only if the points are level.
The referee awards the advantage only when there is no longer any possibility of that position being completed — that is, almost always after the fact, not at the moment things happen.
How a level match is decided
- The winner is whoever has more points.
- With points level, whoever has more advantages.
- With advantages level too, whoever has fewer penalties.
- If everything is identical, the referee decides: in the classic IBJJF format there is no extra time.
Careful The rules change between organisations, and this article describes the IBJJF ones — the edition of the rulebook in force as we write is the June 2024 one. At the ADCC the scoring works differently and in the first half of the match no points are scored at all. Before competing, the rulebook to read is that of the organisation running *that* competition.
The differences between the circuits, explained one by one: IBJJF, ADCC, AJP: who runs what.
Frequently asked questions
- How many points is the guard pass worth in BJJ?
- Three points in the IBJJF rulebook, on condition that you stabilise side control for three seconds.
- What are advantages in jiu-jitsu?
- They are the recognition of an action that nearly came off: a position reached but not held for three seconds, or a submission that put the opponent in real danger. They count only when points are level.
- Does pulling guard lose you points?
- No, it does not take points away. In the IBJJF rulebook it does not award any either: whoever pulls guard simply does not score. It does become a penalty if you do it without first establishing a grip.
- What happens if a match ends completely level?
- Points, advantages and penalties are looked at in that order. If they are all equal, the decision falls to the referee: in the classic IBJJF format there is no overtime.
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