By Professor Fabiano Papel

As a Jiu-Jitsu referee, one of the most common things I see is athletes competing for the first time who are completely unprepared. Many, especially white belts, enter tournaments without knowing the rules, understanding the basic procedures, or even ensuring they have the proper equipment.

In this article, I will highlight the key points you should pay attention to when competing, especially in IBJJF tournaments. While these tips are specific to IBJJF events, they can also be useful for other competitions.

Take care of your nails in advance – Trim your nails at the beginning of the event week. Doing it on the competition day can weaken your grips and even cause discomfort.

Monitor your weight – Check your weight before the event and, if necessary, adjust your category in advance. Avoid last-minute weight cuts that could affect your performance.

Check your gi – Make sure your gi meets the federation’s requirements. I often see athletes panicking because their gi doesn’t comply with the rules, forcing them to buy or borrow one at the last minute. Prevent this stress by checking everything beforehand.

Study the rules – Understanding the referee’s verbal commands, knowing the scoring system, and being aware of potential penalties can make the difference between winning and losing a match.

Arrive early at the event – I recommend arriving at least one hour before your scheduled match. IBJJF tournaments often move faster than planned, and being late could cost you your chance to compete. Arriving early allows you to check if you can weigh in and report to your ring coordinator.

Stay alert after your match – If you win, remain in the warm-up area. If you need to leave, inform the area coordinator. Many athletes miss their next match because they leave the area and can’t be found, which could lead to disqualification.

By following these guidelines, you’ll avoid unnecessary setbacks and be able to focus on what truly matters: giving your best on the mats!

If you found these tips helpful and want more Jiu-Jitsu and competition-related content, follow me on Instagram @fabianopapel! I regularly share insights to help you improve on your journey.

Good luck, and see you on the mats! Oss!

Marcos Torregrosa as referee. Photo: Jaydee Dizon

We rarely learn the ins and outs of being a Jiu-Jitsu tournament referee. Some of the faces are well-known while others seem to only be known by their dressy attire on the middle of the mats when we compete.

Marcos Torregrosa, a black belt from GMA Yemaso BJJ Academy, entered the new realm of referees for the first time at the 2014 IBJJF Las Vegas Spring Open on May 3. The avid competitor travels around frequently and takes home gold at some of the largest tournaments in our sport. He also talks guidance to his students from the sidelines at the very same tournaments. Both of those roles can be physically, mentally taxing but some do all three.

Listen to the story of one brave man who stepped on the mat to referee for a day in Vegas and lived to tell the tale:

“‘With great power comes great responsibility’ – ironically a quote that seems to hold new meaning the more I experience. This past weekend I was approached to referee my very first IBJJF event. Sure, I had reffed many other events yet I consider the IBJJF events of the highest prestige and this was to be my opportunity to show how it’s done! I had high expectations of myself and looked forward to the challenge, anticipating minimal obstacles on the way whilst impressing my colleagues and earning their respect.

I had a long day..

Come 7:30 p.m. I was exhausted, beaten from a long and emotional trial that saw me going through every possible combination of situations as a coach, competitor, and referee. First off I could not compete as I was injured but I immediately recognized the incredible difficulty of being a ref and competing all in the same day. Regularly I witness Osvaldo Moizinho, Samir Chantre, Leo D’Avila, Oliver Geddes, and Kristina Barlaan ref and compete and the reality is that most people are blind to just how taxing this can be. I was drained from head to toe, my eyes red and dry from trying to keep them open for fear of missing some minuscule detail that could potentially determine a match. My lower back was sore and my knees creaked as I bent down. I had been approached on a couple of occasions by the head referee about certain calls and the unwavering assertion that I knew what I was doing had been clouded in doubt, further stressing my emotional stability. Throughout the day I had been yelled at, cursed, questioned, frowned upon, embarrassed, and quite frankly beaten. I had taken a group of 13 and could only catch a few of their matches, one of them to ref my own student and witness his first loss at a tournament first hand. Being that the event was in Vegas many were planning on enjoying a night out and I was actually contemplating just going to bed. Almost..

Much like the greatest inspirations my epiphany came from this “defeat”. I realized just how important it was to have a competitor and aficionado of the sport as referee. I knew the rules and knew them damn well but employing them was a different bag of chips. It was very easy for me to sit in the stands and say, “oh man, that’s a TERRIBLE call” yet as I reffed I heard the wisdom of my late grandmother ringing in my ears: “it’s not the same to call the devil than to see him arrive” she would say, meaning it’s easy to talk but hard to walk. As a coach I could not agree more. I had a number of up-and-comers this weekend taking 9 medals total and I drill them constantly on the rules in an effort to make them more aware both tactically and in general–a trait of any good martial artist.

Personally, I feel each and every coach should place it upon themselves to attend a referee seminar at LEAST once a year. It was criminal to see just how many coaches, many well known masters and colleagues of mine, not entirely versed on the rules. They, along with their student competitors, should attend these seminars and further discuss their newfound knowledge at the gym. If we are to play a game it is imperative that we know the rules. After this experience I am planning on attending a few in an effort to ensure my interpretation of the rules is spot on.

Finally, and in my opinion most important, I feel it is in the duty of those top tier competitors to get on the mats and show by example. It is VERY easy to hide behind titles and criticize profusely these men and women that have taken time away from coaching, competing, and their families to try and provide a safe and professional atmosphere for us all. No one is getting rich reffing and it is extremely difficult to swallow pride and commit errors but remember what it was like to be a fumbling white belt and the enjoyment of doing something correct.

Change what you are saying and you will change what you are seeing. Be the change you so eagerly solicit and If you feel our events need better refs go out there and give back, not just to your students but to the community as a whole.”

Follow more of Marcos Torregrosa’s endeavors at www.yemasobjj.com

The referees for the black belt finals at the 2012 World Championship. Photo: Dan Rod

As part of our 18 reasons to support the 2013 World Championship at the end of this month, this next type of motivation is aimed towards all. The rules and regulations of the sport provided by the IBJJF are important to running tournaments and maintaining a professional foundation for the athletes involved. Simply speaking, there must be a set of rules that are enforced with fair matches for all athletes.

Reason #7: With the most experienced referees yet, matches will be well run and on time.

Being a referee is not the easiest job and quick judgements must be made in some situations on the mat. However, knowing the rules and being able to enforce them without hesitation is necessary. The referees around the globe have all been trained to do their job but as with anything, practice makes perfect. That’s why the IBJJF chooses the best referees to supervise the matches of all IBJJF tournaments and especially the most prestigious like the Mundials.

This year the IBJJF ran a referee rules course in nearly every city they traveled to for tournaments. If you signed up for an Open or just lived nearby you could pay a fee and earn a certification in the IBJJF rules.

Because of such a high importance on the quality of our referees and the evolution of our rules and regulations, the IBJJF has made it a priority to have the most experienced refs, a progressive approach to improvement of the sport,  and a variety of opportunities for anyone to learn them.

So this year’s World Championship will have only the best referees on the mats. If you’re a competitor, expect to know the rules well, including the three commands in Portuguese, (combate, parou and lute) the point system, the do’s and don’t’s, the visual commands and overall conduct. If you’re a spectator, expect to see some well run matches with an efficient system of making sure matches are on time. There will always be an element of subjectivity in the judgements made by referees, but the IBJJF’s focus on education will help to keep a level playing field for white belts to black belts.

The 2013 World Championship will be held from May 29 to June 2 at the Long Beach Pyramid in Long Beach, California.

If you would like to see the rule book for the IBJJF, which is the system in place for the World Championship, you can review it here.

For future rules courses you can see the schedule here.

>>And most importantly, to register for the 2013 World Championship click here. Today is the last day to register with a discounted price!

Three females from Brazil 021 and three medals at the 2013 IBJJF NY Open. Photo: Erin Herle

GMA members Andre Terencio and Hannette Staack are active representatives of the Jiu-Jitsu community. Andre is a well-respected referee for the IBJJF who can be seen working on the mats at prestigious tournaments as well as the various opens around the country all year long. Hannette Staack is considered one of the best female black belts of all time, gaining her first world champion title in 2002, and continuing on to win six more. Still an active competitor today, she also teaches at her Chicago based Brazil 021 academy to lead women on the mats for both self-defense and competition should they choose to pursue her same path.

In the video below, Brazil 021 instructors demonstrate the type of women’s self-defense training they provide at their headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. Shown in the video are three females who recently went along with Andre to the 2013 IBJJF New York Open and came out victorious with three medals.

Blue belts Kristin Martin and Kristen Mikkelson both took home gold in their divisions, light feather and light. Purple belt Sharon Gosun received a silver medal in her light feather division as well.

See how Hannette Staack and the Brazil 021 team is building their numbers of women on the mat and keeping them in the sport through proper guidance and leadership. From self defense to competition, it’s important to know it all.

The two brown belt absolute finalists in WPJJC 2013 were disqualified for lack of combativeness by referee Luciano Mendes. Photo:Dan Rod/ GracieMag

The fifth edition of the Abu Dhabi WPJJC was last weekend, but it still echoes strongly in conversations at gyms and the GRACIEMAG website.

Besides the big fight between champion Marcus Buchecha and Rodolfo Vieira and the invincibility of Gabi Garcia, the brown belt absolute final generated a strong repercussion.

Keenan Cornelius faced, once again, the light Paulo Miyao, until the gold medal dispute ended in unusual ways. The referee of the fight, black belt from Nova União Luciano Mendes opted to disqualify both the athletes for lack of combativeness. Keenan and Paulo had their legs tangled when it comes to the crunch.

Correct decision? Or hasty? Right or not? Leave your opinion. But before commenting, please read Luciano’s explanation for his decision to GRACIEMAG:

“Both finalists were passive and weren’t seeking for points or submissions. With this, I am bound by the rule, after every 20 seconds of inactivity, to punish them. The rule constantly undergoes adjustments, as occurred recently. It is important that all competitors read and do the courses run by the IBJJF, all referees trained by the mentioned institution are able to fulfill what is in our regulation. So my criterion was adopted based on the existing rule, as usual,” says Luciano.

With the disqualification of both, the WPJJC organization opted to raise Kaue Damasceno (Nova União), who then placed third, to the absolute title, so the athlete pocketed the first place prize offered. The decision turned out to generate more controversy over the referee, accused on social networks to have eliminated finalists, favoring his brown belt teammate.

Luciano rejected such criticism, noting that nothing in the rules says that third place would be the new champion:

“Regarding the fact that the athlete placed third became the champion, this decision was by the organization of the event and it wasn’t my competence. On social networks, there are many different opinions about the disqualification; everyone is entitled to think what they want. I repeat: I only performed what was written in the rule,” defends Luciano.

The referee now says he hopes the athletes become more familiarized with the rules, so they won’t be taken by surprise anymore: “Every athlete has to study the rule and adapt to the game. Cases of lack of combativeness must always be punished strictly and all referees are trained for that.”

The black belt failed to restrain his opposition to a penalty incurred by his student Denilson in the purple belt featherweight contest at the Worlds, and in an act of thoughtlessness jumped the divider to express his grievances directly to the referee in the match area. His actions earned him automatic penalization from the IBJJF, preventing Galvão from competing at the most important Jiu-Jitsu championship of the year, which ended last Sunday. Still regretting it, and after a couple of sleepless nights and even shed tears, André spoke with GRACIEMAG.com.

André Galvão watches the 2012 Jiu-Jitsu Worlds on Saturday. Photo: GRACIEMAG.

WHAT HAPPENED ON FRIDAY, AND WHAT LESSONS DID YOU DERIVE FROM IT?

Man, I got punished. Everyone knows that. I couldn’t control my emotions when I saw a student of mine treated unfairly during a purple belt final at the Worlds. I know a lot of folks are criticizing me for it, for sure. I’m aware of having made a mistake. I shouldn’t have gone past the security barricade to argue with the ref. And in the end, I paid a high price for it.

I was in perfect condition to take top spot on the podium this year. Not to discredit the winners at weight and absolute, but I was training with a “capital T.” Everyone who saw the work I put in knows full well what I’m talking about. But unfortunately it wouldn’t be this time around. It hurt a lot to be left out.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE WATCHING EVERYTHING THAT WENT ON AT THE 2012 WORLDS FROM THE STANDS?

I even cried about it, if you want to know. It was worse than defeat. Human beings sometimes learn from their mistakes. And that’s how I’m learning. I haven’t slept right since. May it serve as a lesson not just to me, but to everyone.

I’ve received a lot of messages from fans and people who like me. That’s been helping me a lot at this time. I’d like to thank everyone: Thank you for the messages, guys. I don’t want to come off badly, but from the outside I felt my division [medium heavyweight] didn’t have that special shine the other divisions did. Between us, it was extremely boring. But I’d like to extend my congratulations to all the champions. Especially to Bochecha, who did awesome!

ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT COMING BACK STRONGER IN 2013 THEN?

Yes, for sure. I already apologized to the IBJJF more than five times, and I’m asking forgiveness again here. I know I made a mistake, and that’s what I regret. When you know you did something wrong you don’t, by any means, want to do it again. I’ve grown as an athlete with what happened, but much more as a teacher.

I’m more than regretful, to tell you the truth, since I fight for a living—that says it all. I’d like to also say sorry to my sponsors, Storm Kimonos, Twinlab Fuel and Zebra Mats, for what happened. Now of course it’s over, but I think the only way to really get over it is by winning the 2013 Worlds, at weight and open weight.

FROM THE SIDELINES, DID YOU NOTICE ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR?

I feel that in terms of the rules everything is fine. It’s clear how much our art is growing with every year. The Worlds is really well run, but there’s just one thing missing, in my opinion: If the IBJJF can pull it off next year, there should always be three referees for each match area. The thing is that Jiu-Jitsu is really complex. There are lots of positions, lots of tangling up, grips here and there. It’s a lot for one referee to oversee alone, especially with the Jiu-Jitsu of today. A lot of refs can’t always accompany the pace of the matches, and they get lost with this tangle game.

I also feel there should be a refereeing school, and the referees should earn a wage for the work they do. A preparatory course for them, having a trade school, would be interesting and a good thing. I feel that would make a big difference, help them make decisions when they need to.

DID YOU OR DIDN’T YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SAW AT THE LONG BEACH PYRAMID?

Look, like I said, I feel the rules are almost perfect. But some changes could be made when the athletes land in 50/50 guard. There, the athletes should have 30 seconds with which to work. If they can’t do anything, get anything to develop out of it, the refs should stop the match and stand them up. If you look closely, almost every black belt final ended up in this situation. It’s horrible to watch, to corner or even to referee matches like that. The 50/50 guard should only be allowed for 30 seconds, going back to the feet when nothing happens. If folks agree with that, the rule could be extended even further, awarding penalties and even disqualification to the fighter who persists with the position, who resorts to it without developing anything. The same as they do for stalling.

It’s that there’s no point to it, the 50/50 most of the time is used to defend and to stall, not to attack. Watching matches like that is ridiculous. Why would a TV station want to broadcast two guys locked up like dogs for ten minutes? It doesn’t go over well.