The Pressure Grappling Series (PGS) is a submission grappling format designed for speed, clarity, and real competition. It blends the decisiveness of folkstyle wrestling with the finishing focus of modern no-gi jiu jitsu.

Why PGS Exists

Most jiu jitsu rulesets fail in predictable ways. They reward stalling, tolerate confusion, and crown champions who cannot impose their will from standing. Worse, many rules lack internal logic. Falling bodyweight is one of the leading causes of injury in contact sports, yet dangerous jumping techniques are routinely allowed, even for beginners. At the same time, comparatively safer submissions like kneebars are restricted until the highest ranks. This contradiction makes no sense.

Rules shape behavior. Coaches design practices around them. Athletes optimize for them. When the rules are flawed, the grappling becomes flawed too.

PGS prioritizes aggression, dominance, and forward progress. Passivity is discouraged. Stalling is penalized. The result is matches that are clearer for athletes and far more compelling for spectators.

Established grappling sports like wrestling and judo benefit from standardized, easy-to-follow rules. Jiu jitsu does not. PGS aims to change that by introducing a coherent, safety-conscious submission grappling ruleset grounded in how people actually get injured and how high-level grappling actually works.

Three Major Problems Solved

First, rule gaming. This includes stalling to force overtime, artificial point exchanges, and actions like kicking the legs after a guard pull to manufacture a takedown. PGS referees are trained to issue immediate stalling warnings and penalties. The push-out rule also helps here as athletes cannot run away from action without giving up a point. They must fight for the middle. If they are not trying to win, they are losing.

Second, preventable catastrophic injuries. All jumping attacks are banned. This includes jumping guard, kani basami, flying armbars, and similar techniques. These moves rely on uncontrolled falling bodyweight and create injuries that cannot be defended against. The risk is real, the consequences are severe, and the upside is minimal. The juice is not worth the squeeze. Other dangerous takedowns such as arm-trapped mat returns are also illegal for the same reasons.

Third, uncontestable referee error. Referees are human. Mistakes happen. Each team will be allotted a limited number of referee challenges per event to correct clear errors and increase accountability. It is impossible to remove subjectivity entirely, but PGS minimizes it through clear scoring criteria and a last-to-score tiebreaker that eliminates most referee decisions.

Our Philosophy

PGS is not trying to reinvent grappling. It is trying to make it make sense.

PGS Ruleset

Time Limit

Bracket Matches

  1. Match Duration: 10 minutes.

  2. Overtime: None. 

Finals Matches

  • Match Duration: 10 minutes.

  • Overtime: None.

Individual Matchups

  • Match Duration: 7 minutes.

  • Overtime: None.

Scoring System

General Scoring Criteria 

Standing

  1. Guard pull (-1 point)

    1. Definition: Conceding bottom position (choosing to sit or lie down) results in a 1-point penalty.

    2. Exceptions: 

      1. If a double guard pull occurs, whoever becomes the top player does not take a negative point.

      2. If a double guard pull occurs and both players stand up to neutral, neither player earns a negative.

  2. Takedown (2 points)

    1. Definition: If both players start standing before a scramble, the player that ends up on top or chest-to-back behind the elbows (e.g. turtle, seatbelt no hooks, etc.) for at least 3 seconds earns 2 points (regardless of who initiates the takedown).

    2. Exceptions: 

      1. If a submission threat is live, there is no score until the submission threat is no longer present (e.g. if a player hits a double leg takedown but gets caught in a guillotine, there is no score until the player on top can free their head from the strangle and stay on top for 3 seconds).

      2. Players in other rulesets such as IBJJF have gamed this system to wait for a player to initiate a guard pull before they touch the legs with their hands or feet to score a fake takedown. If a player initiates a guard pull (sit-down) BEFORE the other player interacts with their legs then no takedown points are scored.

  3. Go-behind (1 point)

    1. Definition: If one player gets behind the other player while standing, locks their arms around their torso (under/behind at least one elbow, such as an arm trapped bodylock, seatbelt, or standard bodylock under both elbows) for 3-seconds, they score 1 point.

  4. Escape from go-behind (1 point)

    1. Definition: Escaping from a go-behind where you break the lock of your opponents arms and turn-to-face them in a neutral standing position for 3 seconds awards 1 point. 

  5. Push-out (1 point)

    1. Definition: If one player pushes the other player out of bounds (with BOTH feet) while standing, the attacker is awarded 1-point and the match is reset in the middle of the mat.

Guard

  1. Guard pass (2-3 points)

    1. Definition: Passing the guard (getting past the legs and establishing control with chest-to-chest contact for 3 seconds) earns 3 points. 

    2. Exception: If your opponent turtles within 3 seconds after the pass and you secure chest-to-back position with locked hands (behind the elbows, front headlock does not count), you earn 2 points instead.

  2. Reversal (2 points)

    1. Reversing from bottom to top or grounded chest-to-back position (e.g. seated arm drag to back mount but the attacker is still technically below the top player with their back on the floor) gives the athlete 2 points. This is true from a guarded position or a pinned position.

Pinning

  1. Front/Rear mounted pin (4 points)

    1. Definition: A pin is any chest-to-chest or chest-to-back control where you’ve passed the opponent’s legs. Pinning positions like mount or back control (where you cover the hips with your lower body and shoulders with your upper body) are worth 4 points.

  2. Escape from pin (1 point)

    1. Escaping from a pin and returning to a neutral standing or guard position (BOTH knees and/or feet pointed at the top player) for 3 seconds earns 1 point.

  3. Reversal (2 points)

    1. Same as reversal from a guard.

Submissions

  1. Significant submission attempts (1-point)

    1. Definition: Any close joint lock or strangle. This is the most subjective way to score but still an important consideration because this should incentivize more submission hunting. If one player puts on what the judge deems to be a deep/close submission and the other player needs to exert significant effort to defend, 1 point will be awarded to the attacker. Facial expressions are not considered as a factor as they can be an inconsistent signal (i.e. some players grimace during non-threatening situations).

Tie-Breaker Criteria

If the match ends without a clear winner after overtime, the decision will be based on:

  1. Last-to-score: Who scored the most recent points (not including riding time points). 

In the highly-unlikely case that there is a tie at the end where neither player scored (0-0 or a tie in penalties), a judge’s decision will be determined based on:

  1. Offensive activity: Who initiated more attacks vs who was more counteroffensive. 

  2. Submission Attempts: Who actively pursued submissions.

Penalties

Stalling

  • Definition

    • Occurs when an athlete deliberately slows the match without attempting to improve position, submit, or engage. Stalling can be called from any position if there is no intent to progress or escape.

  • Guard Pull Engagement

    • An athlete cannot flee or avoid engagement after pulling guard.

  • Boundary Violations

    • If an athlete flees or is pushed out of bounds multiple times without reasonably trying to stop it, a warning is issued, followed by point deductions for repeated offenses.

  • Point-Deduction Process

  1. First Warning: Referee issues a "Stalling Warning."

  2. Second Offense: If the athlete does not engage shortly after the warning, a 1-point deduction will be enforced.

  3. Third Offense: If the athlete does not engage shortly after the first point deduction, a 2-point deduction will be enforced.

  4. Fourth Offense: If the athlete does not engage shortly after the second point deduction, the referee will disqualify the stalling athlete.

Illegal Techniques

Injurious Illegal Techniques

  • If an illegal technique injures the opponent, the match will be paused, and the injured athlete will have up to 3 minutes to recover. The referee will assess the foul's intent:

    • Intentional fouls: Can result in point deductions or disqualification.

    • If the injured athlete cannot continue after 3 minutes, the match will either end with a decision based on the scoreboard or disqualification of the offending athlete.

Non-Injurious Illegal Techniques

  • If the foul does not cause injury, the match will continue with a 2-point deduction for intentional fouls.

Safety Rules

Legality of Techniques

Legal

  • Chokes: All chokes are legal except for using your hand to close the windpipe.

  • Joint Locks: Any armbar, shoulder lock, wrist lock, or leg lock.

Illegal

  • No slams of any kind while grounded.

  • No strikes of any kind (e.g., punches, kicks, knees, or elbows).

  • No eye gouging, fish-hooking, or grabbing ears.

  • No hair pulling, pinching, biting, or scratching.

  • No squeezing or intentionally putting pressure on the groin area.

  • No slippery substances on the body or clothing.

  • No holding the opponent’s rashguard or shorts.

  • No grabbing fewer than three fingers or toes.

  • No jumping attacks of any kind (e.g. flying scissor takedown, jumping guard pull, flying arm bar, etc.).

  • No arm-trapped, bodylock lifting takedowns (e.g. mat returns with one arm trapped).

  • Spine locks are not allowed. If the submission directly tries to injure the spine–which could cause paralysis–it is not allowed, e.g., Can Opener, Twister, Full Nelson.

Referee Stoppage

The referee can stop the match if they believe an athlete is in danger of injury, including situations like:

  • Concussion risk

  • Continuous strangulation after unconsciousness

Blood Timeout

Each competitor is allowed one timeout per match to treat a cut or bleeding, with a limit of 2 minutes.

Coaching Rules

  • Only 1 coach per corner: Coaching from the sidelines is allowed. However, if the coaching becomes excessive or disruptive, the referee will issue a verbal warning. Continued disruption will result in the coach being asked to leave.

Tournament Participation 

  • Weigh Ins

    • Weigh-ins are the day before the event.

    • Athletes will receive a 1 pound allowance.

  • Athletes Unable to Continue

    • If a competitor advances but cannot continue, their previous opponent may be allowed to take their place in the tournament.