Everything you need before you step on the mat.
Start here for format, weigh-ins, experience levels, attire, and the rules that keep competition fair.
Gi competition
- Uniform: Clean gi in good repair
- Gi fit: No tears or excessive fraying. Pants and sleeves must reach within 2 inches of the ankles and wrists.
- Weigh-in: Gi pants with a rash guard, T-shirt, or sports bra; gi top is not required.
- Protective equipment: No cups or groin protectors; wearing one results in immediate DQ without refund. Knee pads and mouth guards are optional.
- Adult divisions: White through black belt
- Youth brackets: Based on actual weight, age, and experience
- Under the gi: Rash guard, sports bra, or T-shirt required
- Hygiene: Poor hygiene, including offensive odors, is grounds for disqualification (DQ).
No-gi competition
- Bottoms: Clean grappling or board-style shorts or gi pants, without tears or excessive fraying. Basketball shorts are not permitted. Spats, leggings, and compression shorts may be worn underneath but cannot be the outermost garment.
- Shorts fit and coverage: Shorts must have a loose-fitting outer layer, extend to at least mid-thigh, and fully cover the buttocks and groin throughout movement. Brief-style, tight-fitting short shorts are not permitted. This standard applies to all competitors.
- Top: Rash guard or snug-fitting T-shirt
- Weigh-in: Wear your no-gi uniform
- Protective equipment: No cups or groin protectors; wearing one is grounds for DQ. Mouth guards and knee pads without metal or hard plastic bracing are optional.
- Divisions: Novice through advanced
- Experience: Wrestling, judo, sambo, and MMA experience count
- Hygiene: Poor hygiene, including offensive odors, is grounds for disqualification (DQ).
No-gi experience levels
Children, youth & juniors
- Novice: Under 6 months of training; white belts only.
- Beginner: 6 months and over, up to and including 18 months.
- Intermediate: Over 18 months, up to and including 36 months.
- Advanced: Over 3 years of experience.
Adults
- Novice: Under 6 months of training; white belts only.
- Beginner: 6 months and over, up to and including 2 years; white belts only.
- Intermediate: Over 2 years, up to and including 5 years, or blue belt.
- Advanced: Over 5 years, or purple belt and above.
Count your training in submission wrestling, jiu-jitsu, judo, and wrestling. Judo, Sambo, and MMA experience count the same as BJJ.
Wrestling experience: Competitors with over 2 years of high-school wrestling or any collegiate wrestling experience must enter at least intermediate no-gi.
Read all competition rules, including jumping guard, mat boundaries, and division eligibility. See allowed submissions and match times.
Compete hard. Protect each other.
- 01
Show respect to officials, staff, coaches, and fellow competitors. Unsportsmanlike conduct may result in disqualification or removal.
- 02
No striking, biting, eye gouging, head butting, small-joint manipulation, hair pulling, windpipe attacks, or ear pulling.
- 03
No slamming. Takedowns must return an opponent safely to the mat.
- 04
No infectious skin conditions, open wounds, body jewelry, oils, lotions, or lubricants. Nails must be clipped.
- 05
Matches begin standing. The referee may reset athletes at center while preserving position when practical.
- 06
KYS Promotions may combine or expand divisions to make the best available brackets.
We discourage weight cutting for children. Youth brackets are formed using current weight, age, and experience, generally keeping athletes within roughly 10% of body weight and two years of age when possible.