Contest Rule Changes

Effective from 1st November 2010

Leg Grabs

Leg or ankle grabs are not allowed as an initial attack.

A leg grab as an initial attack is banned and if so performed will attract a shido penalty.
leg grab is only allowed if it is used as part of a counter attack, e.g. te-guruma used as a counter to ippon-seoi-nage or if it is used in combination after another initial technique. Where it is used as a combination technique, the first technique must (in the opinion of the referee) be a full and committed attack, and not a fake attack to hide the intention of using a leg grab.
If a contestant’s leg it off the ground as part of a technique then it may be taken and used, e.g. if someone does hiza-guruma and you take their leg that is about knee height you can use it to attack back. If during an attack, the opponents leg becomes raised from the ground, then it is permissible to hold or use the leg during the following technique.
Morote-gari is now a banned technique and its use will attract a shido penalty, even if used as a counter or combination.
Any leg grab that used in a permissible situation is still only valid as long as no more than two step are taken by tori during the execution of the leg grab technique.

Banning leg grabs was a step the BJC wished to take a few years ago, but didn’t try to proceed with at the time. In Jan 2010 the IJF went and did this task themselves, with much of the rest of world judo following closely.

Kata Guruma

Kata guruma is now only allowed if the thrower stays on their feet for the duration of the throw.
If the throw is attempted as a dropping technique, or tori’s knee touches the ground during the technique, or if it is performed as a sacrifice technique, then it will attract a shido penalty.

The IJF has through its leg grab rules effectively banned kata guruma. The BJC was minded to do the same, but in the end kept the technique as long as it was performed from a standing position and ended in a standing position. So, there is no dropping onto the knees to perform the technique or performing it as a sacrifice.

Edge of the mat

There is no longer a penalty for stepping out of the contest area.
As long as sufficient safety area exists (ie at least 2m.), the contest will continue as long a one of the contestants still has a single foot in the contest area.
Any valid throw must commence inside the area (as before), and no part of the throwers body may touch the mat before uke’s body hits the mat, if it does then the throw is not valid.
As soon as the second person fully steps out of the contest area, matte should be called.
If a person blatantly pushes the other person outside of the contest area then that person will be penalised with a shido (as is currently the case, this is a confirmation not a change).
If the safety area is less than 2m, then matte should be called as soon as either contestant steps outside the contest area.
There is no longer a penalty for standing stationary for 5 seconds in the danger area, though if someone performs such a thing, then they are well on the way to a passivity penalty.

The justification for this change is to try and create more free-flowing contests without so many stops and restarts, also to make the contest more about winning with a throw and less about losing with a penalty. And finally to be a little more like the IJF in this area, but to stay in keeping with some of the BJC approach.

Koka

There will no longer be a koka score, the lowest score that can be awarded is yuko. If a person performs what we would previously have scored as koka, then no score must be awarded. There must be no lowering of the attainment level for the awarding of the yuko score.

The IJF’s justification of removing the koka was to help promote the attempt to create bigger throws in contest. This is an approach that is aligned with BJC Ippon judo principles.

Osae-komi

Changes have been made to bring holddown times into line with the IJF and Japanese organisations.

Less than 15 seconds no score.
15 seconds or more but less than 20 seconds - yuko
20 seconds or more but less than 25 seconds - waza-ari
25 seconds – ippon.

The justification for this area is purely from a compatibility point of view with the IJF and other associations. It seems the only other organisation with 30 seconds holddown duration for Ippon is the Kodokan, who are also in the process of changing to 25 seconds.

Junior Armlocks and Strangles

Armlocks and strangles are completely removed from competitive junior judo (contest and gradings). (Note though that they are still in the junior syllabus, and are expected to be taught in the club and used in club randori.)