2025 Contest Rules to be Implemented from 22nd February

Following approval by the BJA, the International Judo Federation’s 2025 contest rules will be adopted, with limited adaptations for younger judoka, at all British events effective from 22nd February 2025, beginning with the English Open.

The new rules have been introduced following a review of the 2022-24 Olympic cycle to increase the opportunities to score and win, to provide greater technical freedom to judoka and to reduce the number of technical penalties and disqualifications awarded.

To summarise the changes:

• Yuko returns – for side and near side landings, side-elbow landings and landing on the buttocks (upright or toward the rear), and for 5-9 second hold downs. Osaekomi in golden score will end with yuko at 5 seconds.
• Waza–ari now applies to techniques landing toward the back (more than 90 degrees)
• Using the head to throw / head defence is now allowed (no longer hansoku-make) for junior and senior categories, and is shido for cadets.
• Grips below the belt – all jacket grips and grips under the belt to the level of the top of the inner thigh are allowed – it remains shido to use these grips negatively, or to grip, hook or block below level of the top of the inner thigh (usually where the bottom of the jacket would naturally fall).
• Bearhug is allowed, except where tori’s hands or arms are clasped.
• Grips inside the sleeves are allowed – except the trouser legs in tachi-waza.
• Reverse seoi-nage – is allowed for junior and senior categories
• Non-combativity (no attacks) time allowed is reduced from 45 to 30 seconds – but newaza actions can now be taken into consideration.
• Unintentional stepping-out is no longer shido. It remains a shido to step out when not engaged in a judo action.
• False attack – now includes where tori attacks in a manner where they have no realistic possibility to throw.
• Rising from ne-waza – it is now possible to throw even when the athletes are not facing each other.
• Throwing against the arm – is now shido where kansetsu-waza has a lower risk of injury, but remains hansoku-make for higher risk actions where uke cannot escape.

We are adopting the new ruleset at pace in the expectation that this will maximise the opportunity for judoka and officials to learn and benefit from the new rules. However, this will be a learning experience for everyone – coaches, athletes and referees – and we would ask that everyone acknowledge and show understanding that some mistakes will be a natural part of adapting to the new ruleset. We would like to remind the judo community of our morale code whilst all parties adapt to the new rules.

Full details of the 2025 rules and the BJA application of them are available in our updated rulebooks on our Contest Rules section, with all existing BJA amendments (eg. technical restrictions) will continue to apply alongside these changes.

BJA Adaptations:

• Those techniques prohibited at cadet level internationally will be prohibited in all Under 18 categories – using the head to throw or defend, and reverse seoi-nage.
• Throwing an opponent from behind while rising from ne-waza into tachi-waza will be included within the Technical Restrictions for younger and less experienced judoka.

Dan Gradings and Point Scoring:

• Yuko will not be used in dan gradings – not announced, scored or count for points.
• Waza-ari and waza-ari-awesete-ippon are reintroduced at gradings.
• A waza-ari win is worth five promotion points – at gradings and point scoring competitions.
• Eligibility for line-ups based on waza-ari wins will be confirmed in due course.

Contest Sheets

• Yuko wins will be recorded as three points on contest sheets.

Training and Support

Referees, Coaches and Fighters of all levels are invited to attend a virtual rule update seminar at 7:00pm on Tuesday 11th February. You can register for the event by clicking here.

Referees in Charge will provide short briefings on the new rules to referees and coaches at the beginning of the competition day. Many of our International and Continental referees will have experience using the new rules at IJF and EJU events in February and are equipped to support their colleagues and to answer questions from athletes or coaches – both in the run up to and after the application of the new rules.

Further training on the new rules, open to all BJA members, will be available at the National Refereeing Seminar – date to be confirmed later this year. A number of refereeing and contest rules courses, available for all members, are also being run by Areas and will be listed in the BJA events calendar.

Further information

The full IJF technical seminar explaining the rule updates is available to watch here, alongside an article explaining the changes, available here.

Example video clips from the seminar are available here.

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National Refereeing Commission

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