Judo, built for a crowd.

Scoring

An ippon does not end the match. After a score, both athletes continue standing. Every scoring throw adds to the athlete's total, so four yukos earn 12 and beat a single ippon. At the end of three minutes, the higher score wins.

Equal scores at time are a draw. The head referee signals hikiwake. There is no golden score or extension, and both athletes keep the points they earned. A serious foul can end a bout early (see Serious Fouls below).

Match Procedure

• Before hajime. White wears a white gi and Blue wears a blue gi. Athletes double-tie their belts and bow. The referee calls hajime to start the three-minute bout.
• After a throw or out of bounds: reset. The referee calls mate. The clock keeps running as athletes return to their starting positions. Both athletes must run back immediately; a slow return is a shido.
• Standing action only. When action reaches the ground, both athletes are brought back to their feet. Points are awarded for a scoring throw and the fight continues standing, including after ippon.
• Clock stops. The clock pauses only for injury or blood, and for a belt retie. The bout ends when three minutes expire or when a serious foul ends it.
• 28 matches. 7 per athlete. 20 minutes to recover. Eight athletes each fight seven matches, 28 in total. The order is arranged so that every athlete gets about 20 minutes of recovery between their own matches.

Safety zone

The mat has two parts: the contest area and the safety zone around it. An athlete may initiate action only inside the contest area, with both feet in. The purpose is safety: no athlete may deliberately throw an opponent out of the contest area or beyond the safety zone.

Situation	Referee	Penalty
An athlete steps out of the contest area with one foot	The referee calls mate. The clock keeps running while both athletes return to the starting position.	No penalty.
Momentum carries the athletes out during a throw already in motion	The referee calls mate once the action ends.	No penalty.
An athlete deliberately pushes the opponent out of the contest area	The referee calls mate.	Shido.
An athlete continues to grip, attack or throw after mate when the athlete could have stopped	The referee stops the action.	Shido.
An athlete with both feet out of the contest area, after mate, still starts a throw toward the edge of the mat	The referee stops the action and applies the serious-foul procedure.	Major penalty. −10 points.
An athlete throws the opponent into the audience	The referee ends the bout. The referees examine intent.	Disqualification from the bout. −10 points. If the throw into the crowd is clearly purposeful, disqualification from the tournament.

Penalties

Penalties escalate with the risk to the opponent. Minor infractions cost a shido. Dangerous or prohibited techniques cost points off the competition total and can end the bout.

1. Shido

A shido is the lowest level of penalty, given for actions that slow the match down or avoid the fight. Each shido in a bout costs one point more than the last, and every deduction comes off the athlete's overall competition score.

Shido	This shido costs	Total taken off the athlete's score
First shido	−1 point	1 point off the total score
Second shido	−2 points	3 points off the total score (1 + 2)
Third shido	−3 points	6 points off the total score (1 + 2 + 3)
Fourth shido	−4 points	10 points off the total score (1 + 2 + 3 + 4)
Each one after	One point more than the last	A fifth costs 5 more, for 15 points off the total score, and so on

A fresh sequence every match. The first shido in every new bout costs one point. Earlier deductions stay in the athlete's competition score; only the sequence resets. Points already deducted are not restored.

When the referee issues a shido:

• Defensive posture. Bending over without attacking for 3 seconds.
• Unproductive grip play. Playing with the hands for 3 seconds without establishing a proper grip.
• Opposite lapel grip. Holding the opposite lapel without attacking for 3 seconds.
• Retreating. Backing up more than 3 steps.
• Pushing out. Pushing the opponent out of bounds.
• Slow return. Failing to hustle back to the starting position after mate.
• Safety zone. Deliberately pushing the opponent out of the contest area, or continuing to grip, attack or throw after mate when the athlete could have stopped.
• Lower-risk illegal actions. A standing hand grab of the leg or trousers, a leg hook without an immediate attack, or a lower-risk standing armlock or choke from which the opponent can escape safely.
• Verbal misconduct. Profanity or inappropriate language.
• Addressing the referee. Speaking directly to the referee unless circumstances warrant it.
• Belt comes off again. Warning the first time, a shido on the second and each later occurrence (see below).

Belt and gi jacket

Situation	Referee and clock	Penalty
Belt comes off for the first time in a bout	Call mate and stop the clock. The athlete immediately reties the belt and returns to the starting position. Restart the clock and the fight on hajime.	Warning only. No shido or deduction.
The same athlete's belt comes off again in that bout	Same stop, retie and restart procedure. Counted separately for each athlete in each bout.	One shido on the second occurrence and each later occurrence, at the athlete's next regular deduction.
Gi jacket comes untucked while the belt stays on	No mate. The clock keeps running and both athletes keep fighting.	No penalty.

2. Illegal Techniques

Above shido sit the serious fouls: techniques that put the opponent's joints, neck or spine at real risk. PGF uses the IJF senior rules to identify prohibited techniques. Of the techniques the IJF bans by name, the two that apply to standing competition:

Technique	What the referee looks for
Kani-basami	A scissor takedown in which the attacker uses both legs to cut the opponent's legs out from under them.
Kawazu-gake	The attacker wraps one leg around the opponent's leg while facing roughly the same direction, then falls backward into the opponent.

The following dangerous standing actions are treated the same way.

• Head diving. Diving headfirst into the mat to execute or attempt a throw, or somersaulting forward with the opponent loaded on the back or shoulders.
• Dangerous joint locks or chokes. Applying a lock to any joint other than the elbow, including a shoulder lock, or applying a standing armlock or choke that leaves the opponent no way to escape safely.
• Endangering the neck or spine. This includes throwing from a kata-sankaku grip that traps the head and one arm and puts the opponent's neck or spine at high risk.
• Inside reap from behind. The defending athlete gets behind the thrower and reaps the thrower's supporting leg or legs from the inside.
• Throwing from outside the contest area. With both feet out and mate called, the athlete still starts a throw toward the edge of the mat. Throwing the opponent into the audience is disqualification from the bout and −10 points, and disqualification from the tournament if clearly purposeful.
• Dangerous backward fall or slam. Deliberately falling backward onto an opponent clinging to your back while either athlete controls the other's movement, or lifting an opponent and driving them into the mat without a judo throwing technique.

3. Serious Fouls and Bout Outcome

Serious offenses are counted per athlete, per bout. An illegal technique scores no throw points, and each one costs more than the last.

Offense	Deduction	Bout outcome
First offense	−10 points from the competition total	The referee calls mate. The opponent may choose to end the bout and take the win, or continue if the referee considers it safe. The event doctor must clear any suspected injury before a restart. If the referee or doctor stops the bout because of the foul, the opponent wins.
Second offense in the same bout	An additional −20 points (30 points total)	The referee ends the bout immediately. The offender is disqualified from that bout and the opponent wins, regardless of the score.

If the bout ends because of the foul, both athletes keep their previously earned points. The win is recorded without a bonus ippon. The offense count resets for the next bout. All deductions stay in the competition total.

The Champion

Final competition score = scoring points − penalty deductions. After all seven fights, the athlete with the highest final score is the Pro Judo champion. Winning the most individual matches does not make an athlete the champion; the title goes to total accumulated points. If final totals are tied, the head-to-head result decides.

Live standings are updated after every score and deduction, so the crowd can follow who leads after each exchange.

Rules version 2.4, November 3, 2026. PGF uses the IJF Sport and Organisation Rules (August 14, 2026), Appendix D, Articles 9 and 18, to identify prohibited techniques, and its own standing-only format and deductions. Rules may be revised before the event.

November 10 · Las Vegas · 81 kg division · Streaming live and free on PGF World