Rules

Welcome to The American Grappling Championship (AGC), a format built on a simple slogan:

Takedown, Pass, Submit.

AGC emphasizes action and penalizes inactivity. Wrestling/Judo takedowns, and Jiu-jitsu based submissions are the life blood of this format. This is grappling with purpose where every second counts and every movement matters.

Match Format

• Each match lasts 15 minutes, divided into three (3) five-minute rounds.
• There is a one-minute rest period between rounds.
• Matches begin standing. The objective is to takedown, pass, and submit your opponent.
• Points will be awarded at the end of each round. The grappler with the most points at the end of three rounds is the winner unless a submission ends the match sooner.
• Guard pulling, butt scooting, or any intentional disengagement from the standing position is illegal and will be treated under the same criteria as stalling.
• Once on the ground, athletes must advance position or attack submissions, stalling is not tolerated.
• The referee remains in control of stalling calls and can award points accordingly. 

Scoring Overview

At the end of each round a grappler will be awarded a score between 0 and 2.

• 2 - The grappler demonstrates all three key attributes of American grappling: Takedowns, passing, and submissions.
• 1 - The grappler demonstrates 2 out of three of the key variables.
• 0 - The grappler is unable to demonstrate more than one of the key variables

Stalling(Referee Decision)

• Athletes must continuously engage in offense.
• 15 seconds of inactivity = referee warning.
• After the first warning if passivity continues the following penalties will be applied in a minimum of 15 second intervals.
  • Second violation = 1 match point to the opponent.
  • Third violation = 1 match point to the opponent.
  • Fourth violation = disqualification.

Stalemate

After 15 seconds of failure to advance position when the fight is grounded the grapplers will be reset to the neutral position to start again. The key difference between stalling and a stalemate is both grapplers are actively working to advance position but are unable to do so.