Slamming in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a divisive subject. On the one hand, there are advocates that claim slamming should be allowed into most rulesets of BJJ, at least under certain circumstances. However, there are also others who believe that slams should be completely banned in the name of health and safety.
Overall, the legality of slams depends on the individual competition and what rules they abide by. For instance, some competitions will allow slamming and it’s seen as completely normal. However, most competitions still prohibit from slamming as it is too dangerous, resulting in an instant DQ for those who slam. Whatever your thoughts on the issue, we have given a comprehensive break down of the rules below and how this may affect you.
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Slamming in a gym setting
Most gyms do not allow slamming. Obviously, slamming won’t end in disqualification during training within the setting of a gym. However, the gym is mostly a place to learn and improve your technique. With this said, it’s seen as bad etiquette to start slamming your training partners in the gym. Not only will you annoy your training partners, but if you keep slamming, you may eventually get kicked from the gym. In terms of your BJJ development, there’s little to gain from slams whilst training in the gym. In short, don’t be ‘that guy’ and avoid making enemies and injuring people, especially those who you train with.
Slamming is illegal under IBJJF rules – which means most competitions will not allow them
Whether it’s a prestigious competition such as Worlds, or just a small-time, local competition, most comps will follow IBJJF rules which are generally seen as the standard unless stated otherwise. Even in most sub-only, no gi competitions, slamming is still illegal (but more on that later). In brief, there are a few rules to follow when looking at the IBJJF rules on slams and how they may apply to you as a competitor.
Slams from the closed guard
Imagine you’re in a competition and need to pass or open the closed guard. However, your opponent is holding on for dear life and won’t let go. So, you stand up, pull his body up with you, and then slam him down. This results in an instant DQ.
There is also something people refer to as ‘baby slams’ which are when you pick the opponent’s body up, but only slightly. Usually, this may only be about 10 inches from the floor. Then, you slam the opponent down, back into the mat. This is also illegal and should again result in disqualification. With this said, it doesn’t matter if your slam is dramatic and massively dangerous, or only takes place over a few inches from the ground. The result is the same, a DQ.
Slams from the back
Again, imagine you’re on the back of your opponent with hooks in. The opponent cannot escape your back control and you’re glued to them like a back pack. Instead of trying to escape through conventional methods, the opponent decides to stand up a little and then fall backward, slamming you onto your back.
This is also deemed illegal under IBJJF rules. Once again, the slam can be from a short or long distance but it doesn’t matter and the referee should make the decision to end the match instantly with a DQ.
The most famous and controversial incident of this was when Marcelo Garcia won the ADCC absolute in 2005. He was slammed legally and went on to win the match.
Slams from triangle or armbar
Triangle chokes and armbars are some of the most common submissions in BJJ. Typically attacked from the closed guard, they involve controlling the posture of the opponent. Sometimes, as a last-ditch defense, the opponent will opt to slam to avoid tapping.
Whilst this is a genuine defense in terms of escape, it’s also a DQ. Slamming from this position is especially dangerous as the bottom player’s head is pointed towards the floor. In some cases, it can lead to concussion or getting knocked out. So, for obvious reasons, this is also an instant disqualification and is deemed highly illegal.
It should be noted in MMA, this kind of escape is perfectly legal. The person doing the submission understands this and will usually opt to bail out of the position before being spiked on their head.
Slamming is legal under ADCC rules and certain other rulesets
ADCC has roots in wrestling where slamming is more commonplace. Because of this, historically slams have been ok in ADCC. Most of the time, you won’t see slams that much anyway. However, there was one incident where the slamming rule was blatantly obvious. This took place during a USA qualifier between Jeff Glover and Geo Martinez.
Here, Glover had Martinez locked in a triangle choke. This choke would have probably submitted Martinez as it was locked in tightly. However, Martinez managed to stand up and slam Glover to open and escape the triangle. This concussed Glover who lost the match afterward.
Whilst this would be a DQ under most rulesets, it’s perfectly fine and legal under ADCC rules. Whilst Martinez wouldn’t have slammed Glover to purposely concuss or injure him, the result was that it seriously impacted the match in favor of Martinez. Other promotions such as Polaris also allow slams, however, ADCC is the main organization to allow them, and generally, most competitions are against slams for clear reasons.
Slams are legal in MMA fights
It’s fair to say that training MMA is far more dangerous than training BJJ. This can be seen with the rules which allow strikes which means injuries and brain damage are far more common. One rule in MMA fights is that slams are perfectly legal.
Perhaps the most prominent user of this rule was Rampage Jackson who famously escaped triangle chokes by slamming. Here, he would use his strength to pick up the opponent and powerfully slam them, knocking them out. This showed that slamming is an effective tool in ending fights and can cause real damage. It also shows that if done correctly, it’s a good method to escape submissions and guard.
Having said this, if you’re competing in an amateur MMA fight then it’s best to check the rules beforehand as some cards don’t allow slams, heel hooks are various other dangerous techniques which are allowed in professional MMA.
Slamming as a takedowns and suplexes
IBJJF rules are adamantly against slamming. This is where slamming becomes more of a grey area. For instance, the UAEJJF states that a takedown cannot purposely result in the opponent getting thrown onto their neck. With this in mind, you cannot legally hit a judo tomoe nage whilst having the opponent in a headlock position. Whilst the tomoe nage is legal on its own, holding the neck whilst throwing the opponent backward results in a DQ.
In brief, this example may be fairly clear cut. However, other throws and takedowns are not as clear and require judgment from a referee. Imagine hitting a double leg takedown and due to bizarre circumstances, the opponent falls onto the back of their neck. This could possibly be deemed as purposely taking down the opponent onto their neck and result in disqualification. With this in mind, the UAEJJF rules are somewhat down to interpretation at this point and there are no definitive answers available.
With suplexes, there are also variations in what is considered to be a slam. For instance, if you suplex the opponent onto their back, then it is deemed an illegal slam. However, if you suplex the opponent onto their side then it is fully legal. This means the legality of the suplex is determined by the position that the opponent lands into. It is far safer for them to land on their side than on their back.
However, if they resist mid-air and scramble, then even if you aim to put them on their side, they may still end up landing on their back. Once again, this shows how certain rules are something of a grey area. If you are that worried about getting disqualified, then maybe avoiding suplexes altogether maybe a good idea. However, this is quite disappointing if you happen to be a big fan of suplexes.
Why are slams mostly illegal in BJJ
Looking at wrestling, it seems most forms of slamming are completely fine in terms of legality. This is certainly not the case with BJJ. In brief, the idea of slamming is that it can cause concussions and even paralyze opponents if done badly. As the neck and spine are fragile, getting spiked on your neck is not ideal. To avoid such devastating injuries, the result is that most organizations have banned slamming. This makes sense from a safety point of view.
The problem also lies with takedowns in general. As it happens, takedowns are very dangerous compared to most other forms of BJJ. This is to do with gravity and relies on your opponent’s body weight landing on you badly. For instance, the entire weight of a grown man’s body could land on their opponent’s leg. This would result in a broken leg which is bad enough. Now, imagine the same thing happening but the weight lands on the neck of the opponent during a slam.
This is how you get a paralyzed athlete. Not only is this morally questionable and has obvious issues. However, it is also dodgy from a legal perspective. The last thing that a competition organizer wants to deal with is a legal battle from the family of someone who gets paralyzed during one of their events. Because of this, it’s best to cover everyone from a safety perspective. In short, there are enough injuries in BJJ as it is. However, adding slams into the mix just makes things even more chaotic.
Slamming against jumping guard, should this be made legal?
Where safety is concerned, jumping guard has aways been problematic in BJJ. Legal from blue belt and above, jumping a closed guard is considered dangerous as if it goes wrong, it can break the leg of the person that has their body jumped on.
As previously mentioned, this happens when the entire body weight of one practitioner lands onto a limb of their opponent. In this case, instead of landing forwards into a closed guard, the practitioner falls backwards whilst their opponent’s weight is leaning the other way. This can, and does lead to broken legs.
With this in mind, there have been cases where people defend the guard jump by accidentally slamming their opponent to take their weight. During the heat of the moment, it’s almost impossible to see how your body reacts during a competitive match, so this may be a natural reaction. Instead of catching the opponent’s guard jump, you instead lean forwards and let go, slamming them.
This can result in a DQ which seems very harsh considering the circumstances. In effect, you may just be trying to remain safe and result in getting disqualified when it’s your opponent who did the dangerous act, to begin with. Because of this, many people have asked for a change in IBJJF rules down the years with calls for slams to be legalized when defending a jumped guard.
Defending slams
Like all offensive moves, there are counters to keep yourself safe. For instance, during Polaris, Rousimar Palhares went to slam Garry Tonon during a triangle. As he was lifted in the air, Tonon smartly aborted the triangle and jumped off Palhares onto his feet. Similarly, from the triangle or armbar position on the bottom, underhooking the opponent’s leg will stop them from posturing as easily.
From standing, if you’re also paranoid of slams then you can choose to sit guard or pick tactical takedowns such as ankle picks where your body is less vulnerable.
Summary
As established, slamming is mostly illegal under most competitions. However, it is fully legal in ADCC and certain other rulesets. If worried about getting injured by slams, you can always opt to pull guard or avoid competitions where it’s legal. Not only this but as looked at – there’s also a few practical defenses to getting slammed.
Overall, the IBJJF rules of slamming seem very sensible and fair with regards to the safety of the practitioner. As mentioned, BJJ has a number of risks and is dangerous enough as it is. However, throwing slams into the mix seems to only add to the list of injuries that are already high. So, with this said, there are logical reasons for banning slams and if whether you look at this guide from a safety perspective or for an analysis of different rulesets, it should have you covered in terms of what to look out for.
