Decision support & training — for the matside call.
Matside is a free grappling judging tool built for the week before competition and the moments between matches. Whether you're an occasional grappling judge preparing for your first ADCC event or a seasoned referee brushing up on edge cases, this companion has everything you need to make confident matside calls.
ADCC rules differ significantly from IBJJF and other grappling rulesets. Points values, overtime structure, and technique legality all follow their own logic. The first half of regulation is a no-points period, and finals introduce negative points from the start. These differences trip up even experienced judges.
The decision trees walk you through the tricky scenarios — turtle position timing, sweep versus reversal distinctions, guard pull consequences — as interactive flowcharts you can tap through in seconds. The quiz mode offers 50+ scenario-based questions drawn from real judging situations, perfect for drilling on the bus ride to the venue.
Need a quick answer during a match? The quick reference gives you the points grid, time limits by division, and a legal techniques matrix at a glance. You can also search the full ADCC ruleset with natural-language queries. The judging criteria page covers the subjective side — “who initiates” is priority #1 in every ADCC decision.
Content is based on the official ADCC 2024-2025 ruleset with Nordic head-referee interpretations for the 2026 season. Matside is unofficial and not affiliated with ADCC — always defer to the head referee at your event.