Banana split — Illegal in Beginner only. "No banana split" appears only in the Beginner column.
Bicep pressure lock (bicep slicer) — Illegal in Beginner only. Nordic 2026 meeting confirmed slicers are legal in Intermediate.
Calf pressure lock (calf slicer) — Illegal in Beginner only.
Can opener — Expressly LEGAL in Professional ("Can Opener is allowed") but expressly illegal in both Intermediate and Beginner ("No can opener" appears in both columns).
Crossface hold / crossface choke — Expressly illegal in both Intermediate and Beginner ("No any crossface holds or crossface chokes"). Nordic 2026 interpretation tolerates crossface chokes in Beginner provided they come from the mouth area rather than blocking the nose/mouth with the hand (`interpretations/nordic-2026.md` §6).
Neck crank (general, non-shoulder-trapping) — Legal in Professional only when it does not trap both shoulders with downward pressure. Banned in Intermediate and Beginner without that caveat.
Choke with hands wrapped around the throat — Expressly illegal in Intermediate and Beginner ("No choking with hands wrapped around the throat (Rape Choke)").
Heel hook — Professional only. Expressly illegal in Intermediate and Beginner.
Knee bar — Illegal in Beginner only.
Knee reap (leg entanglement) — Not listed as illegal in any canonical rules layer — the ADCC rules are silent on reaping. Nordic 2026 head-referee interpretation explicitly confirms reaping is allowed in Beginner during ankle-lock attacks (`interpretations/nordic-2026.md` §4). Judges coming from IBJJF should double-check this — it is a common conflation.
Foot lock that twists the knee — Professional only. "No any foot locks that twist the knee" appears in both Intermediate and Beginner columns.
Blocking opponent's nose or mouth with hands — Expressly illegal in Intermediate and Beginner. Nordic 2026 interpretation: crossface chokes from the mouth area are permitted in Beginner, but pressing the nose/mouth with the hand to block breathing is not.
Opposite rear-naked choke (pressure on neck) — Illegal in Beginner only. "No opposite RNC applying pressure on the neck" appears only in the Beginner column.
Slamming (to escape a submission) — Professional only, and only "if you are locked in a submission". Intermediate and Beginner both state "Slamming is not allowed!" unconditionally. Nordic 2026 interpretation: DQ calls depend on judged intent — a clear deliberate lift-and-drop is an immediate DQ; "lost balance and collapsed on top" is tolerated.
Toe hold — Illegal in Beginner only (canonical). Nordic 2026 interpretation: toe holds are tolerated in Intermediate provided the attacker is not clearly twisting the knee — referee discretion applies. See `interpretations/nordic-2026.md` §5.
Twister (spine lock) — "No spine twisters" appears ONLY in the Beginner column. The Twister is expressly listed as legal in the Professional rules and is not restricted in Intermediate.
Wrist lock — Legal in every layer. The canonical main-rules.md lists wrist locks under LEGAL TECHNIQUES, and the Nordic 2026 meeting reconfirmed wrist locks are legal in Beginner.
Illegal
Techniques illegal in every division
All Divisions
Crossface guillotine twisting the chin
Crucifix (neck-lock variant) — Illegal in all layers — "No any crucifix" appears in every column. Nordic 2026 interpretation clarifies the illegal form is the NECK-LOCK variant where both hands are trapped and the attacker attacks the neck; pure positional crucifix is not policed (`interpretations/nordic-2026.md` §3).
Full Nelson
Neck crank trapping both shoulders (downward pressure) — Illegal in all layers. The Professional version of the rule only prohibits neck cranks that TRAP both shoulders and apply downward pressure; Intermediate and Beginner ban neck cranks outright.