Friendly Series 2026 → Spring Mar 7 ✓ ▶ Summer Jun 20 Fall TBD Finals TBD

IN-HOUSE Tournament | Friendly Series

June 20, 2026

Saturday · Doors open 8:45 AM · Tournament starts 10:00 AM

Gi Only

Ethos Jiu-Jitsu · East LA Jiu-Jitsu · Boyle Heights Jiu-Jitsu

Organized by East LA Jiu-Jitsu · 501(c)3 Nonprofit Jiu-Jitsu School

Our mission

"Building Character Through Jiu-Jitsu"

The IN-HOUSE Tournament | Friendly Series is more than a competition. It is a community event organized by East LA Jiu-Jitsu, a 501(c)3 nonprofit jiu-jitsu school serving the entire East Side of Los Angeles. Every registration directly supports our nonprofit programs at Boyle Heights Jiu-Jitsu and East LA Jiu-Jitsu, which provide affordable and accessible jiu-jitsu training to youth in the community.

By competing, you give the gift of jiu-jitsu. Want to support beyond registration? Every donation goes directly to our programs.

Learn about BHJJ Learn about ELAJJ Donate to support our programs

📍 Location

East Los Angeles Area

Exact venue being finalized. Confirmation coming soon.

Venue TBD

💰 Registration pricing

Early bird

Mar 22 – Apr 5, 2026

Kids$40

Adults (18+)$50

Regular

Apr 6 – May 31, 2026

Kids$50

Adults (18+)$60

Late

Jun 1 – Jun 15, 2026

Kids$55

Adults (18+)$65

Refund policy: 100% refund until May 31. 50% refund until June 10. No refund after June 10. No on-site or same-day registration accepted.

👦👧 Age divisions

Age is based on the age turning this year (year only). Boys and girls do not compete together.

Division	Age	Weight classes	Match time
Pee Wee	5, 6, 7	Light Feather · Feather · Light · Middle · Heavy · Super Heavy	2 min
Kids I	8, 9	Light Feather · Feather · Light · Middle · Heavy · Super Heavy	3 min
Kids II	10, 11, 12	Strawweight · Rooster · Light Feather · Feather · Light · Middle · Medium Heavy · Heavy · Super Heavy · Ultra Heavy	3 min
Teen	13, 14, 15	Strawweight · Rooster · Light Feather · Feather · Light · Middle · Medium Heavy · Heavy · Super Heavy · Ultra Heavy	4 min
Juvenile	16, 17	See Smoothcomp	5 min
Adult	18+	See Smoothcomp	5 min
Master 1/2	30+	See Smoothcomp	5 min
Master 3+	41+	See Smoothcomp	5 min

🔀 Division merges & changes

We guarantee every athlete a minimum of 2 matches. When a division is too small, we follow this exact process, published here so there are no surprises.

Rules that never change: White belt athletes never compete against color belts. Boys never compete against girls. No athlete moves to a younger age group by more than 1 year.

Automatic move — notification email sent

If your athlete is the only one in their division, we automatically merge them with an adjacent birth year (±1 year) with the same belt, gender, and weight. No approval needed. You will receive a notification email.

Example: solo Kids II 2016 white belt boy at 79.9 lbs merged with Kids II 2015 or 2017 white belt boy at same weight.

One weight class up — 24-hour email notice

If no same-weight match exists within ±1 birth year, we look for a match 1 weight class up. Parents are emailed with a 24-hour response window. No response means the move happens automatically.

Example: Kids II 2016 white belt boy at 79.9 lbs — no match found. Email sent about moving to 89.9 lbs. Auto-approved after 24 hrs if no reply.

More than 1 year difference — explicit approval required

If a match requires moving more than 1 birth year, the athlete may only move to an older age group. Explicit parent approval is required. No response means a registration credit will be offered.

★

Teammate seeding

When multiple athletes from the same academy are in the same bracket, we will reposition them to avoid first-round matchups between teammates wherever possible. This is done during bracket build week and does not change the division or weight class. Teammates may still meet in later rounds.

No match found — registration credit

If no appropriate match can be found, the athlete receives a full registration credit toward any future Friendly Series event.

Weight on event day — up only. Athletes who weigh over their registered class are automatically moved to the next weight class up, and age group up if needed. No down moves on event day. It is the responsibility of athletes, parents, and coaches to register in the correct division and make weight.

🏅 Bracket format

4+ competitors

Double Elimination. Minimum 2 matches guaranteed for every athlete.

3 competitors

Round Robin. Everyone competes against everyone.

2 competitors

Best 2-of-3 series. First to win 2 matches wins the division.

⚖️ Ruleset

IBJJF-inspired rules with the following modifications:

Match decided by

Submission, points, penalties, or referee decision in that order of priority.

No advantages

Matches are decided by points, penalties, or referee decision only. No advantage points.

Double guard pull rule

If both athletes pull guard, the first to stand and hold top position for 3 seconds receives 2 points.

Last score wins (points tie)

If a match ends tied on points, the athlete who scored last is declared the winner.

0–0 score

Referee decides based on activity, positional control, and engagement.

Age-appropriate submissions

All techniques follow IBJJF age-appropriate safety guidelines.

⚖️ Weight classes — kids & teens

All weigh-ins without Gi. Zero weight allowance. lbs = maximum per class. Boys and girls compete separately in the same weight classes.

Pee Wee

Born 2019 · 2020 · 2021 · Age 5–7 · 2 min

Division	Max lbs	Step
Light feather	39.9	—
Feather	44.9	+5
Light	49.9	+5
Middle	54.9	+5
Heavy	59.9	+5
Super heavy open	60+	—
6 classes · 5 lb steps

Kids I

Born 2017 · 2018 · Age 8–9 · 3 min

Division	Max lbs	Step
Light feather	49.9	—
Feather	59.9	+10
Light	69.9	+10
Middle	79.9	+10
Heavy	89.9	+10
Super heavy open	90+	—
6 classes · 10 lb steps

Kids II

Born 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · Age 10–12 · 3 min

Division	Max lbs	Step
Strawweight	59.9	—
Rooster	69.9	+10
Light feather	79.9	+10
Feather	89.9	+10
Light	99.9	+10
Middle	114.9	+15
Medium heavy	129.9	+15
Heavy	144.9	+15
Super heavy	159.9	+15
Ultra heavy open	160+	—
10 classes · 10 lb then 15 lb steps

Teen

Born 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · Age 13–15 · 4 min

Division	Max lbs	Step
Strawweight	79.9	—
Rooster	89.9	+10
Light feather	99.9	+10
Feather	114.9	+15
Light	129.9	+15
Middle	144.9	+15
Medium heavy	159.9	+15
Heavy	174.9	+15
Super heavy	189.9	+15
Ultra heavy open	190+	—
10 classes · 10 lb then 15 lb steps

⚖️ Weight classes — juvenile (born 2009–2010, age 16–17)

Boys — Juvenile

Division	Max lbs
Rooster	118.0
Light feather	129.0
Feather	141.6
Light	152.6
Middle	163.6
Medium heavy	175.0
Heavy	186.0
Super heavy	197.0
Ultra heavy	No max

Girls — Juvenile

Division	Max lbs
Rooster	98.0
Light feather	106.6
Feather	116.0
Light	125.0
Middle	133.6
Medium heavy	143.6
Heavy	152.0
Super heavy	No max

⚖️ Weight classes — adult & masters (18+)

Master 1/2 (30+) and Master 3+ (41+) use the same weight classes as Adult.

Male — Adult & Masters

Division	Max lbs
Rooster	127.0
Light feather	141.6
Feather	154.6
Light	168.0
Middle	181.6
Medium heavy	195.0
Heavy	208.0
Super heavy	222.0
Ultra heavy	No max

Female — Adult & Masters

Division	Max lbs
Rooster	107.0
Light feather	118.0
Feather	129.0
Light	141.6
Middle	152.6
Medium heavy	163.6
Heavy	175.0
Super heavy	No max

Zero weight allowance. All weigh-ins without Gi. Shirt and shorts required minimum.

⚖️ Weigh-ins

Without Gi

All weigh-ins without the Gi. Shirt and shorts required minimum. No shirtless weigh-ins.

Zero allowance

No weight allowance. 90.0 lbs does not make the 89.9 lbs class. No exceptions.

Miss weight — move up

Automatic move to next class up. If no bracket exists, also moved up in age. No approval needed.

Move down

Only allowed before bracket publish with parent confirmation. Not permitted on event day.

Responsibility: It is the full responsibility of athletes, parents, and coaches to register in the correct weight class and make weight on event day. Coaches and parents may withdraw an athlete before their fight, but no refunds will be issued.

🥋 Uniform requirements

Gi colors

White, Blue, or Black only

Belt

Must match registered rank

Hygiene

Trimmed nails, no contagious skin conditions

🏅 Awards

Custom medals awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in every division.

Building Character Through Jiu-Jitsu

👨‍👩‍👧 Spectators

Free entrance for all spectators. Parents, family, and friends are welcome. Spectators must remain behind designated barriers and may not interfere with referees, staff, or ongoing matches.

📝 Waiver & liability

By registering on Smoothcomp, all participants agree to the inherent risks of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition, release of liability for organizers, referees, coaches, and staff, use of photos and videos for promotional purposes, and compliance with all event rules and demonstration of sportsmanship.

Questions or need help?