Judo Competition Rules

IJF (International Judo Federation) rules: Matches are 4 minutes (senior), 3 minutes (youth). An ippon (full point) — a clean throw landing the opponent largely on their back, a 20-second pin, a submission tap, or disqualification — wins the match immediately. A waza-ari (half point) is awarded for a throw that nearly meets ippon criteria or a 10-second pin. Two waza-ari equal an ippon. Penalties (shido) are given for passivity, false attacks, and leg grabs (currently banned in standing judo under IJF rules).