What software should you use to run a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament?
CompetHub is an online software to run a BJJ tournament. It manages registrations by weight class, age and belt, generates the pools and the elimination brackets, automatically advances the winner of each bout, computes the pool rankings and the schedule by combat area, then publishes it all on a branded public results page.
The concrete problem of the BJJ organizer
Building a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament on a spreadsheet means keeping dozens of grids running in parallel. BJJ separates competitors on three axes at once: weight, age and belt. Among adults in the gi alone, the IBJJF rules count nine weight classes for men (from Galo, under 57.5 kg, to Pesadíssimo, over 100.5 kg) and eight for women, and each class then breaks down by belt (white, blue, purple, brown, black) and by age division (juveniles, adults, masters). A single venue can run hundreds of distinct small competitions in a day.
On event day, the headache rises a notch. Depending on the number of entries, a category is played as a pool (everyone meets) or as a single-elimination bracket. Drawing these brackets by hand, carrying over each winner, recomposing the next pool, all across several combat areas at the same time, multiplies errors and dead time. And since bouts are short, the pace is unforgiving.
On top of that comes the tracking. You have to know who fights, on which area and at what time, keep each pool ranking up to date and inform a public that does not see the table sheets. A spreadsheet does not keep up with this pace. Dedicated software centralizes registrations, brackets, results and schedule, and makes every line reliable.
Why not run a BJJ tournament in Excel?
Excel forces you to retype every registration, to draw every bracket by hand and to carry over each winner from one bout to the next. A single transcription error throws off an entire bracket and the ranking. Dedicated software generates pools and brackets, advances the winner automatically and publishes the schedule, with no retyping.
How CompetHub runs a BJJ tournament
CompetHub ties every building block of the software to the reality of a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament. Here is how.
Online registrations and club lists
Each competitor registers online in their category. The staff sees the list, filters by category and by status, searches by name, approves or rejects each request and checks in those present (check-in) on event day. An automatic email goes out on registration, on approval and on rejection. You can also enter a club’s or an academy’s list in bulk: competitor records without an account, created in one go, for coaches who enter their whole team at once.
Weigh-in by weight class
BJJ is contested by weight class, measured with the gi included. At the weigh-in, you record each competitor’s body weight, and CompetHub re-seeds them automatically into the correct weight class when only one fits (same gender, same age bracket). You keep accurate categories before generating the pools and the brackets.
Weight, age and belt categories
You build your categories by crossing three axes: gender, weight (bounds in kg, for example -76 kg or +100.5 kg) and age (bounds in years, from juveniles to masters). A fourth, free-form level field lets you separate the belts: one "-76 kg, adults, blue belt" category, another "-76 kg, adults, purple belt", and so on. The competitor chooses their category at registration, and you keep control over approval.
Pools and elimination brackets
CompetHub automatically generates the format suited to each category. For a sparse category, a pool (round-robin) where everyone meets, as BJJ calls for when a division has only a few entries. For a crowded category, a single-elimination bracket, with an optional third-place bout. The winner of each bout advances on its own. No more bracket redrawn by hand between two categories.
Bout entry and automatic advancement
On the mat, the referee decides the bout: by submission (immediate victory), on points (guard pass, mount, back take, sweep) or on advantages. In CompetHub, you record the winner of each bout; it then advances on its own to the next round or updates the pool ranking. An entry error stays correctable. You no longer carry over any result from one sheet to another.
Pool ranking
For categories played as a pool, CompetHub keeps the table of bouts played, of wins, draws and losses, awards the points (three for a win, one for a draw) and breaks ties on differential. The pool ranking updates with every bout entered, ready to qualify for the next stage or to crown the winner.
Schedule by combat area
A BJJ tournament often runs on several areas in parallel. You assign each bout an area (free-form label) and a time slot, and CompetHub displays the schedule and flags conflicts (same area in the same slot). You orchestrate your mats without a separate spreadsheet.
Public results page
You publish a public page in the tournament’s colors (logo, colors), with the presentation, the participants, the brackets and the pool rankings. It updates automatically during the competition, without the spectator reloading the page, and stays accessible without an account. The registrant list, the pool rankings and the schedule export to CSV for your archives.
How do I create a BJJ tournament with CompetHub?
Create your account, add the tournament, build your weight, age and belt categories, then open registrations. On event day, generate the pools or the single-elimination bracket, enter the winner of each bout (it advances on its own) and publish the ranking, ready to follow on the public page.
What format to run for a BJJ tournament
BJJ is played through head-to-head matchups within each category. For a sparse category, the pool (round-robin) guarantees several bouts for everyone. For a crowded category, the single-elimination bracket takes over: it is the standard format of the IBJJF circuits. CompetHub generates these two formats (pool and elimination, with an optional third-place bout) and advances the winner automatically with every bout entered.
What format for a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament?
A sparse category is played as a pool, where everyone meets. A crowded category moves to a single-elimination bracket, the standard format of BJJ. CompetHub generates the pool and the elimination bracket (optional third-place bout), advances the winner on its own and keeps each pool ranking up to date.
Why CompetHub rather than Excel or a spreadsheet
| Step | Excel or paper | CompetHub |
|---|---|---|
| Registrations | Manual retyping, duplicates | Online form, approval, automatic emails |
| Categories | Sorting by hand by weight, age and belt | Weight / age / belt categories, guided registration |
| Brackets and pools | Brackets drawn by hand | Pools and elimination generated in one click |
| Bout results | Carrying over from one sheet to another | Winner entered, automatic advancement |
| Area schedule | Separate grid, conflicts unseen | Area and time per bout, conflicts flagged |
| Informing the public | Announcement on the mic, quickly lost | Brackets and ranking on a public page, no account |
Does CompetHub replace Excel for a BJJ tournament?
Yes. Where Excel imposes retyping and brackets drawn by hand, CompetHub generates pools and brackets, advances the winner automatically, keeps the pool rankings and publishes the schedule. You keep the history and export registrants, pool ranking and schedule to CSV.
CompetHub against other software
CompetHub aims for simplicity. You create a BJJ tournament in minutes, with no install or heavy configuration. Where some platforms demand a long learning curve, CompetHub offers the essential building blocks directly: weight, age and belt categories, pools, single-elimination brackets, bout entry, pool ranking, schedule by combat area and a public results page. It is a tool to get started fast, whether you are putting on an internal academy competition, a club open or an inter-club event.
What is the difference between CompetHub and other competition software?
CompetHub aims for simplicity: you create a BJJ tournament in minutes, for free and with no credit card. Weight, age and belt categories, pools, elimination brackets, bout entry, pool ranking, schedule and a public page are included, with no complex configuration or install.
Free to start
CompetHub is free to start, with no credit card. You create your first BJJ tournament, open registrations, define your categories, generate the pools and the brackets, enter the bouts and publish the ranking without paying anything. You test the full cycle, from registration to the final ranking, before any commitment.
Is CompetHub free to run a BJJ tournament?
Yes, CompetHub is free to start, with no credit card. You manage registrations, categories, pools, brackets, bouts and the ranking, and publish the public results page without paying. You test the full cycle before any commitment.
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament online?
Create a CompetHub account, add your tournament, build your categories by crossing gender, weight, age and belt, then open registrations. On event day, generate the pools or the single-elimination bracket, enter the winner of each bout (it advances automatically) and publish the ranking on the public page.
Is the software free?
Yes, CompetHub is free to start, with no credit card. You manage registrations, categories, pools, brackets, bouts and the ranking, and publish the public results page for free, before deciding whether to go further.
How do I manage weight, age and belt categories in BJJ?
You build your categories by crossing gender, weight (for example the nine IBJJF men's weight classes from Galo to Pesadíssimo) and age (juveniles, adults, masters). The free-form level field lets you separate the belts (white, blue, purple, brown, black). Each competitor registers in the category that applies to them.
How do brackets work in CompetHub?
CompetHub automatically generates pools (round-robin) for small categories and single-elimination brackets for the larger ones, with an optional third-place bout. When you enter a result, the winner advances on its own to the next round.
How do you enter bout results?
You record the winner of each bout, by submission, on points or on advantages depending on the referee's decision. The result stays correctable, and the winner advances automatically to the next round or updates the pool ranking.
Can the public follow the results?
Yes. CompetHub publishes a branded public results page, accessible without an account, which presents the tournament, the participants, the brackets and the pool rankings. It updates automatically during the competition, without the spectator reloading the page.
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