Brackets
Bracket types
2 competitors = best 2 out of 3 (first to win two matches wins the bracket)
3 competitors = round robin
4+ competitors = double elimination
Round robin tiebreaker criteria
If each competitor in a round robin bracket has 1 win and 1 loss, first, second, and third place will be determined by the following criteria:
Who has the fastest submission.
Who won by scoring the most points in an individual match.
If a competitor forfeits a match or is DQed, he or she will automatically get third place.
How do you create the brackets?
Brackets are worked on 4-5 days before the tournament.
Competitors are grouped by gender, belt, weight class, and what age they’ll be on event day.
Divisions of 8 or more are split into equal divisions. This gives kids a higher chance at earning a medal.
If teammates remain in the same bracket, they will be placed at opposite ends of the bracket where possible.
We avoid 2 person divisions as much as possible, which is why you may see groups of combined ages within one year.
What if my child doesn't have anyone in their division?
We combine within 1 year (older or younger) if needed to form a division, so that all who register can have at least 2 matches.
If we have to move a child more than 1 age or to a different weight division - we will email the parent for approval. If the parent does not approve and we aren’t able to find a fair match, we can remove the competitor and issue a registration credit for the original amount paid that can be used for any future Dream tournament.
A credit due to no suitable opponents must be requested 48 hours or more before the event date.
Can brackets change after they’re published?
Due to kids dropping out, missing weight, or not showing up at the event - all brackets are subject to change.
Byes / Seeding
After divisions are formed, Smoothcomp places competitors within a bracket at random. This random placement determines which competitors have a “bye,” if any.
Our brackets are not seeded.
Teammates or siblings in the same bracket
We try to separate teammates by moving one within 1 age younger or older. If this is not preferred, the parent of the moved competitor may request their child be moved back into the division with their teammate.
If teammates must be in the same bracket, they will be on opposite sides of the bracket where possible, to help avoid competing against each other.
A parent can also request to move their child to an older/heavier division to avoid facing a teammate.
All requests must be submitted 48 hours or more before the event date.
“Close outs”
If we are not able to separate teammates, we do not force them to compete, but they or the coach must decide who will get 1st/Gold, who will get 2nd/Silver, or who will get 3rd/Bronze if applicable. We do not do close outs.
Bracket questions
If you have any questions or problems with the brackets at all, please do not hesitate to email us.
We are happy to explain our thought process behind creating them! If there is something that needs to be adjusted, we will do what we can.
It is always better to notify us as soon as possible so we can make any corrections we are able to before the day of the tournament.