Free Format
How the Free bracket format works in Hajime for casual or open-mat events where matches are added manually instead of generated from a fixed structure.
Applies to: Event organisers · Bracket managers
Free is for casual or open-mat style competition that doesn't fit a fixed bracket shape. It suits small events where you want to maximise matches per athlete, decide pairings as you go, mix rule sets in the same bracket, and still end up with a league-style points ranking. Unlike every other format, Hajime doesn't generate any structure for you: you build the bracket one match at a time.
Free brackets live outside the normal Speciality setup. You won't find "Free" in a Speciality's Competition Type list. It's created directly from the Brackets page for your event.
How Free brackets work
A Free bracket has no rounds, no seeding, and no auto-generated matches. You attach participants to it, then add matches manually whenever you're ready, one at a time, in whatever order makes sense for your mats and schedule. This makes it a good fit for open gyms, superfights, exhibition cards, or any event where a rigid bracket structure would get in the way.
Creating a Free bracket
- From your event's Brackets page, click New Free Bracket.
- Give the bracket a name, and optionally link it to a default speciality. This is used to prefill match settings when you create matches, but doesn't restrict who can be added.
- Set Win Points, Draw Points, and Loss Points, and toggle Allow Draws to match your ruleset.
- Save. Hajime creates the bracket and opens the Free Bracket Dashboard.
Managing matches and participants
The Free Bracket Dashboard has three panes:
- Participants: attach or detach athletes from your event's registrations at any time; you aren't locked into a fixed roster.
- Match Queue: add matches one at a time. Each side of a match can be a specific athlete, the winner of a previous match, or a conditional slot based on current standings (for example, "whoever is in 1st place" or "anyone with at least N points"), so you can build progressive rounds without a rigid bracket shape. Only matches still in pending status can be edited; you can also cancel, void, reschedule, or reassign a match to a different mat.
- Standings: a live, points-based ranking that updates as results come in.
How points and standings work
Each match awards points to both competitors based on the result, using the Win/Draw/Loss values you configured when creating the bracket. Athletes are ranked by total accumulated points.
Ties are broken automatically in a fixed order: Head-to-Head, then Wins, then Fewest Matches. This order isn't currently configurable per bracket. Athletes removed from the bracket remain visible in the standings by default.
Configuration reference
| Setting | What it controls | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Bracket Name | Identifies the Free bracket on the Brackets page | N/A |
| Default Speciality | Optional speciality used to prefill match settings | None |
| Win Points | Points for a match win | 3 |
| Draw Points | Points for a draw | 1 |
| Loss Points | Points for a loss | 0 |
| Allow Draws | Whether draws are permitted | Enabled |
| Tiebreakers | Head-to-Head → Wins → Fewest Matches (fixed, not currently configurable) | N/A |
| Removed Participants in Standings | Whether removed athletes stay visible in standings (fixed, not currently configurable) | Visible |
Quick setup walkthrough
- Open your event and go to Brackets.
- Click New Free Bracket.
- Name the bracket and, optionally, link a default speciality.
- Set Win Points, Draw Points, and Loss Points, and toggle Allow Draws to match your ruleset.
- Save. Hajime creates the bracket and opens the Free Bracket dashboard.
- In the dashboard, attach participants from your event's registered athletes.
- Add matches one at a time from the match queue: pick two athletes directly, or use "winner of" and standings-based slots to set up later matches as earlier ones are decided.
- Watch standings update live as results are recorded, and edit or cancel any match still pending if your plans change.