Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a grappling-based martial art and self-defense system originating from Brazil. Known as “the gentle art,” it emphasizes leverage, technique, and strategy over brute strength, allowing smaller, weaker individuals to defend themselves against larger, stronger opponents. If you’re looking to start learning BJJ, this beginner’s guide will provide you with everything you need to know to begin your journey.
Table of Contents
- Chapter 1: Hierarchy of Positions (A Guide to BJJ Positions)
- Chapter 2: Guards (Closed and Open Guard)
- Chapter 3: Half Guard
- Chapter 4: Side Control
- Chapter 5: Mount
- Chapter 6: Knee Mount
- Chapter 7: Back Mount
- Chapter 8: Turtle
- Chapter 9: Basic Joint Lock Submissions
- Chapter 10: Basic Chokes
- Chapter 11: Common Mistakes/Concepts for Beginners
- Chapter 12: Rules/Scoring
- Chapter 13: Etiquette and Tips for Your First Class
- Chapter 14: Choosing a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gym
Chapter 1: Hierarchy of Positions (A Guide to BJJ Positions)
Alt: Two BJJ practitioners grappling for position, showcasing the importance of escapes and top control.
In BJJ, both top and bottom positions are equally important. A typical BJJ sparring session starts with one grappler in a dominant top position while the other works from their guard. Understanding the hierarchy of positions is key to developing a well-rounded BJJ game. The primary goal is to achieve and maintain a dominant position while preventing your opponent from doing the same.
The 6 Major Positions In BJJ
The golden rule of grappling is: be on top and stay on top. If on the bottom, maintain a guard that your opponent can’t pass. Guard retention is crucial in BJJ, as it allows you to control the distance, sweep your opponent, or initiate submissions. Passing the guard opens opportunities for pins and back attacks. Pins are essential for controlling movement and maintaining safety, while taking the back is a premier position for applying chokes and securing the victory.
Here are the six major positions in BJJ:
- Back Mount: The most dominant position. You are behind your opponent with both legs wrapped around their body, controlling their upper body for submission attempts.
- Full Mount: A strong position where you are on top of the opponent, using your legs to restrict their torso and hip movement.
- Knee On Belly: A crushing position where your knee is driven against the opponent’s torso, offering similar advantages to the mount but less stable.
- Side Control: A stable position achieved after passing the guard, where you are perpendicular to the opponent, maintaining a chest-to-chest connection.
- Turtle: A defensive position used after a failed takedown or when escaping from inferior positions.
- Top Position: Maintaining control while on top, looking to advance position or pass the guard.
The Top Position
From a standing position, a successful takedown can lead to a dominant top position. The objective is to quickly pass the guard and transition to a pin, like side control. From side control, your goal is to pin the opponent’s upper body while blocking their hips, preventing them from framing and creating space. Common submissions from side control include the kimura, Americana, armbar, and collar chokes. The mount is often the next transition from side control, isolating the opponent’s head and arm for submissions like the mounted triangle, armbar, and collar chokes.
The Bottom Position
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Alt: Rodrigo and Thales demonstrating knee on belly, illustrating a controlling position in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
The bottom position is achieved either by playing guard or being pinned by the opponent. The guard allows you to control the distance and prevent the opponent from passing or controlling you. There are different guards, including closed, half, and open guards, each offering different limb isolation and control. The main goal is to close the distance, prevent the top player from controlling you, and look for submissions, sweeps, or escapes. If pinned, focus on escapes like the upa to escape the mount or framing and shrimping to escape side control.
Chapter 2: Guards (Closed and Open Guard)
Alt: Demonstrating the collar sleeve guard, a fundamental open guard technique in BJJ.
The guard is a hallmark of BJJ, distinguishing it from other grappling styles. It’s a sophisticated system of leverage and technique, utilizing both hands and feet. Guards can be defensive hubs, launching pads for sweeps, and setups for submissions. The closed and open guards are two of the most fundamental and widely used variations.
What Is The Guard In BJJ?
In BJJ, the guard is a position where a grappler has their back on the ground, defending against an opponent looking to pass. The guard helps control the opponent by using arms and legs to manage the pace of the fight. The guard is mainly a defensive position but can also be used for submissions, sweeps, and back attacks.
The Closed Guard (Full Guard)
The closed guard, or full guard, is often the first guard a beginner learns. It embodies the essence of Jiu-Jitsu, allowing you to defend from your back while staying relatively safe. It’s executed by wrapping your legs around the opponent’s waist, forming a barrier. With arm control and posture breaking, you can control the distance and prevent the opponent from standing or moving away. The closed guard is practical in competition, submission grappling, and MMA. It’s commonly used as a defense to neutralize an aggressive opponent and can be used for sweeps and submissions.
The Open Guard
An open guard is any guard where your feet are not wrapped around the opponent. There are many open guard variations. It’s performed by initiating contact with the opponent’s foot, ankle, legs, hips, arms, lapel, or sleeves to establish control, leading to sweeps or submissions. Open guards can be done seated or supinated. Combining any of the initial contacts mentioned above can create an effective open guard. Open guards are used to sweep or for entries to submissions and can be chained together, creating different outcomes. Below are some of the most commonly used open guards:
- Butterfly Guard: Uses hooks to elevate and unbalance the opponent.
- Single Leg X Guard: Transitions from butterfly guard and is used to sweep and for leg locks.
- De La Riva Guard: Hooks the opponent’s outside leg while grabbing the ankle and using the other foot to push the opponent’s opposite hip.
Chapter 3: Half Guard
Alt: The BJJ half guard, a fundamental position for ground fighting emphasizing both offensive and defensive options.
The half guard is a fundamental guard that you must learn, which is considered an in-between of the closed and open guard. It’s a position that is used by many champions as part of their overall guard game.
The Half Guard
The half guard is where one leg is blocking against the opponent’s leg, and the other is placed outside. The use of frames is crucial in the half guard, as you need to stop the upper body from advancing and the lower body from backing out. Your arms should work in harmony with your legs, blocking any space that the opponent can capitalize on.
Half Guard Variants
The half guard is not a specific guard but a general position with variations. The differences depend on your body positioning and grips in relation to your opponent’s. It’s wise to learn at least two of these guards:
- Standard Half Guard: Staying on a hip while blocking the opponent’s same-side leg and framing against their shoulder and far-side arm.
- Knee Shield and Z Guard: Similar to the standard half guard but with a leg frame near the shoulder (knee shield) or against the opponent’s hip (Z guard).
- Deep Half Guard: Shooting your body directly underneath the opponent’s center of gravity.
- Lockdown Half Guard: Made famous by Eddie Bravo, using a unique leg configuration to control the opponent.
Chapter 4: Side Control
Alt: BJJ side control, demonstrating a dominant pinning position used for transitioning to other positions or submissions.
Side control is likely the first dominant position a beginner learns in BJJ. After passing the guard, the next goal is to pin the opponent, where you can transition to other dominant positions or apply submissions.
What Is Side Control?
Side control, also known as the side mount, is a dominant position where you lay perpendicular on top of the opponent, pinning their upper body on the mat. It’s a basic but effective pin because you pin the opponent while their lower body can freely move around. Maintaining a chest-to-chest connection while sprawling or kneeling on the mat is essential. Your arms are used to pin the opponent’s hip, apply an underhook, or apply a cross face.
Other variations of side control:
- Kesa Gatame: Controls the opponent’s head and arm while lying on your side.
- Reverse Kesa Gatame: Faces the opponent’s lower body while controlling the far arm.
Submissions From Side Control
After securing side control, you can transition to the mount, knee on belly, or north-south or apply submissions:
- Kimura: Transition to north-south, pin their arm, and apply pressure.
- Arm Triangle: Trap the opponent’s arm and head as you move over the mount.
- Far Side Armbar: Get an underhook, pull the opponent towards you, and step your leg over their head.
Chapter 5: Mount
Alt: Illustrating an attack from the mount in BJJ, emphasizing positional dominance and control.
One of the most important aspects of BJJ is the ability to control a fully resisting opponent using a variety of pins. Positional dominance is crucial because it is highly unlikely that you’ll submit someone who is still fully mobile and can still fight with their hands.
Pins Defined
A pin is a position that uses your body configuration to immobilize a person’s ability to escape, which is always applied from the top, as you can leverage gravity to your advantage. Pins are an integral part of combat situations and are super useful even without the use of strikes, so much so that it has slowly been accepted in organizations like the police force.
Position Before Submission
Pinning someone down can mitigate the risk of reversals and counterattacks. Getting to a position like the mount can totally change the complexion of a match, as the bottom player is undoubtedly losing. Add the threat of submissions (or strikes in MMA), and you have a great recipe for winning many matches.
Transitions To Mount
Once you pass the guard, your initial goal is to establish side control, where you can transition to more dominant pins like the mount.
- Mount Transition From Side Control: lift your far leg and base out as you go to a low knee on belly position. Use your arm to separate the opponent’s far arm from their torso as you move to mount.
- Mount Transition From Reverse Kesa Gatame: threatening the kimura and transition to the mount if the opponent stays defensive.
Keeping The Mount
Learning how to maintain the mount is another critical step to maximizing the position. Roger Gracie breaks down his approach to his world-class mount that most people will likely try only two types of escapes: the upa or bridge escape and pushing the leg to get back to guard. He mentions to keep yourself safe but to also keep the bottom player on the defensive the whole time.
Submissions From Mount
Common attacks you can perform from the mount are wristlock and variations of the nearside and farside armbar. Notice that the submissions are all coming from the cross grip where it is a terrific attacking sequence because you don’t have to move that much to transition from one submission to the next.
Chapter 6: Knee Mount
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Alt: Rodrigo and Thales demonstrating the knee on belly position, highlighting a dominant and demoralizing pin in BJJ.
The knee mount, or knee on belly, is one of the most dominant and underutilized positions in BJJ. Holding the position alone can force an opponent to tap.
What Is The Knee Mount/Knee On Belly?
The knee mount is a dominant controlling pin, like side control, but with your knee on the opponent’s belly. It’s a crushing position, especially when applied by heavier grapplers. The pressure can drain the opponent’s stamina, forcing them to make mistakes and open themselves up to submissions like the d’Arce and armbar. It is versatile as it can be used to transition to the mount, north-south, or back to side control.
How To Dominate With The Knee Mount
Understanding proper weight distribution is essential when going for the knee mount and be used to take the opponent’s back when they turn away or into you.
Submissions From Knee Mount
- Shotgun Armbar: Apply a C grip on the opponent’s tricep, pull their arm up, and catch their wrist under your armpit.
- Baseball Bat Choke: Grab the opponent’s collar with a four-finger grip, one hand with fingers outside and the other deep inside the collar.
- Americana: Grab a cross collar grip and drive your hand under their tricep to finish the Americana.
Chapter 7: Back Mount
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Alt: Back mount in BJJ, illustrating the most dominant position for controlling and submitting an opponent.
Having someone on your back in grappling is like being prey being hunted by a predator. It is one of the most vulnerable positions to be in, if not the most, especially when you are face down, flattened on the ground.
What Is The Back Mount?
The back mount is considered the most dominant position in grappling. It is a position where you are behind the opponent with chest-to-back connection, using your arms and legs to control the opponent’s upper body and hip. As you attack from this position, controlling the opponent’s hands helps hinder their ability to defend.
Path To The Back Mount
There are many ways to get to the back, some of the most common ones are from the de la Riva guard and mount. Aiming for these positions will give you many opportunities to take the back. Remember that getting there is only half the work; back maintenance is equally crucial.
Submissions From the Back Mount
- Collar Choke: Open the opponent’s collar, and get a deep palm-up grip and grab their opposite collar palm-down to finish the choke.
- Triangle Armbar: Restrict movement, turn the opponent to the opposite side, grab your shin, lock in the triangle, and crank the opponent’s arm towards your leg.
Back Retention Drill
Maintaining the back mount requires dominant control over the opponent, where back control is maintained from the back mount with a seatbelt grip and transitioning to other positions.
Chapter 8: Turtle
Alt: Rodrigo and Thales in the turtle position, a defensive technique in BJJ used to prevent back exposure.
The turtle is a position where you curl up with your head tight to your body and on the mat while keeping your arms inside your body with elbows in with knees and feet on the ground. It is called the turtle because you curl your body to a defensive position, like a turtle protecting its body.
The turtle position is used to recover from a failed takedown with the attempt to recover back to some form of guard, that is generally used in two ways: open turtle and closed turtle. Closed turtle is when your elbows and knees are locked close, while open turtle is when your elbows and knees are based out wide. In closed turtle, inserting your seatbelt grip and hooks will be difficult where as in open turtle, it will be difficult for you to unbalance the opponent down to the hip.
Chapter 9: Basic Joint Lock Submissions
Alt: Rodrigo and Thales demonstrating a crosschoke armbar, showcasing a basic joint lock submission in BJJ.
Joint locks are attacks that target the joints by bending the limbs in compromising ways and are highly versatile and can be used regardless of the ruleset.
A Deeper Look At Joint Locks
Joint locks are submissions meant to hyperextend a person’s limbs and can be used in a variety of ways. For example, the kimura can be used as a general position from which you can initiate sweeps, backtakes, and transitions.
Examples Of Joint Locks
- Armbar: Hyperextends the joint of the elbow, where the key is to control the head as you move the arm near the centerline.
- Kimura: Is a variation of a bent joint lock and is highly useful to control and finish fights where tactics is to keep the opponent smashed on bottom side control and transition to the Americana or force their body sideways for the kimura or armbar.
- Americana: Is another fundamental submission used by grapplers of all levels. It is similar to the kimura, but the arm is bent in the opposite direction, forming an L shape, where you force the arm to the mat, get a tight grip on the wrist and don’t allow lateral movement as much as possible.
Chapter 10: Basic Chokes
Alt: Performing the Barbo choke, a fundamental choke technique in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for quickly subduing opponents.
Chokes are the most effective submissions you can perform in Jiu-Jitsu and can be applied in a variety of ways using your limbs, your gi, and even the opponent’s gi/jacket to force them to submit.
Choke Vs. Strangle
Choking is when something blocks the airflow in the pharynx or trachea, while strangulation is the outside compression of the neck to disrupt the blood flow to the neck’s carotid arteries.
Five Basic Chokes In Grappling
Chokes can be applied from both dominant and inferior positions. Before attempting a submission, it is best to secure and stabilize the situation using pins like the mount and side control. Below are the basic chokes you can apply with and without the gi.
- Cross-Collar Choke/Cross Choke: Uses the opponent’s gi collar to choke the opponent from the top and bottom positions.
- Rear Naked Choke: Is widely used in grappling and MMA because it is easy to perform and has one of the highest finishing rates in the sport.
- Guillotine Choke: Can be used offensively and defensively and is useful from almost all positions provided that you can get a good grip on the head.
- Triangle Choke: Is a versatile submission that can be applied from all positions and a leg triangle has different uses in grappling.
- Arm Triangle: Can be applied from the mount or side control and has three basic variations: front arm triangle (kata gatame), d’Arce choke, and the anaconda choke.
Chapter 11: Common Mistakes/Concepts for Beginners
Alt: BJJ students rolling, emphasizing the importance of avoiding common mistakes and mastering fundamental concepts.
As a beginner, it is critical that you learn the fundamentals as early as possible so you won’t carry bad habits as you progress in your journey.
- Grip Fighting: Never allow the opponent to apply their preferred grips on you. By allowing this, you are letting them control you, which they can use to manage your movements or to set up and impose their game upon you.
- Sticking Your Arms Out: Always keep your elbows close to your body because the farther your elbow is from your body, the less strength you can use, making it easier for the opponent to control your arms.
Alt: A BJJ practitioner rolling, reminding beginners to protect their arms and keep their elbows close to the body.
- Posture: Posturing up allows you to keep your balance and base strong and to prevent the opponent from quickly dragging and taking you down.
- Crossing The Feet In Back Mount: Crossing your ankles when you are behind the opponent makes you vulnerable to leg locks.
- Breakfalls: Are important and can potentially save your life outside the mats as breakfall is performed in grappling to prevent injuries upon landing after getting thrown or taken down.
- Not Training Takedowns: It is also essential to learn a couple of takedowns to take the fight to the ground and Being good at takedowns will improve your guard passing and make you better at maintaining the top position.
- Focus On The Basics: Focus on the basics first before you explore the different variations of techniques and master the basics, as it is proven to work even in the highest levels of competition.
- Tapping Is Not A Bad Thing: Tap when you get caught in a deep submission to prevent injuries, as injuries can prevent you from training. Don’t muscle out of submissions when training; instead, take the opportunity to learn how to escape from submissions using proper technique.
Alt: BJJ practitioner tapping out, reinforcing that tapping is not a sign of weakness but a smart way to avoid injuries.
- Stalling Tn The Collar Tie: Remember to only use the collar tie when trying to be offensive, as applying it without the intent of attacking will leave your lower body open.
- Holding Your Breath: Slow down and try not to muscle out of pins and submissions and learn proper breathing where you understand that grappling is a different type of endurance and cardio.
- Be Careful Of Squeezing/Cranking Submissions: Remember to be careful when finishing submissions like the arm bar or joint locks, especially if you are bigger and stronger than your training partner.
Chapter 12: Rules/Scoring
Alt: Buchecha at IBJJF Worlds, showcasing a top-tier BJJ competition governed by a specific scoring system and rules.
Its ruleset adds a layer of freedom (and sometimes complexity) that makes it stand out from the rest. The very heart of Jiu-Jitsu you see today focuses on takedowns, control, and submission tactics to restrain and eventually defeat an opponent.
There are two ways to win in a BJJ match: winning by points or by submission and gives points to positions where you gain a tactical advantage in a match. There are two ways to win in a BJJ match: winning by points or by submission.
IBJJF Scoring System
- Takedown – 2 points: Should maintain a dominant position for 3 seconds to get points.
Alt: IBJJF single leg takedown, scoring points in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition.
- Knee On Belly (Knee Ride) – 2 points: Hold the sleeve and belt as you pin the opponent down and you are awarded an advantage if you cannot maintain the position and grip.
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Alt: Rodrigo and Thales knee on belly, a BJJ technique scoring points by pinning the opponent with a knee on the stomach.
- Sweep – 2 points: Placing you in a more favorable position and you only gain points if you initially start from some form of guard.
Alt: IBJJF pendulum sweep, scoring points by reversing position from guard in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu match.
- Guard Pass – 3 points: Gets past the defender’s legs and moves to pins like side control and north-south and to maintain the pin for 3 seconds to earn the points.
Alt: Demonstrating leg drag, a BJJ technique to pass the guard, earning points in competition.
- Mount And Back Mount – 4 points: Should have two knees on the mat (or at least one knee and one foot placed on the mat) and you must keep the position for 3 seconds to score.
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Alt: Securing back mount, a high-scoring position in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, emphasizing control and submission opportunities.
- Back Control – 4 points: Trap the opponent’s legs using your own (hooks) while keeping their arms secured.
Alt: Illustrating BJJ back control, a high-scoring position with hooks and arm control for maximum dominance.
Technique Restrictions In IBJJF Competitions
There are several banned techniques depending on the rank and competitions you enter. Some examples include slams, twisting locks, bending the fingers backward, and variations of leg attacks. As of January 2021, brown and black belt adult competitors can now use heel hooks and other reaping techniques in no-gi competitions and it is suggest building a game that can put you in situations where you can score easily.
Chapter 13: Etiquette and Tips for Your First Class
Alt: BJJ students shaking hands, highlighting the respectful and communal etiquette in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gyms can be intimidating for newcomers, but you will find they are welcoming places if you conduct yourself the right way with the primary consideration of respect.
- Turn Up On Time: Arrive at the gym in time for the start of the class, ready to train because it is a disrespect not to be on time and you would also be missing valuable warm-up time, which could lead to injury.
Alt: BJJ students warming up, highlighting the importance of punctuality for effective and safe training.
- Listen To Your Coach: It’s just plain rude to not pay attention to your coach because they are the fountain of all your martial arts knowledge, and they demand your respect.
- Treat Your Training Partners How You’d Want To Be Treated: BJJ gyms should create a welcoming environment where anyone can come and learn the gentle art, so help to keep it that way, especially when you might be partnered with someone with less experience.
- Keep It Clean: If you don’t look after your personal hygiene, no one will want to train with you.
Tips For Your First Class
- Get To Know The Gym And Instructors, as well as the layout of the gym and to introduce yourself to your instructors.
- Don’t Be Scared To Ask Questions, where the atmosphere is always supportive and everyone around you knows what it feels like to start out.
- Give It Your All because a good attitude will go a long way with your instructors.
- Relax And Have Fun while going at your own pace and taking your time and staying loose.
Alt: BJJ friends smiling together, promoting a welcoming and enjoyable atmosphere for newcomers to the martial art.
Chapter 14: Choosing a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gym
As the “Gentle Art” grows in popularity the world over, Brazilian Jiu
