BJJ Glossary

The foundational BJJ guard where your legs are locked behind your opponent's back. Your defensive fortress and launching pad for sweeps and submissions.

Any guard variation where your legs are not locked. Includes spider, De La Riva, X-guard, and many others.

A guard where you control one of your opponent's legs between yours. Used for sweeps, back takes, and submissions.

A dominant top position where you sit on your opponent's torso. Worth 4 points in IBJJF competition.

Top position perpendicular to your opponent, chest-to-chest. Worth 3 points in IBJJF competition.

The most dominant position in BJJ. You control your opponent from behind with hooks or a body triangle.

A defensive position on all fours used to avoid back control. Common in no-gi and wrestling transitions.

A top control position where you face the opposite direction of your opponent, head-to-head.

A mobile top control where you place your knee on your opponent's stomach. Worth 2 points in IBJJF.

A stable kneeling posture inside the guard. One knee up, one down, elbows tight to prevent sweeps.

A modern open guard using extreme flexibility to control the head with your legs. Popularized by Eddie Bravo.

An open guard where you hook the outside of your opponent's lead leg. Named after Ricardo De La Riva.

A grip-heavy open guard using sleeve grips and feet on the biceps. Dominant in gi BJJ.

A variation of spider guard where you wrap your leg around your opponent's arm. Strong for sweeps and triangles.

An open guard where you slide underneath, forming an X with your legs around one of their legs.

Modern guard developed by Keenan Cornelius using the lapel wrapped around the opponent's leg.

A dynamic back-take sequence from De La Riva. Revolutionary technique that reshaped modern BJJ.

A joint lock that hyperextends the elbow. One of the most fundamental BJJ submissions, available from many positions.

A blood choke using your legs to form a triangle around your opponent's neck and one arm. Iconic BJJ finish.

A blood choke from back control. The most effective choke in grappling because you have no arm to defend.

A figure-four shoulder lock that controls the body as much as the arm. Named after Masahiko Kimura.

Also called a keylock or ude-garami. A shoulder lock similar to the kimura but rotated in the opposite direction.

A shoulder lock using the legs instead of the arms. Unique to BJJ and excellent for sweeps and transitions.

A front headlock choke. Can be finished standing, from guard, or during takedown defense.

A powerful collar choke from back mount using the gi and one leg for maximum leverage.

A modern arm-triangle choke from the front headlock. Common in no-gi and MMA.

A choke similar to the darce but with the arm threaded in the opposite direction.

A leg lock attacking the knee by rotating the heel. Extremely dangerous and restricted in traditional IBJJF rules.

A heel hook where you attack the inside of the leg. More powerful and more dangerous than the outside version.

A heel hook attacking from the outside of the leg. Legal in modern no-gi and submission-only formats.

A leg lock hyperextending the knee. Similar in principle to an armbar but applied to the leg.

A foot lock that twists the ankle and attacks the knee. Legal at brown belt and above in IBJJF gi.

A choke that counters the guillotine attempt by driving the shoulder into the exposed neck.

A gi choke using your own sleeve to finish from mount or guard. Named after Ezequiel Paraguaçu.

The first sweep every white belt learns. From closed guard, scissor your legs to flip your opponent and land in mount.

A sweep from closed guard using hip elevation and arm control. Named for the flowing motion.

The fundamental defensive movement in BJJ. Use your hips to create space and recover guard.

The fundamental mount escape. Bridge hard, trap the arm and leg, and roll to top.

A sweep from open guard where you elevate your opponent using one leg as a lever.

A sweep from closed guard using a pendulum motion of the legs to off-balance your opponent.

The quality of your stance and balance. Good base prevents sweeps and gives you attacking options.

Using your arms and legs as structural support to prevent pressure and create space.

Maintaining an upright spine while inside the guard. Broken posture leads to submissions.

Using bodyweight strategically to control and exhaust your opponent without wasting energy.

The core principle of BJJ. Using technique and mechanical advantage over strength.

Specific ways of gripping the gi or body. Grip fighting is a critical skill in gi BJJ.

An arm position where your arm goes under your opponent's armpit. Key control in many positions.

An arm position where your arm goes over your opponent's arm. Used for sweeps and submissions.

Using the hand or elbow on the mat to prevent being swept or rolled.

A defensive reaction to takedowns where you shoot your legs back and drop weight on the attacker.

The single best predictor of BJJ progression. Consistent time on the mat beats every other factor.

The IBJJF scoring system awarding 2-4 points per position. Used to determine winners in matches without submission.

Partial credit in IBJJF rules for near-submissions or near-sweeps. Used as a tiebreaker.

Ejection from a match for illegal techniques or violations, such as heel hooks at colored belt IBJJF gi.

Categories used in BJJ tournaments from rooster to ultra-heavy, with specific weight cutoffs.

An open-weight division where any competitor can enter regardless of weight. Traditionally the most prestigious.

The two main formats of BJJ. Gi uses the traditional uniform; no-gi uses rashguards and shorts with no fabric grips.

The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. The primary governing body for BJJ belts and competition.

A competition format with no points, no advantages. The only way to win is by submission or judges' decision.

The starting belt in BJJ. IBJJF minimum time before blue belt: 12 months.

The second belt, typically earned after 2-3 years of training. IBJJF minimum time at blue: 24 months.

The middle belt, often considered where the personal game truly develops. IBJJF minimum: 18 months at purple.

The belt before black. IBJJF minimum: 12 months at brown. Often the final stage of refinement.

Awarded after 8-15 years of consistent training. Earned by less than 1% of practitioners worldwide.

Intermediate marks on each belt. Most belts have 4 stripes before promotion to the next color.

Black belt advancement levels (1st through 6th degree), with increasing time requirements for each.

A red-and-black or red-and-white belt awarded at 7th and 8th degrees respectively. Very rare.

The highest rank in BJJ, awarded only at the 9th degree after 48+ years at black belt.

The title used for a BJJ black belt instructor. Your professor makes all belt promotion decisions.

The minimum time required at a belt before promotion, as defined by the IBJJF graduation system.

A data-driven assessment of whether you meet the requirements for belt promotion, based on time, volume, and consistency.

Live sparring. Training partners go at high intensity attempting real techniques at controlled speed.

Repetitive practice of a technique with a cooperative partner. The foundation of technical development.

Another term for rolling. Live practice against a resisting opponent.

The signal of submission. Tap the mat or your opponent clearly to end the roll immediately.

Deliberately sitting into guard rather than wrestling for takedowns. Common strategy in gi competition.

Any technique used to bring your opponent from standing to the ground. Worth 2 points in IBJJF.

An unstructured training session where practitioners roll freely with different partners. Typically on weekends.

A BJJ training school. Also called a gym or dojo depending on regional custom.

A BJJ greeting and expression of respect. Used to acknowledge effort, agreement, or camaraderie on the mat.