Basic BJJ positions and terms: guard, mount, side control, back, sweeps and tapping

TUREFF• •0

BJJ classes are full of words that mean nothing on day one: "pass the guard", "take the back", "hip escape", "underhook", "tap". Once you understand the basic positions, the whole art starts to make sense, because almost everything is about moving from a worse position to a better one. Here is a beginner's map.

The idea of position

BJJ coaches often say "position before submission". The aim is to reach a position where you control your partner and they cannot easily hurt or escape you, then look for a finish. Positions are roughly ranked by how much control the person on top or behind has.

The main positions

Guard: you are on your back with your partner between your legs. Your legs control them. Despite being underneath, you are not losing: from guard you can sweep or submit. In closed guard your ankles are locked behind their back; in open guard they are not, and there are many variations.
Half guard: you trap one of your partner's legs between yours. It is halfway between guard and being passed.
Side control: the top person lies across the bottom person's chest, chest to chest, past their legs. Hard to be underneath and a strong position on top.
Mount: the top person sits on the bottom person's torso, knees on the mat either side. One of the most dominant positions.
Knee on belly: the top person pins with a knee on the stomach or chest, mobile and uncomfortable for the bottom person.
Back control (back mount): one person is behind the other, usually with legs hooked around the waist or hips ("hooks in"). Often called the best position in BJJ, because the attacker can see you and you cannot see them.
Turtle: on knees and elbows, curled up and defending.

Key actions

Guard pass: getting past the legs of someone playing guard, usually into side control or mount.
Sweep: from guard, reversing your partner so you end up on top.
Takedown: bringing a standing partner to the ground. Many gyms start rounds on the knees to keep beginners safe.
Escape: getting out of a bad position, back to guard or to your feet.
Hip escape (shrimp): pushing away and sliding your hips out to make space. Perhaps the most important movement in BJJ.
Bridge: lifting your hips off the mat to unbalance someone on top.

Grips and body positions

Underhook: your arm goes under your partner's arm, around their back. Winning the underhook is often the start of a pass or escape.
Overhook: your arm wraps over theirs.
Frame: using forearms or shins as a rigid barrier to stop someone getting close, rather than pushing with straight arms.
Base: a balanced position that is hard to sweep.
Posture: in someone's guard, keeping your back straight and head up so you do not get pulled down.

Submissions

Submissions fall into two main groups.

Joint locks: bending a joint further than it should go, such as the armbar (elbow), kimura and americana (shoulder), and leg locks such as straight ankle locks.
Chokes (strangles): restricting the neck, such as the rear naked choke from the back, the triangle with the legs, and collar chokes using the gi.

Beginner classes usually focus on a handful of fundamental submissions. Some leg locks and other techniques are restricted for lower belts in many gyms and competitions, so follow your gym's rules.

Tapping

A tap is how you say "I give up, stop now". You can:

tap your partner, ideally several times so it is clear
tap the mat
say "tap" out loud, which matters if your hands are trapped

When your partner taps, let go immediately. Tap early, before anything hurts: there is no prize for holding on in training, and joints and necks do not get second chances. Tapping is normal, and everyone does it many times every week.

Other words you will hear

Rolling: sparring.
Drilling: repeating a technique with a cooperative partner.
Flow rolling: light, playful sparring at low resistance.
Positional sparring: rounds that start from a set position.
Open mat: unstructured time for rolling and practising.

What term confused you most when you started? Share it, or ask about one you have heard, in the comments below.