Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Glossary

Much of this list is taken from various BJJ glossaries and resources.

• ADCC: Stands for 'Abu Dhabi Combat Club'. The ADCC is a sports club founded by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and a black belt in BJJ under Renzo Gracie. However, the term 'ADCC' most commonly refers to the ADCC World Submission Fighting Championships, an event which began in 1998 and is currently held every two years. It is the most prestigious nogi tournament in grappling. The ADCC has been dominated by practitioners of BJJ, but it is open to all style of grappling: for example, the wrestler and MMA champion Mark Kerr has several ADCC gold medals. (View ADCC examples)
• Americana: A common submission in BJJ. (View Americana examples)
• Anaconda Choke: A variation of the front headlock choke. It is similar to the D'Arce choke, but the attacker's arm threads through the neck first and then under the opponent's armpit. (View Anaconda Choke examples)
• Arm Drag: A movement mainly used from guard but also possible standing up, where you grab their opposite wrist and pull it across your body. That is then enhanced by using your same side hand to grab behind their elbow, which becomes available due to the earlier pulling of their wrist. If this grip and the 'dragging' motion proves successful, it should expose their back. A similar motion can be achieved from a collar grip (a 'collar drag'). (View Arm Drag examples)
• Arm Triangle Choke: A common submission in BJJ. (View Arm Triangle Choke examples)
• Armbar: A common submission in BJJ. (View Armbar examples)
• Ashi Garami: A Japanese term translating roughly to "leg entanglement." It is the fundamental foundational position for modern leg lock attacks. (View Ashi Garami examples)
• Back Mount: A common position in BJJ. (View Back Mount examples)
• Base: Generally refers to balance (e.g., someone who is difficult to sweep may be described as having a "good base"), in particular the position the person on top takes when in someone else's guard: keep your weight low, back straight, head up, knees wide.
• Berimbolo: A technique used to take the back of your opponent from De La Riva. (View Berimbolo examples)
• Bow and Arrow Choke: A common submission in BJJ. (View Bow and Arrow Choke examples)
• Breakfall: A method by which you can reduce the impact of being thrown or falling. The general principle is to disperse the force by slapping the ground with your hands (specifically the palm heel) and feet. Differs slightly depending on direction - for example, with a backwards breakfall, both hands slap the ground, whereas with a side breakfall, you only use one hand. Examples include the Back Breakfall, Side Breakfall, and Rolling Breakfall.
• Bridging: This is a very important movement in Jiu-Jitsu. In this movement, the person is laying on their back with their feet planted on the mat as close to their butt as they can get them. They will then elevate their hips and spine by pushing off the mat with their legs and engaging most of the muscles in their legs and core. When done properly, the only parts of the body that are touching the mat are their toes and the tops of their shoulder (or sometimes the top of the head!), and their body will be arched and shaped like an upside-down “U”. This shape is extremely strong and can support a tremendous amount of weight without collapsing, which is why so many bridge supports are engineered using this shape. (View Bridging examples)
• Butterfly Grip: A variation on the Gable grip is to reach further across and grasp your forearms. The goal is to have the bends of wrists hook against each other to add to the strength of the grip. You see this used when a grappler gets double underhooks and wants to close the circle of their arms extra tight, such as in Greco throws or half guard. (View Butterfly Grip examples)
• Butterfly Guard: A common position in BJJ. (View Butterfly Guard examples)
• Chin Strap: A direct way of controlling the head is via a chin strap. Mostly it’s limited to the front headlock position but it is a crucial concept to have. For the chin strap, you need a monkey grip under the opponent’s chin while you’re in a front headlock position. This offers huge control as well as plenty of choking or transitioning opportunities. You can also use chin strap grip to escape some submissions like head and arm choke from the north south position.
• Collar Tie: Your forearm is on the shoulder of your opponent keeping them at distance so they can not shoot. (View Collar Tie examples)
• Crank: A term used to describe submissions that operate by twisting parts of the body into abnormal positions in order to cause pain. Cranks tend to be crude and rely on brute force, in comparison to submissions like chokes and armbars. Due to the increased risk of serious injury, particularly to the neck and spine, cranks are often either frowned upon or outright banned. A typical example is the 'can opener', performed by grabbing behind the head and pulling it towards you while in somebody's guard. Note that there can be a grey area, especially between certain chokes and neck cranks, such as the guillotine choke. Crank may also be used to describe the process of locking on a submission: e.g., "she cranked that armbar".
• Crucifix: A dominant control position where you trap both of your opponent's arms using your own arms and legs, usually while positioned behind or slightly to the side of them. It leaves their neck highly vulnerable to chokes. (View Crucifix Position examples)
• D’Arce Choke: A common submission in BJJ. (View D’Arce Choke examples)
• De La Riva: A common position in BJJ. (View De La Riva examples)
• Ezekiel Choke: A very common submission, mostly used in the Gi. The attacker uses their own sleeve to create a leverage point to choke the opponent, frequently executed from the Mount position. (View Ezekiel Choke examples)
• Falcon Guard: (View Falcon Guard examples)
• Figure-Four Grip: The figure four grip is mostly used for finishing although it might also be a controlling grip. For that, you need to have one palm gripping the other arm’s wrist in a figure four configuration. Think of a Kimura, Americana, Toe Hold.
• Four Finger Grip: Four fingers in BJJ grip is the king. It offers huge control in multiple directions. The gripping mechanism is the same as with pants grips. Again, gripping inside the sleeve is illegal, so make sure you keep all your fingers except the thumb out. Creating a pocket in order to obtain as much material as possible is once again the way to go. (View Four Finger Grip examples)
• Framing: A crucial defensive concept where a practitioner uses the structural alignment of their bones (usually forearms, elbows, or shins) to keep an opponent's weight off them and create space, rather than relying purely on muscle. (View Framing examples)
• Full Guard: A common position in BJJ more commonly known as Closed Guard. (View Full Guard examples)
• Full Mount: A common position in BJJ more commonly known as Mount. (View Full Mount examples)
• Gable Grip: A grip in which your palms are together, fingers wrapped round the edge, not using the thumbs. As far as I'm aware, its named after legendary wrestler Dan Gable, but I don't have any further information on that - feel free to put up a comment if you know anything about the origins. (View Gable Grip examples)
• Gi: The traditional (and sturdy!) attire for Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. The outfit is comprised of long pants and a long-sleeved top that is open down the front but crossed across the front of the body and secured with a colored belt to indicate your rank in the sport. During a match, the opponents will grip each other’s Gi to gain leverage or control over the other person. For this reason, a low-quality gi will quickly break down under the strain. (View Gi examples)
• Granby Roll: A Guard retention technique and a wrestling escape. (View Granby Roll examples)
• Grapevine: A type of control that most commonly applies to MOUNT. You have your legs threaded through your opponent's, hooking around with your feet to stop them escaping. This makes for a stable defensive position, though attacks are mostly limited to Ezekiel. (View Grapevine examples)
• Guard Pass: A move or set of moves that allows one opponent to advance into a superior position out of another opponents guard. There are many types of guards, most of which involve controlling an opponent with your legs. A guard is considered passed when one opponent disentangles themselves from the legs of the other and secures a new dominant position above the opponent’s legs. (View Guard Pass examples)
• Guillotine Choke: One of the most fundamental submissions in BJJ. It is a front choke applied by wrapping the arm around the opponent's neck, often used when an opponent shoots for a takedown with their head exposed. (View Guillotine Choke examples)
• Half Guard: A common position in BJJ. (View Half Guard examples)
• Heel Hook: A common submission in BJJ. (View Heel Hook examples)
• Hooks: (Not to be confused with Overhook or Underhook). Most often used as another word for feet. When a coach says “Get your hooks in!”, this usually means to make sure your feet are hooked around an opponent’s legs or hips for control. (View Hooks examples)
• IBJJF: Stands for 'International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Federation'. The IBJJF is a for-profit company that provides some of the largest BJJ tournaments in the sport.
• Kesa Gatame: A common position in BJJ. (View Kesa Gatame examples)
• Kimura: A common submission in BJJ. (View Kimura examples)
• Kiss of the Dragon: A technique where you go in between your opponents legs to take the back. Normally from Reverse De La Riva or Sitting Up Guard. (View Kiss of the Dragon examples)
• Knee on Belly: A common position in BJJ. (View Knee on Belly examples)
• Kneebar: A common submission in BJJ. (View Kneebar examples)
• Lasso Guard: A common position in BJJ. (View Lasso Guard examples)
• Leg Drag: A Common way of passing in BJJ where a knee goes between the opponents leg and the same side elbow goes over top the opponent. (View Leg Drag examples)
• No-Gi: A type of Jiu-Jitsu where the opponents are not wearing a Gi. In this style, neither opponent is allowed to use the fabric on the opponent for any kind of control or submission. (View No-Gi examples)
• North-South: A common position in BJJ. (View North-South examples)
• Omoplata: A common submission in BJJ. (View Omoplata examples)
• Open Guard: A broad category of guard positions where the bottom player's legs are not locked entirely around the top player's torso. Spider Guard, De La Riva, and Lasso Guard are all specific variations of Open Guard. (View Open Guard examples)
• Oss: Sometimes “Ossu” is most frequently used as a form of congratulations or agreement in BJJ. It is also frequently used as a form of encouragement for somebody who is showing a lot of heart on the mat when under intense pressure. WE DO NOT USE THIS!!
• Overhook: (See also: Underhook) A type of arm control where the attacker wraps their arm over and around the defenders arm. The attacker will have the defender’s shoulder in their armpit. (View Overhook examples)
• Pistol Grip: Pistol grips are much more important with sleeves than they are with pants. Unless the opponent’s Gi is very tight around the wrists you can grip it like a pistol handle once again. This means your pinky is nearest to their wrist, with all your fingers holding as much of the material as a pistol handle. It is a great way to increase control over the opponent, plus add some discomfort due to the tightness of the sleeve. (View Pistol Grip examples)
• Porrada: Literally translated as “beating” or “brawling”, this word is most often used to mean training as hard as you can. This style of training requires you to go hard for every single roll. See also Nutella.
• Position: The key to BJJ is controlling the opponent, and control starts with the relative position of both opponents. Click the link for a list of the most common positions in Jiu-Jitsu. Mastery of these positions should be the highest priority for any student.
• Post: Used as a verb, posting. A term which refers to placing a part of your body on your opponent or the mat in order to gain stability and prevent or set up movement. For example, if someone is attempting to use the UPA to escape your MOUNT, you can 'post' your arms to the relevant side in order to prevent being swept.
• Posture: Also known as postura (Portuguese). Good posture means that your back and neck are straight, your head in line with your spine.
• Pulling Guard: A strategy used at the start of a match where a practitioner deliberately transitions from a standing position directly to their back to initiate their guard game, rather than attempting a takedown. (View Pulling Guard examples)
• Rear Naked Choke: A common submission in BJJ. (View Rear Naked Choke examples)
• Rolling: The act of grappling with another person in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. If you watch two experienced grapplers, their fluid movement and positional transitions resemble a ball rolling across the floor.
• S-grip: When an opponent is too big for your arms to wrap enough to go palm-to-palm, you may be able to hook fingers-to-fingers in a s-grip. You can also use this when defending armbars, but make sure the arm that is being attacked is turned so the palm is away from you. (View S-grip examples)
• Seat Belt Grip: The seat belt grip is used most commonly from back control or the front headlock, as well as ankle locks and guillotines. As a rule, you want to hide the "choking" hand under the other hand so you make it harder for your opponent to grab and pull away, and to reinforce the choke or footlock when you go for the submission. (View Seat Belt Grip examples)
• Shrimping: (Sometimes call Snakey Move or Hip Escape), this is one of the most critical movements in BJJ. The purpose of this movement is to quickly and efficiently move the hips away from the opponent in order to evade a negative position, create space, or affect the balance of the opponent. To do this move, the person typically begins by laying on their side on the mat. In one fluid motion, they lift their hips off the mat by supporting their weight on their foot and shoulder and they scoot their hips backward by straightening their legs.
• Side Control: A common position in BJJ. (View Side Control examples)
• Sleeve Grip: The sleeves have two major points of connection. The first and much more commonly used is the end of the sleeve just above the wrist. The second is either above the elbow (triceps level) or high in the armpit. Sleeve grips at wrist level are much more reliable though, given the type of material and the tightness of the Gi at upper arm level.
• Spider Guard: A common position in BJJ. (View Spider Guard examples)
• Sprawl: A fundamental wrestling and grappling defense against leg takedowns. The defender drops their hips heavily to the mat and kicks their legs backward to prevent the opponent from grabbing them. (View Sprawl examples)
• Straight Ankle Lock: A common submission in BJJ. (View Straight Ankle Lock examples)
• Submission: A way to defeat an opponent. In a submission, the attacker has created a painful situation that the defender can not escape and so must tap out in order to prevent injury. Click the link for a list of the most common submissions in BJJ.
• Sweep: This is an attack or movement that transitions somebody that is in a weaker position into a more dominant position. For example, if an attacking player has somebody in their Full Guard, and they are able to roll the defending person over into a less neutral or less dominant position such as Full Mount, the attacking person has executed a sweep. In tournament scoring, a player will typically have to hold the new, dominant position for a certain amount of time (usually 3 seconds) before points for the sweep will be awarded. (View Sweep examples)
• Tap/Tapping Out: The act of submitting to an opponent’s submission attempt. In old times, a person would yell “Uncle” when they had had enough pain. Today, a person can tap out by tapping their hand on their opponent or on the mat. They can also tap the mat with their foot or yell “TAP!” if their hands are not easily available.
• Technical Stand-up: A foundational movement for self-defense and sport BJJ. It is a method of safely standing up from a seated or supine position while keeping one arm raised to protect the face and managing distance with the legs. (View Technical Stand-up examples)
• Tips/Stripes: A measure of rank within a certain belt class. For all adult ranks below black belt, there are four sub-ranks (called degrees) which are donated by white stripes on the belt. For example, a 3-striped or 3rd-degree blue belt will have three white stripes on one end of their belt. Once a person has accumulated four stripes, they can expect a rank promotion in their near future.
• Triangle Choke: A common submission in BJJ. (View Triangle Choke examples)
• Turtle Position: A common position in BJJ. (View Turtle Position examples)
• Two on One Grip: The basic two-on-one BJJ grip is with both your hands wrapped around an opponent’s wrist. This makes it extremely difficult for them to escape and opens up multiple avenues of control and attack for you. (View Two on One Grip examples)
• Underhook: (See also: Overhook) Underhook is a type of arm control where an attacker wraps their arm underneath a defender’s arm and either reaches around the defender’s back or reaches up to grab their shoulder. In this position, the attacker’s shoulder is usually under the defender’s armpit. (View Underhook examples)
• Windshield Wiper: Pivoting at the knee to free one’s ankle from an open guard. This move allows a player to free themselves from the guard while not relinquishing superior positioning of the legs. (View Windshield Wiper examples)
• Wristlock: An uncommon submission in Jiu Jitsu where the wrist of your opponent is bent or twisted to the point of submission. Many gyms avoid teaching this submission, and it is often seen as a “dirty” submission. In most rulesets, white belts cannot attack the wrist due to risks of injury to their opponent. When attacking the wrist, you’ll often hear the term “prison rules” which means that dirty or mean submissions are open. (View Wristlock examples)
• X-Guard: A common position in BJJ. (View X-Guard examples)