Beginner’s guide

Everything that would have helped in your first months on the mat, in one place. Each section links straight to the positions and techniques it mentions.

1. Your first month

Focus on
  • Surviving and escaping: side control, mount and back escapes
  • Keeping your guard with frames and hip movement
  • Tapping early and staying calm under pressure
  • One simple attack from closed guard
Don’t worry about
  • Fancy guards, berimbolos or leg lock entries
  • Winning rolls
  • Remembering every technique from class: write it in your training log and let the Review queue bring it back

2. Core concepts

Position before submission

Get control first, then attack. A submission from a loose position usually ends with you losing the position.

Frames beat pushing

Straight-arm pushing tires you and opens armbars. Use your forearms and shins as frames, then move your hips away.

Inside position

Whoever has their arms and knees on the inside controls the exchange. Fight for underhooks and inside knees.

Hips are the engine

Almost every escape, sweep and pass is a hip movement. If you’re stuck, move your hips first.

Connection

On top, stay chest to chest or chest to hip. Space is your partner’s friend when you’re on top.

Breathe and stay calm

Panic burns energy and makes you push. Breathe out, frame, and work your escape step by step.

3. The position ladder and scoring

Positions rank from best to worst. Your whole game is climbing up this ladder and not sliding down it. Points shown are the standard IBJJF values; other rule sets differ.

  1. Back control4 ptsBest position for you
  2. Mount4 pts
  3. Knee on belly2 pts
  4. Side control3 points for passing to it
  5. Their guard (top)Work to pass
  6. StandingTakedown = 2 points
  7. Your guardSweep = 2 points
  8. Side control (bottom)Escape to guard
  9. Mount (bottom)
  10. Back takenWorst position for you
IBJJF points

Takedown 2 · Sweep 2 · Knee on belly 2 · Guard pass 3 · Mount 4 · Back control with hooks 4. A submission ends the match whatever the score. You can see the whole ladder on the position map.

4. Movements to practice alone

Five minutes of these before class, or at home, makes every escape easier.

Shrimp (hip escape)

Lie on your back, turn on your side, push off your foot and slide your hips away. Repeat down the mat.

Where you use it
Bridge

Feet close to your hips, drive your hips up and over one shoulder.

Where you use it
Technical stand-up

Post a hand behind you and the opposite foot, lift your hips and swing your leg back to stand safely.

Where you use it
Breakfall

Tuck your chin and slap the mat with your arm as you land on your back, to protect your head.

Where you use it
Sit-out

From hands and knees, thread one leg under your body and turn to face the other way.

Where you use it
Granby roll

Roll over one shoulder (never your neck) to bring your legs back to face your partner.

Where you use it

5. Safety and etiquette

Safety
  • Tap early: tap your partner or the mat twice, or say “tap”
  • When your partner taps, let go immediately
  • Apply submissions slowly in training; nobody wins the roll that injures a partner
  • Learn leg locks and inversions under a coach
  • Tell partners about injuries before you roll
  • Most injuries happen in sparring, not competition (see the research)
Etiquette and hygiene
  • Clean gi or rash guard every session, and trimmed fingernails and toenails
  • Wear sandals off the mat and never walk on the mat in shoes
  • Shower after training to prevent skin infections like ringworm and staph
  • Slap hands and bump fists before a roll
  • Match your partner’s intensity, and go easier with smaller or newer partners
  • Stay home if you’re sick or have a skin condition

6. Glossary

Base
Your balance and stability. Good base means a wide, low stance that’s hard to sweep.
Posture
Keeping your spine straight and head up, especially inside someone’s guard.
Frame
Using your bones (forearms, shins) as a solid structure to hold space instead of pushing with muscles.
Shrimp (hip escape)
Pushing off your feet to slide your hips away. The most important escape movement in BJJ.
Bridge
Lifting your hips explosively from your back to off-balance someone on top of you.
Underhook
Your arm under their armpit. Winning the underhook usually wins the exchange.
Overhook (whizzer)
Your arm wrapped over their arm. Used to stop their underhook or attack.
Crossface
Your forearm across their face, turning their head away so they can’t turn into you.
Pummel
Swimming your arms inside to win underhooks or inside position.
Hooks
Your feet or shins hooked inside their legs, as in back control or butterfly guard.
Seatbelt
One arm over the shoulder, one under the armpit, hands clasped, when you have someone’s back.
Pass
Getting past someone’s legs to a pin like side control or mount.
Sweep
Reversing position from guard so you end up on top.
Guard
Any position where you’re on your back or seated and using your legs to control them.
Knee line
The line of their knee relative to your hips. Controlling it matters most in leg locks.
Sprawl
Throwing your legs back and hips down to stop a takedown.
Tap
Patting your partner (or the mat) twice, or saying “tap”, to submit. Always respected immediately.
Roll
A live sparring round.
Positional sparring
Live rounds that start in one position with set goals for each person.
Flow roll
Light, cooperative rolling where both partners let techniques happen.
Gi / no-gi
Training in the kimono with grips on cloth, or in shorts and a rash guard without them.
Oss
A common greeting or acknowledgement in many gyms. Usage varies by gym.

7. Common questions

How often should I train?

Two or three classes a week is a great start. Consistency over months matters more than how hard any single week is.

How long until blue belt?

It varies a lot by gym and how often you train. Many people take one to three years. Focus on your escapes and fundamentals and it will come.

Gi or no-gi first?

Either works. Do what your gym offers. Gi teaches grips and patience; no-gi is faster and more like wrestling. Many people train both.

I keep getting smashed. Is that normal?

Yes. Everyone spends their first months on the bottom. Use that time to get very good at frames and escapes, and use the Submission escapes section.

Should I do leg locks?

Learn the defense early, since you’ll meet them. Learn the attacks under a coach, and check your gym’s and tournament’s rules for your level.

What should I bring to class?

A clean gi or rash guard and shorts, a water bottle, flip-flops for off the mat, a mouthguard if you want one, and trimmed nails.

8. How to use this app

  1. Pick a learning path, or set your size for a personal game plan.
  2. Read each position like a short course, then drill it.
  3. Mark techniques as learned; the Review queue brings them back on schedule.
  4. Practise getting out of bad spots in Submission escapes.
  5. Log your rolls in the training log to see what to fix.
Closed guard notes from the original guide

Control the head and one arm while your legs hold the hips. Break posture by pulling the head down with your hands while your legs pull the hips in. For the arm drag: pull the arm across, open your legs and shrimp out so your chest faces their back, then seatbelt and hooks. For the kimura trap: sit up toward the controlled wrist, lock a figure-four and swing your hips out to turn their torso. Use the arm drag when they posture up, the kimura trap when they stay heavy with their head low.