Essential BJJ Terms for Beginners: Here’s What You Need to Know for a Great Start (2024)

Like most sports, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) has it’s own language. When I first started BJJ I got tongue tied more than once when I tried to ask questions and discuss even the basic positions and techniques. So I created this guide to BJJ terms for beginners to help smooth your transition into this amazing martial art.

New to BJJ? Check out my Ultimate Beginners Guide To Brazilian Jiu Jitsu!

BJJ Terms for Beginners – Fundamental Positions

• Guard: A position where you’re on your back with your legs between you and your opponent, providing both defensive and offensive opportunities.

• Mount: Sitting on top of your opponent’s torso, facing their head. A dominant position offering control and submission opportunities.

• Side Control: Lying perpendicular across your opponent’s torso, controlling them from the side.

• Back Control: Positioned behind your opponent, ideally with your feet hooked inside their thighs. Often considered the most dominant position in BJJ.

Common Submissions

• Armbar: A joint lock that hyperextends the elbow using your hips.

• Triangle Choke: Uses your legs to create a figure-four around your opponent’s head and arm, cutting off blood flow to the brain.

• Rear Naked Choke: Applied from back control, using your arms to constrict blood flow on both sides of the neck.

• Kimura: A powerful shoulder lock that can be applied from various positions.

Essential Techniques and Concepts

• Sweep: A technique used to reverse a position, typically from guard to a top position.

• Pass: The act of moving past your opponent’s legs to achieve a dominant position.

• Escape: Techniques to get out of bad positions or submissions.

• Transition: Smooth movements between positions.

• Creating Pressure: Using body weight and positioning to limit your opponent’s movement.

• Submission: A technique that forces your opponent to surrender due to the threat of injury or unconsciousness.

• Tapping: The act of surrendering in BJJ, done by tapping your opponent, yourself, or the mat, or saying “tap.”

• Choke vs. Strangle: A choke blocks the airway, while a strangle (most BJJ “chokes”) cuts off blood flow to the brain.

Training Terms

• Rolling: Live sparring where you and your partner resist each other’s techniques.

• Positional Rolling: Controlled sparring starting from a specific position.

• Drilling: Repetitive practice of techniques to ingrain movements into muscle memory.

Slap and Bump: A common ritual before starting a sparring round, involving a hand slap followed by a fist bump.

Gear-Related Terms

• Gi: The traditional uniform consisting of a heavy cotton jacket, pants, and belt.

• No-Gi: Training without the gi, typically in a rash guard and shorts or spats.

• Rash Guard: Tight-fitting shirt that wicks away sweat and prevents mat burn.

• Spats: Compression pants often worn for no-gi training or under gi pants.

• Grappling Dummy: Human-shaped training aid used for drilling techniques without a partner.

Gi-Specific Terminology

• Lapel: The long flap of the gi jacket, used for many chokes and control techniques.

• Collar: The upper part of the lapel, around the neck area.

• Sleeve Grips: Gripping your opponent’s sleeve for control and setting up techniques.

Competition-Related Terms

• Points: Awarded for achieving dominant positions. For example, takedowns or sweeps earn two points, while mount or back control gets four.

• Advantages: Almost-points, awarded for near-submissions or almost achieving a point-scoring position.

• Penalties: Given for stalling or breaking rules. Too many can lead to disqualification.

Training Etiquette Terms

• Oss: A catch-all expression that can mean “I understand,” “good job,” or “let’s train.”

• Professor: Often used to address your instructor, especially if they’re a black belt.

• Bowing: A sign of respect in many BJJ academies, done when entering/leaving the mats or to training partners.

Additional Important Terms

• Shrimping: A hip escape movement, crucial for many techniques and defenses.

• Bridge: Using your hips to create space or disrupt your opponent’s balance.

• Closed Guard: A guard position where your legs are locked around your opponent’s waist.

• Open Guard: Any guard position where your legs are not locked around your opponent.

• Half Guard: A guard position where you control one of your opponent’s legs with both of yours.

• X-Guard: An open guard position where one of your legs is wrapped around your opponent’s leg and the other is positioned between their legs.

• Butterfly Guard: An open guard position where your feet are hooked inside your opponent’s thighs.

• North-South Position: A dominant position where you’re facing your opponent’s head while your head is near their hips.

• Turtle Position: A defensive position where you’re on your hands and knees, protecting your vital areas. The turtle is a Transitional Position in sport BJJ as, while protective, it can leave one vulnerable to certain submissions, particularly chokes. The turtle is not recommended for self-defense situations as it leaves your head open for strikes.

Conclusion

This guide covers the most essential BJJ terms for beginners. Remember, every one of us was once in your shoes. So, don’t be afraid to ask questions when you hear unfamiliar terms. Keep this guide handy, stay curious, and before you know it, you’ll be speaking BJJ fluently. Now get on the mats and start putting these terms into practice!