BJJ Positions

Ashi garami (leg entanglement) is the fundamental leg lock position. Your legs control their leg whi...

The saddle (honey hole, inside sankaku) is the strongest leg entanglement for heel hooks. Your legs ...

The front headlock is a controlling position from the front where you wrap their head and control th...

The cross body ride is a wrestling control position against turtle. You ride across their back, cont...

Body lock control involves locking your hands around your opponent's torso. It's a powerful position...

The cradle is a powerful wrestling control where you connect their head and knee together, immobiliz...

A leg ride is a controlling position where you insert your leg between your opponent's legs from the...

The crucifix position traps both of your opponent's arms, leaving them completely defenseless. One a...

S-mount is a modified mount where one leg is up near their head. It's excellent for attacking armbar...

The rubber guard, developed by Eddie Bravo, uses extreme flexibility to control the opponent's postu...

The worm guard, innovated by Keenan Cornelius, uses the lapel wrapped around your opponent's leg to ...

The Williams guard is a high closed guard position where you overhook the arm and control the head. ...

Butterfly half guard combines half guard control with a butterfly hook. It offers powerful sweeping ...

Spider guard uses sleeve grips and feet on the opponent's biceps to control distance and create swee...

Lapel guards use your opponent's or your own lapel to create additional control points. The lapel wr...

Cross grip guard uses a cross grip on the collar (same side hand, opposite collar) combined with a s...

De La Riva guard wraps your outside leg around their lead leg from the outside, hooking behind their...

Closed guard is the most fundamental guard position. Your legs are wrapped around their waist, ankle...

Open guard is any guard where your legs aren't closed around them. It includes butterfly, De La Riva...

Single leg X (SLX or Ashi garami) wraps both legs around one of their legs. It's excellent for sweep...

Deep half guard is a half guard variation where you get deep underneath your opponent. Your head is ...

The lockdown is a half guard variation where you use a figure-four on their trapped leg, then extend...

The knee shield uses your top leg as a frame across your opponent's torso. It creates space and prev...

The body triangle is a back control variation where you figure-four your legs around their torso. It...

North-south position has you lying chest-to-chest with your opponent, your head near their hips. It'...

Reverse scarf hold (Kuzure Kesa Gatame) is a side control variation where you face toward their legs...

Kesa gatame (scarf hold) is the traditional Judo side control. You wrap their head while controlling...

Side control is a dominant top position perpendicular to your opponent. It's worth 3 points in compe...

Mount is sitting on top of your opponent with knees on the mat. It's worth 4 points in competition a...

Back control (back mount) is having your chest on their back with hooks in. It's worth 4 points and ...

Knee on belly (KOB) places your knee on their stomach while standing on the other leg. It's worth 2 ...

Turtle is a defensive position on your hands and knees, tucked in. While protective, you must escape...

Low mount sits close to the opponent's hips with grapevines hooked around their legs. This base-heav...

High mount positions your knees near the opponent's shoulders with your weight forward. This opens a...

S-mount places one leg over the opponent's shoulder with the foot near their head while the other kn...

The mounted crucifix traps one of the opponent's arms with your leg, removing their ability to defen...

Reverse mount faces toward the opponent's legs instead of their head. This unusual orientation provi...

Traditional side control uses crossface and underhook to pin the opponent. The crossface controls th...

Kesa gatame or scarf hold is a judo-derived side control where you trap their arm under your armpit ...

Reverse kesa gatame faces toward the opponent's legs rather than their head. This position controls ...

Twister side control positions your body perpendicular with your legs controlling their far leg. Thi...

Paper cutter side control uses a deep cross collar grip while maintaining side control. This grip th...

The standard back control using seatbelt grip (over-under) with both hooks in. This is the fundament...

Body triangle back control replaces hooks with a triangle lock around the opponent's body. This prov...

The crucifix from back control traps one arm with your legs and the other arm with your hands. With ...

Straight jacket control uses the opponent's own gi or arm to trap their defending hand, preventing t...

Back mount is achieved when the opponent is face-down and you are sitting on their back with hooks i...

Standard knee on belly places your near knee on their stomach with your far foot posted wide for bas...

Reverse knee on belly faces toward the opponent's legs instead of their head. This unusual angle pro...

Placing the knee higher on the chest rather than the belly increases compression pressure and restri...

Floating KOB involves light contact with the knee, ready to reposition as the opponent moves. Rather...

Far side KOB places the knee on belly from the opposite side compared to traditional side control po...

Standard north-south positions your chest on their chest while facing opposite directions. Weight di...

A specific north-south variation where you have secured the kimura grip on one arm. This creates a p...

Specific positioning for the north-south choke where your arm wraps around their neck while maintain...

A controlling variation of north-south where you pin both of the opponent's arms using your arms or ...

Using your knees and shins near their shoulders in north-south to provide additional frames and cont...

The defensive turtle is a tight ball position with elbows in, chin tucked, and knees under the body....

Attacking turtle or turtle guard turns a traditionally defensive position into an offensive one. By ...

Controlling an opponent who is in turtle from the top. The goal is to break them down to a flat posi...

Controlling a turtled opponent from the front using a headlock or collar tie. This position provides...

Controlling a turtled opponent from the side, perpendicular to their body. This position is the clas...