The Basics of Jiu Jitsu
Well... Here we are. My first real post (the Clifton Strengths Assessment one doesn't count because it was basically just copy and paste). This one is real. No taksie backsies.
A Quick Preface
I have wanted to learn the "Gentle Art of Brazillian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ)" since I was 18 years of age. At that age, I was clinically depressed and habitually scrolling the internet to find things to distract me from the pain. I found Jiu Jitsu at that time. I even took my nervous little self to a gym 45 minutes away from my college apartment and tried a class- something that most people would not expect from a fearful person like myself. At that class, I tweaked my knee and got scared and never came back...
But the seed was planted. I always knew I'd find a way to go back. Eight years later, and the ripe age of 26, I found a way to set aside a little money every month to start training at The Rock Jiu Jitsu.
At the time of writing this, I have been training once or twice a week for about three months. I am really bad at Jiu Jitsu- and I'm ok with that.
The purpose of this blog post is to help me document what I believe are the basics of Jiu Jitsu. Things that take a while to understand if no one says them outright. These opinions will change- I will try to update this post accordingly. I was inspired by the great author Sillyunikid in their amazing piece of work "A Beginner's Guide to BJJ". I've taken some thoughts from this post, admittedly. But I wanted to add my thoughts and remove some naughties.
So, without further ado, the basics.
The Basics of Jiu Jitsu
The Unwritten Rules
Hygiene
Don't smell
TL;DR - Stay Fresh
It's kinda rude to come and shove your junk into another person's face when you haven't showered in a week. It's really nice to stay fresh. Wash your body before you go to class, wash your GI/Rashguard/anything that touches the mat after EVERY CLASS, and definitely wash your body after EVERY CLASS.
Weebs like me might not know that there is this thing called Staph. It's a bacteria on the skin and it can cause nasty infections and its yucky. So just stay clean.
Don't Bleed
TL;DR - Blood is gross, keep it under control w/ liquid bandages
Did you know blood is kinda a personal thing? As in, no one really wants to know anything about YOUR blood, unless you are donating it to save their life. If you aren't doing that, keep it to yourself.
You will likely scrape a bunch of skin off your body when you are rolling in BJJ. Sometimes these "mat burns" bleed right when it happens, but more often, they will just sting at first. Then you will go home, shower, and the next day you have 30 scabs on your feet and knees. These scabs will bleed and you really SHOULD NOT bleed on the mats or your training partners.
Use liquid bandages on any wounds that will bleed. That's it. Move along.
Clean Feet
TL;DR - Only clean feet touch the mat.
Your feet touch a lot of stuff (something American culture doesn't recognize). When you are at BJJ, make sure your feet are clean. Wear some sort of foot covering (like sandals or flip flops) when you are off the mat (ESPECIALLY IN THE BATHROOM). Just leave your sandals right next to the mat and put them on as soon as you get off the mat. My gym even has some rags and sanitizer to wipe your feet down before you get on the mat. Good idea right?
If people see you walking around without flip flops or something similar, they won't like it-- even if they don't say it to your face.
Etiquette
The Bow
TL;DR - In some gyms, it's important to bow when you step onto the mat. Be respectful of it.
So when I tried Jiu Jitsu at Gracie Barra, they were SUPER strict about "The Bow". This practice involves bowing to the flag, or the picture of the BJJ God on the wall, or something like that whenever you get on the mat. My Gym doesn't really seem to worship false idols in this manner. But, if I go to other gyms, I will definitely be aware that this is a thing in order to avoid offending someone.
It will feel weird, but here's the process.
- Take your sandals off
- Step on to the mat
- Bow at the hips
- If you wanna look like you know what you're doing, add a little pat from your hands/arms to your hips/sides of your body while you bow.
- Note that if there's a picture of an old guy on the wall, bow towards that. If not, I don't know where to bow...
In all honesty, I'm being a little flippant here. To many people, this bow is a kind of sacred experience so definitely show respect to those who emphasize the importance of "the bow". My gym doesn't seem to care as of right now so I'm not gonna worry too much about it.
Slap Hands with Me
TL;DR - Every time you role, it's customary to give a quick slap-fist-bump before you start trying to kill your partner.
I messed this up a lot when I first started. When you start rolling, do the slap-bump. It's important for both parties to know "Ok- it's game on, I'm going to do things that have the potential to hurt you now." If you just start trying to go for an armbar- 1. it's unfair and 2. it could really hurt someone.
In my limited experience, there are times when you can't really slap-bump (like starting in side control). Make sure you verbally say "You ready?", the partner will say "Yep", then say "Let's go.". It's verbal slap-bump that really keeps everyone safe and happy.
Spazzy White Belt
TL;DR - Chill out, relax, don't hurt anyone
There's this thing in BJJ about "spazzy white belts". I probably am one- BUT my understanding of this phenomenon is that many white belts come in and feel like they need to excel or prove themselves as "tough" or "capable". It's all rooted in insecurity. This insecurity leads them to be super wild- flailing their bodies, trying to use strength to pick people up and drop them, just going all out. It can result in lots of injuries to people- especially non-spazzy white belts. Whether you spazz out and punch someone in the face on accident, or try to slam someone on the ground thinking that will get them to let go of their guard, it will not get you what you want. Instead, people won't want to teach you and you will probably feel bad for hurting someone.
In my humble opinion, white belts should come to BJJ with the understanding they they are, essentially, completely and utterly incapable. It will take months and months to get better (depending on how often you train). Expect to get submitted every. Single. Time. For a long time.
I think this is where a lot of people get frustrated and quit. For me, I've been able to push through this by focusing not on the submissions (or the traditional forms of success in BJJ) and instead focusing on my ability to understand what's going on. Even if I couldn't execute a sweep, I try to congratulate my self that I recognized a sweep could be done in that position. I personally feel that getting my mind to understand concepts of the martial art is priority one. My body and ability to execute will follow as I get more opportunity to practice.
White belts- our vocabulary of sweeps, submissions, etc. is simply incomplete. If we don't focus on expanding that vocabulary, we will find ourselves in vulnerable positions with absolutely no idea on how to get out other than to panic and transform into a "spazzy white belt". Don't do this. Just chill out, man.
Be Polite
TL;DR - Just say thank you.
Say thank you to the guy you rolled with. Say thank you to the blue belt who taught you something they figured out just a couple months ago when they were in your position. Thank the brown belt who was willing to roll with a white belt even though it would be very annoying and too easy for them. Say thank you to the instructor. Just be nice!! It goes a very long way.
As a side note, the people who run the BJJ gym you go to are running a business. Help them! Refer friends, buy their merch, do what you can to support them. It's capitalism. Capitalism is awesome.
Gi vs. No Gi
Gi
So what even is a Gi (pronounced GEE)? A gi is a traditional uniform of sorts for BJJ. It is made of a durable fabric and allows for all sorts of cool grips to facilitate specific techniques in BJJ. I feel kinda cool when I wear one...
While all BJJ techniques are focused on self defense, when you roll with a gi, there are things you can do by using the gi that you can't do "in the wild" or in no gi.
How do I wear it?
Put on underwear
This includes compression shorts or spats on bottom and a rashguard on top. You can certainly wear a t-shirt on top, but it might bet ripped.
Personally, I also throw a pair of no-gi fight shorts under there because I'm weird and like to be prepared to jump into no-gi really quick. If the shorts are light weight, you won't even know they are there--gis are relatively "bulky".
Put on the Gi
The pants might be hard to tie but just pull on the draw strings and wiggle around. They will tighten.
I personally tie a couple square knots (right over left, left over right) and then try to tuck the drawstrings away. I don't want them getting pulled or caught during training.
Tie the belt
There's like a gajillion opinions on this. I follow this video and use the final method to start class. If it comes untied, square knot it real fast (right over left, left over right).
Don't stress too much about it... Ask someone for help. It's not embarassing.
Good Options:
- Elite Sports Gi This is a budget gi but really works well!
- Ashi This is the brand of gi my gym sells. They are cheap but seem to be really high quality.
- Origin This is the king of Gis. I want one. Give it to me.
No Gi
No Gi involves the practice of BJJ techniques without the advantage of having easy grips on a gi. A lot of people believe that No Gi is much more applicable to self defense and use in "the wild" because you never know what kind of clothes an attacker might where.
Grips in no gi invovle getting a hold of someone's wrist instead of grabbing the cuff of their gi.
How do I wear it?
Put on underwear
Where something tight that will keep the family jewels under control. I highly recommend compression shorts or spats. Depending on the spats, you may want compression shorts under them... yuck...
Put on shorts
There are technical fight shorts and plenty of options out there. However, I don't think there's a hard rule that fight shorts must be worn. The real criteria is that they are durable and allow movement. I've heard of guys wearing rugby shorts to roll in! Who knew?!
My personal opinion is that if you are a guy, you MUST wear shorts. No one wants to see you in just compression gear.
I am not a girl, but I believe the societal norms allow girls to not wear fight shorts. At least that's what youtube portrays. Ask your local girl for advice on this.
Put on a shirt
Your best bet is a rashguard. A rashguard is a tight fitting shirt with a slick fabric. It often times has a special cuff at the bottom of the shirt that keeps it from riding up. All of these features contribute to keeping the shirt in tact and allowing for safe practice of BJJ.
I have seen folks roll in regular shirts though! Just be aware that they could tear or ride up and expose your skin to the mat.
No idea on this for girls... Good luck there.
Good Options:
A Positional Reference
I will provide videos for each of these positions. They are not exhaustive on everything about the position, but if you click on the video, you should get the idea of what the position is VERY quickly. Also. They are good videos so, yay for that.
Mounts
A mount in BJJ refers to when somone on the top has positional dominance over the person on the bottom. Think of the phrase "mounting a horse". This is the mount they are referencing. It means to get on top of and typically implies control.
Full Mount
Full mount is how your brother used to sit on you. Person on bottom is on their back. Person on top is sitting on their stomach/hips/torso with their knees to the side of the person on bottom. Remember when your brother used to threaten you with spittle on your face? That's full mount.
Person on Bottom should really try to get out of full mount. There are not many attacks that can be done from the bottom of full mount but a TON can be done from the top.
S Mount
The S Mount a variation of the full mount. It is easier to demonstrate than it is to describe. It gets its name from the shape that one's legs make while in the S Mount. The person on top will have one leg in the same position as full mount, and the other leg will open up. Push the heel towards the person on bottom's head and opening the knee out. If you start from the heel by the head and trace the legs to the next heel, you will see an "S" shape.
This mount puts a lot of weight on the person on bottom and opens up some maneuverability for the person on top.
Back Mount
Piggy backs. This is when the person on "top" (they might not technically be on top of the human pile) has control over the person on bottom from behind. Think about someone performing a rear naked choke- that's from back mount.
Back mount is incredibly powerful for the person on top and not good at all for the person on botom. The person on bottom has no limbs betweeen them and their attacker- making them very vulnerable and unable to defend.
Side Control
Side control is when the to attackers are chest-to-chest. The person on bottom is on their back and the person on top is laying on top of them. Their bodies make a T or L shape as their legs are not aligned.
The person on top is typically in control here...
North South
How do I put this gracefully... You know that inappropriate number that middle schoolers love? That's the best way to explain north-south without showing it. It happens when the person on bottom is on their back and their face is right in the belly/crotch of the person on top. Unlike side-control, their bodies are a straight line with person on bottom's legs opposite person on top's.
Again, person on top here is really in control...
Knee on Belly
Knee on belly is exactly what it sounds like. The person on bottom is on their back and the person on top has their knee on their belly.
One purple belt told me that the best place to put the knee is right where the gi lapels cross. This is a super sensitive area and if enough pressure is applied, just the mount could result in a tap.
Again, get out if you are on the bottom...
Guards
Guard refers to a position in which the person on "bottom" is on their back with their legs inbetween them and the opponent. This might seem confusing at first, when you look at closed guard, but as you experience it, you'll realize why it's still valuable.
My mind was blown the the top comment on this reddit post. Guard is just an upside down mount... Are you kidding me???
Open Guard
Open guard occurs when the person on bottom is defending the attacks from the person on top with their legs. There is no wrapping the legs around the person on top in any fashion. Instead, the legs are acting, to speak metaphorically, as the "chair and the whip" between the circus performer and the lion, warding off attacks by managing distance.
The person on bottom is really "in control" here because the person on top can't do much to hurt them. However, no on will be submitted in Open Guard (at least I don't think).
Closed Guard
Closed guard occurs when the person on bottom has their legs wrapped around the person on top, with their feet forming a sort of "lock". They have a lot of control in this position and the person on top's goal should be to break this closed guard.
I personally believe that closed guard is much more powerful for the person on the bottom. The legs really control the person on top and if you can get a solid lock with your feet, it's going to be hard for the person on top to do anything.
Half Guard
Half guard occurs when the person on bottom is able to get one leg inbetween the legs of the person on top and one leg outside the legs of the person on top. This prevents the person on top from being able to move completely freely and even opens up some opportunities for the person on bottom.
Some believe the person on top of half guard is in control and some believe the person on bottom is. I won't voice an opinion yet because I suck either way.
Transitions
Passing the Guard
When some one Passes the Guard, this means that they have succesfully gone around the person on bottom's legs and the person on bottom can no longer use their legs in defense.
Sweeps
A sweep is when a person on bottom manages to "trade" positions with the person on bottom. In other words, they sweep the person under them.
Submissions
Chokes
A choke involves cutting off the supply of a critical resource to your oponents body. This might mean you cut off blood or oxygen.
Locks
A lock involves the hyperextension of a specific joint to the point where the receiver of the lock will either submit in pain or the joint will break- incapacitating the opponent.
Glossary
Hook
A hook is when you use your arms or legs to limit the advancements of your opponent. There are so many different hooks. Some simple and common ones are under hooks- when you slip your arm under your opponentās arm. And over hook is when you get your arm over your opponents. See this video for a more detailed explanation.
Frame
Frames refer to the process of using your bodies structural make up to defend opponent attacks or to create leverage in an attack of your own. Using frames is almost always better than using sheer muscle. Hereās a good video on frames.
Bridge
Bridging is when one arches their back by planting their feet next to their hips are pushing off their hips and head to create an arch. Bridging engages the back muscles that are incredibly strong. It allows one to make space to get frames, get an opponent off balance, or even finish a sweep.
Grappling
Grappling is a blanket term for many martial arts/sports in which holds, locks, sweeps, etc. are used. Grappling involves two practitioners using their bodies to subdue the others.
Rolling
Refers to the actual practice of BJJ/grappling. When you are practicing any techniques with a partner, you are rolling.
Flow Rolling
Flow rolling is a subset of rolling when there is not specific technique being practiced. Instead the opponents are steadily working on all techniques in a sort of flow. One doesnāt stop when a guard is passed or a position is lost. They just continue until a tap/submission. Note that flow rolling generally refers to going a bit lighter. This typically isnāt a 100% effort process as itās meant to allow participants to āconnect the dotsā in the moves they know.