Jiu Jitsu / Grappling:
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and grappling arts in general are often misunderstood by outsiders as merely “ground fighting” or submission wrestling. In truth, Jiu-Jitsu is a deep, methodical, and transformative martial art—one that cultivates not just the ability to fight, but the ability to control chaos, master oneself, and navigate conflict with precision.
Whether used in sport, self-defense, or MMA, the end goal of Jiu-Jitsu and grappling is not just to win or dominate—it’s to gain total control over yourself and your environment through leverage, technique, timing, and insight.
I. THE PHILOSOPHY AND END GOAL OF JIU-JITSU
At its highest level, Jiu-Jitsu is about control—not rage, not dominance, not brute strength. Control over:
Your opponent
The fight
Your breathing and decision-making under stress
Your ego
Your emotional responses
The outcome—whether you finish a fight or diffuse one
The ultimate goal is to neutralize threats without the need for excessive violence. In this way, it is a martial art of sophistication, not destruction.
In self-defense, it teaches you to survive, escape, and subdue larger attackers using leverage and technique.
In combat sport, it trains you to break opponents down methodically, forcing them to submit or make a fatal mistake.
In life, it teaches you to stay calm in pressure situations, think clearly while overwhelmed, and deal with adversity with humility and patience.
II. MENTAL ASPECTS OF JIU-JITSU
1. Problem Solving in Real-Time
Every roll is a puzzle. You must make decisions in milliseconds—when to frame, when to shrimp, when to grip, when to let go. Training conditions your brain to think under pressure without freezing.
2. Pattern Recognition
Over time, you develop a second-nature ability to sense danger before it happens. You feel when someone’s about to sweep, pass, or attack your arm—not through logic, but instinct sharpened through repetition.
3. Calmness in Chaos
Being pinned under 200 pounds, fighting off a choke, or entangled in leg locks—all teach you to breathe, assess, act. You don’t panic. Jiu-Jitsu sharpens presence under pressure like no other art.
4. Adaptability
You learn to adjust instantly. Your first plan almost never works perfectly. You switch directions, reconfigure strategy, use their pressure against them. You become mentally fluid, not rigid.
III. EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS
1. Ego Destruction
No one escapes humiliation in Jiu-Jitsu. You will be tapped by smaller opponents. You’ll fail escapes. You’ll gas out. But each failure becomes a building block. Ego is the first casualty—and the first teacher.
2. Emotional Regulation
You learn to keep your emotions in check, even when angry, scared, or frustrated. Emotional outbursts are punished with swift submissions or positional dominance. You’re trained to stay in emotional equilibrium.
3. Humility and Respect
On the mat, every belt has something to teach you. Rank is earned through suffering, study, and years of dedication. Jiu-Jitsu fosters mutual respect, not just for others—but for your own journey.
4. Resilience
Jiu-Jitsu makes you fail hundreds of times. That constant defeat, paradoxically, builds unshakable confidence. You stop fearing failure because you’ve embraced it as a teacher.
IV. THE TRAINING CONDITIONS
A. What Training Feels Like
High-intensity, repetitive drilling followed by live sparring ("rolling")
Sessions that challenge your cardio, your strength, and your mental endurance
Frustration is common. Progress is non-linear. You feel stuck for weeks, then have a breakthrough in one session
You're constantly placed in bad positions—being mounted, stuck in side control, nearly choked—because the only way to learn is through suffering and surviving
B. What the Conditions Are Supposed to Be Like
Safe but intense: The goal is to push without injury
Technical: You don’t muscle through things. You learn to feel the right movement
Respectful: No room for egos or bullies. Everyone is trying to improve
Repetitive: You drill the same positions, sequences, and escapes until they become unconscious
Pressure-Based: Rolling is real-time problem-solving under resistance
The right training environment is one where failure is encouraged, intensity is respected, and each session is designed to sharpen, not break you.
V. JIU-JITSU AS A DEFENSIVE TOOL
In real-world scenarios, Jiu-Jitsu is often the most applicable martial art for defense:
Clinch Control: Preventing someone from striking or moving away
Takedowns or Trips: Bringing the attacker to the ground where size and power are less relevant
Positional Control: Pinning someone from mount, back control, or side control—neutralizing without necessarily striking
Submissions: Chokes, armlocks, and joint locks allow you to end confrontations without injury or escalation (if needed)
Escapes and Survival: If you're on bottom or being attacked, Jiu-Jitsu teaches you how to survive, escape, and reverse
It is an art of non-lethal dominance, perfectly suited for those who want maximum control with minimal damage.
VI. JIU-JITSU AS AN OFFENSIVE TOOL
In a combative context—especially in MMA or combat sports—Jiu-Jitsu becomes a path to the finish:
Taking the back and choking the opponent out
Isolating limbs and breaking joints
Setting traps through feints and pressure
Transitioning fluidly between dominant positions to exhaust and mentally break your opponent
Offensive grappling is about dismantling someone’s defense, step by step, until they mentally and physically submit.
VII. WHAT JIU-JITSU ENABLES IN LIFE
Beyond the mat, Jiu-Jitsu gives you attributes that are transferrable to life’s battles:
1. Confidence Through Proof
You don’t need to “act tough”—you know your capabilities because you’ve stress-tested them.
2. Adaptability
You become more fluid in life. When problems arise, you don’t panic—you re-position and find another angle.
3. Composure in Conflict
Arguments, confrontations, even life emergencies—you respond with calm focus, not panic.
4. Resilience and Patience
You know that progress takes time. You know that pressure is a teacher. You learn to be patient—with others, and with yourself.
5. Brotherhood and Tribe
Your teammates become family. Jiu-Jitsu brings people together who endure the same grind. That bond is real and lasting.
6. Awareness of the Body
You develop deep somatic awareness—how you move, how others move, how to protect your body from harm.
VIII. FINAL THOUGHTS: THE TRUE END GOAL
The true end goal of Jiu-Jitsu isn’t just a black belt. It isn’t just winning tournaments.
The real prize is internal mastery:
Mastery over fear
Mastery over ego
Mastery over aggression
Mastery over adversity
You become someone who does not panic under pressure. Who does not quit under stress. Who does not lose themselves in confrontation.
You become someone who knows how to break another human down—but chooses, more often than not, not to.
In a world where most people break under discomfort, the grappler thrives in it.
And that—that resilience, that confidence, that control—is what makes Jiu-Jitsu one of the most powerful life tools a person can carry.
Criteria for Consideration for Promotion
Consistency– Exhibiting consistent attendance, attitude, performance, and adherence to gym policy.
Selflessness– Contributing to the improvement and progress of fellow students. Cultivating the team environment.
Effort/Focus– Showing up with focus, determination, and training goals (not just going through the motions). Training with intention.
Knowledge– Understanding the necessary techniques and being able to display them without resistance.
Application– Able to perform skills/ techniques amongst peers (size, age, skill) under resistance.
Attendance– Meeting minimum class requirements. Also consideration for sparring and spending time on development outside class. Consistency is important.
Attitude– Welcoming, helpful, coachable, respectful, etc..
Achievements– Competition (Success amongst peer group).
Emotional Maturity/Control/Humility– Controlling emotions/frustrations and limiting physical and emotional reactions while sparring against someone newer, spastic, smaller but better (maintaining technique over strength). Knowing when to increase intensity and when to let someone work. Ability to take the wins with the losses while showing grace. Allowing yourself to explore new techniques while sparring as well as forcing yourself to spend time in bad positions. Avoiding the “win at all costs” attitude.
Mental Toughness- Ability to increase your threshold and tolerance for discomfort. Improving decision making under fatigue and managing physical and mental pressure.
Personal Growth– Progress from your baseline ability.
General Concepts
Movements
Bridge to Knees
Shrimping
Shrimp
Bridge and Shrimp
Reverse Shrimp
Seated Shrimp
Heisting
Leg weave to knees (Supine Heisting)
Hip Hiesting
Other
Leg Pummeling
Leg Scissor
High Leg Spin
Sit Out
Rolling
Forward Shoulder Roll
Reverse Shoulder Roll
Leg Scissor and Tuck Roll (Supine Roll)
Granby Roll (Inversion)
Sit-Back
Forward
Side
Rear
Standing Position
Breakfall
Sprawl and Circle
Technical Stand up
Stance
Footwork
Arm Pummeling
Standing Position
Leg Technqiues (Ashi Waza)
Outside Trip (O Soto Gari)
Inside Trip (O Uchi Gari)
Hip Throw (O Goshi)
Inner Thigh Throw (Uchi Mata)
Hand Techniques (Te Waza)
Double Leg
Single Leg
Ankle Pick
Snap Down
Collar Drag
Arm Drag
Duck Under
Miscellaneous
Butterfly Hook Sacrifice Throw (Uki Waza)
Body Lock Fold
Body Lock Leg hook (Ko Soto Gake)
Rear Body Lock Takedown
Sprawl
Go Behind
Guard Pull
Self Defense
Standing Armlock
Standing Headlock Defense
Haymaker Punch Defense
Body Lock
Hip Throw
Guillotine Defense
Wrist Grab
Offense
Mount
Positional Control
Grapevine
Airplane Base
Arm controls
Americana Lock
Armbar
Headlock Counter
Countering the Chest Push
Belly Down
Mounted Cross Choke
Sleeve Choke
Head and Arm Choke
Transition to the Back
Knee on Belly
Positional Control
Spin Choke (Baseball Bat Choke)
Transition to mount
Side
Cutter Choke
Far Side Armbar
Americana Lock
Transitioning to Reverse Kesa Gatame (Facing the legs)
Transitioning to Kesa Gatame (Facing the head)
Clearing the Hip Frame
Countering the Underhook
Knee Drive to Mount
Step Over to Mount
Transition to the Back (Reactive)
Circling the Head
Top Crucifix
Back
Positional Control
RNC (Rear Naked Choke)
Armbar
Sliding Collar Choke
Rear Triangle
Transition to Mount
Turtle
Turtle Break down
Take the Back
Clock Choke
Crucifix
Entering from turtle
Positional Control
Defense
Mount
Framing
Elbow Escape
Ankle Trap Escape
Bridge and Roll Escape
Knee on Belly
Knee on Belly Escape
Side
Framing
Headlock Escape
Shrimp Escape
Underhook Escape
High Leg Escape (North South)
Sit Out Escape
Shoulder Roll Escape
Back
Basic Defense
Chin Tuck
Hand Fighting
Clearing Hooks
Overarm Side Escape
Underarm Side Escape
No Arm Escape
Turtle
Front Head Sit Back
Knee Shield Side Sit Back
Rear Turtle Sit Back
Peterson Roll
Shoulder Roll
Submission Escapes
Armbar
Footlock
Triangle
Guillotine
Guard Top
Closed Guard
Hand Fighting and Posture
Standing in Closed Guard
Standing Closed Guard Break
Defending the Double Ankle Sweep
Open Guard
Engaging Seated Guard
Passes
Stack Pass (Double Under)
Toreando (Bullfighter)
Leg Drag
Far Side Knee Cut
Near Side Knee Cut
Long Step
Double Over Butterfly Pass
Over Under Pass
Smash Pass (Folding Pass)
Negating Guards
Collar Sleeve
De La Riva
Double Sleeve Guards (Spider and Lasso)
X Guards
Half Guard
Grips and Positional Control
Passing to Side
Passing to Mount
Passing From Negative Half (Facing the Legs)
Passing From Reverse Half (Backstep)
Passing from 3/3 Mount
Kneebar
Kimura
Arm Triangle
Guard Bottom
Closed Guard
Punch Block Self Defense
Submissions
Armbar
Kimura
Omoplata
Triangle
Cross Collar Choke
Guillotine
Sweeping
Kneeling Opponent
Arm Drag to the Back
Underhook to the Back
Scissor Sweep
Flower Sweep
Pendulum Sweep
Elevator Sweep (Butterfly Hook)
Sit-Up Sweep (Hip Bump)
Standing Opponent
Double Ankle Sweep
Tripod Sweep
Lumberjack Sweep
Half Guard
Elbow Escape to Closed Guard
Knee Shield Half to Closed Guard
Knee Lever (Giggler)
Back Roll Sweep (Shaolin)
Butterfly Half Sweep
Underhook Half
Double Leg
Roll Through
Taking the back
Kimura
Open Guard
Initiating Guard from Seated
Guard Retention
Toreando (Bullfighter)
Knee Slice
Stack Pass
Sweeping
Kneeling Opponent
Butterfly Guard Sweep
Spider Guard Sweep
Lasso Guard Sweep
Collar Sleeve Guard
Collar Sleeve Guard
Overhead Sweep
Standing Scissors Sweep
Omoplata
Triangle
De la Riva guard
Tripod
Reverse Tripod
Off Balance to Single Leg
Sit-up Guard Sleeve Sweep
Transition to Single Leg X
X Guard Variations
Transition to X guard
Single Leg X Sweep
X Guard Heisting Sweep