Technique

Build a headquarters passing position around leg control and balance. Recognize the guard player's reactions and practice choosing the next pass.

Troubleshoot the BJJ over-under pass through the entry, arm position, leg control, and transition to a pin. Improve the connection before adding pressure.

A guillotine grip is only part of the finish. Identify the variation, then study how your hands, elbows, and legs support the position before adding force.

A head under your arm is an opening, not a finished attack. Check front-headlock control before choosing a choke, a go-behind, or a positional reset.

A knee shield should control distance and create your next exchange. Learn what changes with shield height, hand position, and the passer's angle.

An underhook gets you toward the half guard dogfight. Leg control and the opponent's reaction decide the next exchange; study both before forcing a sweep.

Build an X-guard standup sweep around a clear balance reaction. Study the leg on your shoulder, the opponent's hand post, and the moment to get up.

Single-leg X is a sweeping guard as well as a route to leg attacks. Read the far leg, create a balance reaction, and practice arriving on top.

A shin-to-shin entry should bring the opponent with you. Study the seated connection, free knee, and weight shift before moving into single-leg X.

Use reverse de la Riva to study guard recovery against the knee cut. Understand the inside hook and supporting frames before chasing a spinning back take.

Your de la Riva hook is in, but the passer is comfortable. Study ankle control, the free leg, and the balance reaction that makes an attack possible.

A lasso hook can buy time or trap you in a grip battle. Give the free leg a purpose, keep useful sleeve control, and recognize when to change guards.

Make spider guard easier to read. Learn how sleeve tension, different foot positions, and the passer's posture shape your next sweep or transition.

The seated arm drag needs more than a wrist grip. Study the arm connection, hip movement, and reactions that open a back take or a route to top position.

Work on opening closed guard from standing: address controlling grips, understand your first step, and connect the guard break to a passing position.

Stuck at the end of a knee cut pass? Separate ankle control from the upper-body position and practice finishing without giving back the guard.

Your collar drag did not finish the sweep. Learn to recognize the single-leg or back-take opening and recover guard when the connection disappears.

A blueprint for picking the positions, transitions, and submissions that become your game — and how to drill them so they actually show up under pressure.

The gi versus no-gi debate is one of BJJ's longest-running arguments. Both have distinct advantages, and the answer to which you should train depends entirely on your goals.

Some techniques define the art. From the triangle choke to the berimbolo, these are the most iconic BJJ techniques — their origins, mechanics, and why they've shaped how the world grapples.

Mastering positions is the foundation of effective BJJ. From closed guard to the back, here are the ten positions that structure every roll — and why understanding them accelerates everything else.