Starting Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for the first time is exciting, but it can also feel like stepping into a world with its own unique vocabulary. From words like “guard” and “mount” to submissions such as the rear naked choke, beginners often hear unfamiliar terms during their first few classes. That is why understanding basic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu terminology is one of the best ways to build confidence early on.
At its core, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a grappling-based martial art focused on leverage, technique, and positional control rather than strength alone. Whether you are training for fitness, self-defense, or personal growth, learning the language of jiu-jitsu helps you follow instructions more easily and feel comfortable on the mats.
This guide is designed specifically for new students who want a clear, beginner-friendly breakdown of essential BJJ terms. You will learn the most common words used in class, key guard positions, dominant control concepts, and the names of foundational submissions.
Why Terminology Matters for New Students
If you are new to training, learning brazilian jiu jitsu terminology is not about memorising a dictionary. It is about understanding what your coach is asking you to do, staying safe, and learning faster. When you know the basic terms for positions and movements, you can follow instructions with less hesitation and focus more on good technique.
In a typical class, coaches may explain how to escape a defensive position, how to create space using your hips, or how to recognise when your training partner has control of your upper body. When those phrases make sense to you, you are less likely to feel overwhelmed. You also start to notice patterns. You learn what a strong frame feels like, what it means to keep your elbows in, and why certain grips or angles matter.
Here is what good terminology awareness helps you do early on:
- Improve safety: You will understand cues around tapping, control, and positioning, which is essential for every jiu jitsu practitioner.
- Learn more efficiently: You will recognise positions like guard or side control sooner, so each rep builds on the last.
- Communicate better: Training partners can give you helpful feedback using shared language.
- Build confidence: You do not need to “know everything,” but understanding the basics reduces uncertainty.
This guide also introduces common jiu-jitsu terminology you will hear repeatedly in beginner classes. Over time, these words stop sounding technical and start feeling practical, because they describe exactly what is happening in live training.
Essential Training Terms You’ll Hear in Your First Week
Your first week of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is usually a mix of learning basic movements, drilling techniques, and getting comfortable with the class structure. The terms below are some of the most common words you will hear, and understanding them early makes training smoother.
Class and Training Terms
- Drill: Repeating a technique with a partner in a controlled way, often step-by-step.
- Rolling: Live training that looks like sparring, but with rules and safety. Beginners usually start light and controlled.
- Technique: The specific movement or sequence being taught, such as an escape, sweep, or submission setup.
Uniform and Training Styles
- Gi: The traditional uniform worn in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It includes a jacket and pants, and grips on the fabric become part of the game.
- No gi: Training without the traditional uniform; students wear rash guards and shorts. Grips rely more on the body and control rather than fabric.
Ranks and Coaching Language
- White belt: The starting rank. Most new students are white belts, and classes are structured to help you progress safely.
- Black belt: A highly experienced rank that typically represents many years of consistent training and coaching skill.
- Tap: A physical signal to stop, usually by tapping your partner or the mat. You tap when a submission is secure or when pressure feels unsafe.
Movement and Starting Positions
- Standing position: The beginning of many sparring rounds or takedown drills, where both athletes are on their feet.
- Technical stand up: A safe way to stand up while protecting yourself, commonly used in self-defense-focused training and positional escapes.
If you treat these terms as a simple checklist rather than something to master instantly, you will settle in quickly. Most of the language becomes familiar within a few weeks, especially when you hear it applied during drills and live rounds.
Understanding the Guard: Core BJJ Positions
One of the first concepts every beginner learns in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the guard position. In simple terms, guard is a ground-based framework where one person uses their legs to control distance, manage balance, and defend against pressure. Unlike many martial arts, being on your back in jiu jitsu is not automatically a losing situation, because guard is an active and strategic position.
Learning the basics of brazilian jiu jitsu terminology becomes much easier once you understand the main types of guard you will encounter in beginner classes.
Closed Guard
The closed guard is one of the most fundamental positions. It occurs when your legs wrapped around your training partner’s waist, with your ankles crossed behind them. This allows you to control posture, break balance, and attack submissions or sweeps while limiting movement from the top player.
Closed guard is often the first guard beginners learn because it teaches core control of the opponent’s torso and posture.
Open Guard
The open guard refers to any guard where your legs are not locked around your opponent. In an open guard position, your feet and knees are used to manage distance against the opponent’s legs and hips.
Open guard introduces concepts like:
- Using your own legs as frames
- Maintaining guard retention
- Learning how to angle your body to stay safe
Half Guard
The half guard is a position where one of your opponent’s legs is trapped between yours. Beginners often find half guard practical because it offers control while still allowing movement and escapes.
A common variation is the knee shield, where your top knee blocks the opponent’s forward pressure, helping you create space and prevent a clean pass.
Pulling Guard
You may also hear the term pull guard, which means choosing to bring the fight to the ground intentionally rather than using a takedown. This is common in sport jiu jitsu and helps a practitioner establish their preferred guard early.
Understanding these core guard terms also helps you recognise when someone is attempting a guard pass, which is when the top player works to move around the opponent’s guard and secure a more dominant position.
Advanced Guard Terms You’ll Encounter as You Progress
As you continue training, you will start to hear more specialised guard terminology. These positions are often considered an advanced guard position, not because beginners cannot learn them, but because they require stronger timing, coordination, and understanding of control.
At Alpha Jiu Jitsu Academy, students are introduced to these concepts gradually, once foundational guard skills are in place.
Butterfly Guard
The butterfly guard is an open guard style where the practitioner sits facing their partner, using hooks with the feet inside the opponent’s thighs. This guard is excellent for off-balancing and creating sweeping angles, especially when you want to elevate an opponent’s weight.
De La Riva Guard
The de la riva guard is a popular guard used when your opponent is standing. One leg wraps around the outside of their leg while your other foot and grip help control distance. This position is often used to disrupt balance and set up sweeps or back takes.
Deep Half Guard
The deep half guard is a variation of half guard where you position yourself underneath your opponent’s hips, usually with your head close to their thigh. It can be an effective option for escaping pressure and reversing position, but it requires careful technique.
Spider Guard and Lasso Guard
The spider guard uses grips on the sleeves of the gi, with your feet placed on your opponent’s arms to manage distance and control posture. The lasso guard builds on this concept by wrapping your leg around one of the opponent’s arms, creating strong control and limiting their ability to pass.
Worm Guard and Rubber Guard
The worm guard is a modern gi guard that uses the opponent’s lapel to create powerful entanglements and control. The rubber guard is more common in no-gi or MMA-influenced styles, focusing on high guard control over posture and upper body movement.
X Guard
The x guard is another open guard system where your legs create a controlling “X” shape around one of the opponent’s legs. It is frequently used to off-balance standing opponents and transition into sweeps.
These guards may seem complex at first, but they are simply extensions of the same principles: controlling distance, managing balance, and using leverage over strength.
Top Control and Dominant Positions Explained
Once you understand guard, the next major concept in jiu jitsu is what happens after a successful pass. When a practitioner moves around the legs and clears the opponent’s guard, they can establish a top position, which is often considered a dominant position.
In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, control comes before submission. The goal is to progress into a more dominant position where you can apply pressure, limit movement, and maintain stability.
Guard Passing and Pressure
A guard pass is the process of getting past the opponent’s legs to control their upper body. Many gyms emphasise pressure passing, which involves steady movement forward, strong posture, and controlled weight distribution.
Effective passing often requires:
- Applying pressure through your hips and shoulders
- Using controlled angles rather than speed
- Staying tight to the opponent’s body
Beginners quickly learn that good passing is not about force, but about positioning.
Side Control
One of the most important control positions is side control, also called the side control position. This occurs when you are perpendicular across the opponent, controlling their torso while keeping your weight heavy.
Key details include:
- Strong upper body control
- Using chest pressure to limit movement
- Controlling the opponent’s head and near-side arm
In side control, your chest is often aligned across the opponent’s chest, and your goal is to stay connected while preventing escapes.
North South Position
Another common control point is the north south position, where the practitioner’s body is aligned head-to-head with the opponent, but facing the opposite direction. This position allows heavy control over the opponent’s torso and can lead into submissions or transitions.
Why Dominant Positions Matter
Learning these positions teaches new students how control works in grappling. A dominant top position reduces risk and increases your ability to attack safely, because your opponent has fewer options to move or create space.
Common Submissions Every Beginner Should Know
Submissions are one of the most well-known parts of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, but for beginners, the most important goal is understanding what they are and how they are applied safely. Most submissions fall into two broad categories: chokes and joint lock techniques. In both cases, control comes first. A clean submission usually happens after you have established strong positioning, not from scrambling or forcing movements.
This section also helps connect key brazilian jiu jitsu terminology to what you will actually see and practice in class.
Chokes: Controlling the Neck Safely
- Rear naked choke: A classic finishing technique often applied from back control. The attacker uses their arms around the opponent’s neck while keeping their chest connected to the opponent’s upper back.
- Triangle choke: A choke where the legs form a triangle shape around the opponent’s neck and one arm. This usually involves trapping one of the opponent’s arm inside while controlling posture and angle.
- Cross collar choke: A gi choke that uses grips inside the opponent’s collar, typically with a strong collar grip on each side to create pressure across the neck.
- Arrow choke: Another gi choke that uses the collar, often from back control. It can feel like tightening a seatbelt-like grip while pulling the collar across the neck.
These chokes are taught with control, because proper mechanics matter more than strength. Beginners should focus on positioning, grip placement, and awareness of their partner’s safety.
Arm and Shoulder Attacks
- Arm triangle: A choke that uses the opponent’s arm and neck together. Often applied from mount or side control, it involves threading an arm underneath the opponent’s head and compressing the space.
- Arm triangle choke: The full finishing variation of the arm triangle, where the attacker uses shoulder pressure and positioning to complete the choke.
Early on, submissions can be difficult because your partner is moving and defending, and your positioning may not be stable yet. That is normal. Focus first on control of the opponent’s upper body, staying connected, and learning how to isolate “one side” of the body, such as controlling one arm while maintaining base.
Leg Locks and Modern Submission Terminology
As you continue learning, you may hear more advanced submission terms that focus on the lower body. These are often grouped under the category of leg lock attacks. While they are a major part of modern grappling, most beginner programs introduce them carefully and progressively, with strong emphasis on safety.
A leg lock submission targets the joints of the lower body, typically the ankle or knee joint, using controlled leverage rather than force. Because the legs are powerful and the joints can be sensitive, proper training and supervision are essential.
Common Leg Lock Terms
- Heel hook: One of the most well-known leg attacks, where the practitioner controls the opponent’s foot and applies rotational pressure through the heel. Heel hooks are considered highly advanced and are usually restricted in beginner or gi classes.
- Leg lock: A general term that includes straight ankle locks, knee bars, and rotational attacks. These techniques require clear communication and responsible application.
Why Beginners Learn These Later
Leg locks can feel unfamiliar at first because the positioning is different from upper body submissions. Students must understand control, balance, and defensive awareness before applying them in live sparring.
At Alpha Jiu Jitsu Academy, the focus for new students remains on strong fundamentals, guard control, passing, and safe introductory submissions. As your experience grows, you will gradually learn when leg attacks are appropriate and how to train them responsibly.
Takedown and Standing Terminology
Although much of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu takes place on the ground, many matches and sparring rounds begin from a standing position. Learning a few basic takedown terms helps new students understand how grappling transitions from standing into guard or top control.
Takedowns are not always about explosive force. In jiu jitsu, they are often about timing, balance, and controlling your opponent’s posture before bringing the fight safely to the mat.
Double Leg Takedown
The double leg takedown is one of the most common wrestling-based takedowns used in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The practitioner lowers their level, steps in close, and wraps both arms around the opponent’s legs to drive them off balance.
It is effective because it targets the base and prevents the opponent from maintaining stability.
Classic Judo Throw
You may also encounter a classic judo throw, which relies more on grips, rotation, and redirecting momentum. Throws often involve turning the opponent in the opposite direction of where they want to stand, using leverage rather than strength.
Judo-style takedowns are especially common in gi training, where grips on the uniform play a major role.
Counter Takedowns and Head Control
Standing exchanges also include counter takedowns, where you defend an opponent’s shot or throw attempt and reverse the position.
A key concept in takedown defense is controlling the opponent’s head and posture. If you can manage head position and balance, you reduce the risk of being taken down cleanly.
Start Training With Confidence at Alpha Jiu Jitsu Academy
Learning the language of jiu jitsu takes time, but you do not need to memorise everything before you step onto the mats. The most important thing is showing up consistently and letting the terminology become familiar through repetition. As you train, the words in this guide stop feeling like “terms” and start feeling like practical descriptions of what you are doing, whether that is maintaining guard, escaping pressure, or working toward a submission with control.
At Alpha Jiu Jitsu Academy, we take a structured approach to beginner development. New students are guided through fundamentals that build safe habits first, posture, base, movement, and positional awareness. From there, you learn how to apply techniques step-by-step, so you can understand the “why” behind each position and transition. This makes learning brazilian jiu jitsu terminology easier, because you experience each term in real training, not just as a definition on a page.
If you are in Sydney’s northwest, you can train with us at either of our locations:
Whether your goal is fitness, self-defense, confidence, or a new challenge, our beginner-friendly classes are designed for all experience levels. If you are ready to try your first session, the best next step is simple.
Book a trial class at Alpha Jiu Jitsu Academy today!
FAQs
What are some Jiu-Jitsu sayings
Some common jiu jitsu sayings include “tap early, tap often,” “position before submission,” and “leave your ego at the door.” These phrases reflect the focus on safety, control, and long-term improvement in training.
What are the 5 pillars of Jiu-Jitsu
The five pillars of jiu jitsu are often described as safety, positional awareness, control, defense and escapes, and consistency. Together, they form the foundation for learning techniques and progressing confidently.
What is the 80 20 rule in BJJ?
The 80/20 rule in BJJ means most results come from mastering a small number of core fundamentals, such as closed guard, half guard, guard passing, and high-percentage submissions like the rear naked choke.
What do they say in BJJ?
In BJJ classes, you will often hear coaching cues like “create space,” “recover guard,” “control the head and arm,” and “stay heavy on top.” These phrases help students understand positioning and movement during training.