An instructor sits on the mats explaining a point to a circle of seated students.

Positions

Pick a position, then top or bottom, then what you want to do.

An instructor in a blue and black rash guard kneels over a partner pinned on his back and talks the class through the position while students sit along the wall and watch.

Fundamentals and Concepts

The movements and principles under every position.

108 lessons · 3 variants

The top player in a purple gi sits upright on the chest of the bottom player in a white gi, both knees on the mat and hands on the chest, while the bottom player lies flat with his knees bent, in mount.

Mount

Sitting on the opponent's torso with your knees on the mat.

129 lessons · 3 variants

The top player in a white gi lies chest to chest across the bottom player in a green gi, head beside his partner's face and an arm under the head, in side control.

Side Control

Chest to chest, perpendicular to the opponent.

181 lessons · 2 variants

Jon Thomas, on his back in a black gi, locks his legs around the back of his partner in a blue gi and overhooks his arm, breaking his posture in closed guard.

Closed Guard

Legs locked around the opponent's waist.

160 lessons · 2 variants

A grappler in a black T-shirt sits behind a woman in a grey rash guard with his arms wrapped around her neck and shoulder and his legs around her, in back control, while another pair trains behind them.

Back Control

Behind the opponent with the seatbelt and hooks or a body triangle.

88 lessons · 2 variants

The top player in a blue gi plants one knee across the stomach of the bottom player in a white gi and posts the other leg out wide for base, while the bottom player pushes on the knee.

Knee on Belly

Your knee on their stomach, other foot posted wide.

52 lessons · 2 variants

The passer in a black rash guard stands over the bottom player in a pink T-shirt, one knee wedged between his legs and both hands pinning his knees, in the headquarters position before a knee-cut pass.

Guard Passing

Getting past the legs to side control or mount.

154 lessons · 5 variants

The bottom player in a black rash guard sits back on an elbow with a foot on the hip of a standing opponent in a black rash guard, who bends forward to grip his leg, in open guard.

Open Guard

Any guard that is not closed, and the skills they all share.

130 lessons · 3 variants

The top player in a black gi sits beside the bottom player's chest with his legs spread, one arm wrapped around the head and the near arm clamped at his side, in the scarf hold kesa-gatame.

Kesa Gatame (Scarf Hold)

Sitting beside them with their head under your arm and their arm trapped.

50 lessons · 2 variants

The top player in a white gi lies chest-down across the head of the bottom player in a black gi, heads pointing opposite ways, gripping under the arm, in north-south.

North-South

Chest on chest with your head by their hips.

41 lessons · 2 variants

A grappler in a grey gi lies on the mat with his legs wrapped around his partner's leg in ashi-garami and locks the foot in a figure-four grip, while the partner in a white gi lies back.

Leg Entanglements

Positions where your legs control one of theirs.

150 lessons · 5 variants

The bottom player in a blue gi lies on his side with both legs locked around the leg of the top player in a white gi, who kneels over him gripping his collar, in half guard.

Half Guard

One of the opponent's legs trapped between yours.

205 lessons · 5 variants

The bottom player in a white gi sits up facing his partner in a blue gi, who kneels in front of him, with his feet hooked under her thighs and a two-on-one grip on her arm, in butterfly guard.

Butterfly Guard

Seated with both insteps hooked inside the opponent's thighs.

70 lessons · 2 variants

Jon Thomas, on his back in a blue gi, hooks his leg around the outside of his standing partner's lead leg and holds the ankle, in De La Riva guard, while the partner in a black gi grips his knees.

De La Riva Guard

Your outside leg hooks the opponent's lead leg from the outside.

84 lessons · 2 variants

The bottom player in a beige rash guard lies on the mat and threads his leg inside the lead leg of a standing opponent in a navy rash guard in reverse De La Riva, while two training partners watch from the side.

Reverse De La Riva

Your inside leg hooks their lead leg from the inside.

64 lessons · 2 variants

The bottom player in a white gi lies under a standing opponent in a black gi, one foot on the near hip and the other leg hooked behind the same knee so his legs cross on that thigh, with the opponent's other leg over his shoulder, in X-guard.

X-Guard

Under a standing opponent, one leg on your shoulder and your legs crossed round the other.

54 lessons · 2 variants

The bottom player in a grey T-shirt lies on his back with both legs wrapped around one leg of a standing opponent in a red and black rash guard, one foot on the hip, in single-leg X.

Single Leg X-Guard

Both legs on one of theirs, with your outside foot on their hip.

76 lessons · 2 variants

The bottom player in a white gi lies on his back with both feet on the biceps of a kneeling opponent in a blue gi and holds both sleeves, in spider guard.

Spider Guard

Feet on the opponent's biceps with sleeve grips.

49 lessons · 2 variants

The bottom player in a white gi wraps a shin around the kneeling opponent's arm and holds the sleeve in lasso guard.

Lasso Guard

A leg threaded over their arm and under the armpit, with a sleeve grip.

50 lessons · 2 variants

Kyle Sleeman, on his back in a white gi, grips the collar of his standing partner in a black gi and pushes a foot into his biceps, in collar-sleeve guard.

Collar Sleeve Guard

A cross collar grip and sleeve grip, with a foot on the bicep or hip.

35 lessons · 2 variants

The bottom player in black lies on his back and threads his inside leg between the legs of an opponent in a black rash guard who crouches over him and grips his foot, in K-guard.

K-Guard

Your arm underhooks their leg while your leg hooks behind the same knee.

52 lessons · 2 variants

The seated bottom player holds the standing opponent's own lapel, pulled out of his jacket and wrapped around his lead thigh, while the opponent grips his collar, in worm guard.

Lapel Guards

Gi guards that wrap the opponent's lapel around their own leg.

42 lessons · 2 variants

Two grapplers in gis, one grey and one white, square off in low stances with their hands out, about to grip fight, on mats in a bright studio.

Standing

Grip fighting, takedowns, guard pulls and takedown defence.

211 lessons · 2 variants

A grappler in a white gi is balled up on knees and elbows in turtle while his partner in a grey gi lies across his back with an arm wrapped around his chest.

Turtle

On hands and knees, safe from points but exposed to the back.

100 lessons · 2 variants

At a no-gi event, a grappler in a green patterned rash guard sprawls over his opponent's head and shoulders and wraps the neck in a front headlock, while the opponent in a white T-shirt posts on one hand.

Front Headlock

Their head under your chest, controlled by your arms.

93 lessons · 2 variants

The attacker in a blue gi lies under and behind the opponent in a white gi, trapping one of his arms between his legs and wrapping the other arm across his chest, in the crucifix.

Crucifix

Behind the opponent with one arm trapped in your legs and the other in your arms.

43 lessons · 2 variants