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The position map

Jiu-Jitsu makes sense once you can name where you are. Position first, then escape or attack.

Watch: The most common Jiu-Jitsu positions

Text summary

A tour of the positions you will hear named on the mat — guard, half guard, side control, mount, back control, and turtle — and what each side is trying to accomplish.

Read the transcript — Position-by-position walkthrough

Positions are named by who controls whose hips and chest, not by who is on top.

Closed guard: bottom player wraps the legs around the torso and controls posture and distance.

Half guard: bottom player holds one leg; the knee shield and underhook decide the exchange.

Side control and mount: top player pins chest-to-chest or sits on the torso; bottom player frames, bridges, and shrimps.

Back control: hooks or a body triangle behind the partner; hand fighting is the defense.

Turtle: kneeling and folded — learn neck safety and the sit-out before attacking from here.

Instructional videos are educational and are not a substitute for supervised training. Do not practice submissions or takedowns without qualified coaching and a consenting partner.

Core positions

  • Closed guard — you are on your back with legs wrapped around your partner's torso. A defensive and offensive hub.
  • Half guard — you control one of your partner's legs; the knee shield and underhook are the beginner's tools.
  • Side control — your partner is chest-to-chest across you. Frames and hip escapes come first.
  • Mount — top position seated on the torso. Survival, bridge, and elbow-knee escapes from the bottom.
  • Back control — behind your partner with hooks or a body triangle. Hand fighting is the defense.
  • Turtle — kneeling and folded. Learn safety and the sit-out before anything else.

Language you will hear

Uke means the receiving partner; tori means the executing partner. If a term is unfamiliar, ask. Nobody here loses standing for asking a question.

Instructional videos are educational and are not a substitute for supervised training. Do not practice submissions or takedowns without qualified coaching and a consenting partner.

References and further reading

Primary sources are linked so you can verify anything on this page. Rules, ages, and promotion standards change — always read the current source.

Download references (PDF)
  1. USA Judo and judo terminology (uke, tori, ukemi)USA Judo

    Terminology and falling (ukemi) fundamentals carried into BJJ vocabulary.

External links are provided for education only and do not imply endorsement of, or affiliation with, this Connect Group.

Suggest a resource or report a citation

Rules, ages, and promotion standards change. If a source here is out of date, a link is broken, or a better primary source exists, tell us and we will correct it.

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