BJJ Study Guide

Fundamentals (White Yellow Belts)

Standing Curriculum
Front Clinch

Standard Entry: Keep the distance; cover head as they punch, head on cross side
shoulder, our hips are sucked up to theirs at a 45 degree angle. Front hand monkey
paw over back wrist, control for ten seconds.

Rear Clinch
Haymaker Defense: Opponent throws a stepping punch, as we see it coming, we
cover that side of our head with the front arm. Lowering our stance, we slip our
head under the punch and our back arm goes to the front of their waist. Connect
hands with an S Grip, and lower head. Hips away at a 45 degree angle.

Transition from Front: From the Front Clinch, they try to wrap up a guillotine.
We use our head to push their arm forward as we step behind. Hands smoothly
transition to S grip.

Leg Hook Take Down

From the front clinch: when opponent starts punching, or starts messing with
hands, set up step with front foot, back leg hook opponents leg closest to you, lean in
for takedown. Partner break fall.

Rear Take Down

From the rear clinch: Step outside foot up to their same side foot, other foot cups
their other foot as we sit back and twist towards opponent. Partner break fall.

Double Leg Take Down

Standard Entry: Keep the distance; cover head and step in as they punch, head on
the side of their front foot, connect your neck to their front hip with good posture.
When neck connects, Tuck both wrists behind the knees of the opponent and drive
forward with your shoulder. Partner break fall.

Pull Guard

From front clinch: Partners hips get too far back. We transitions to under hooks,
open feet more wide than opponents, sit back, and push back as we wrap our guard
around our opponent.

Guillotine

Standing: As the opponent shoots in for a double leg, we block their shoulders, and
step our hips back. If they continue to push in, one hand goes to the side of the head
to feed it to the other arm. Our elbow drops to create the V of the choke, hands
grasp, step up with wide feet, and slowly pull up.

Guard Pull: If we are unable to finish for lack of control while standing, we may
execute the guard pull technique described above while still holding to choke and
finish from the closed guard for increased control.

Guillotine Defense

If our opponent locks up the guillotine, our same side hand palm roll hooks and we
posture up to the best of our ability. Our other hand wraps over the opponents
shoulder. As they lift to finish the choke, we hop away from the choke, chop the
knee with our back leg, and follow down to side control. If they do not release, our
north hand finds their far shoulder, and our forearm chokes until they release.
Sprawling side control.

Standing Armlock

Opponents hand is pushing on our chest, or grabbing our lapel, cross side hand
grabs their wrist with a thumb grip, other hand follows. Step back with cross side
foot, other foot steps between, pull them into you. Their elbow should be just past
our under arm. We are in a squatting position. Lower base, lift arm for submission.

Headlock Defense

Opponent has us in a headlock, we react to them punching, choking, or knees. When

ready, we wrap our arms around their hips, sit and twist towards their front. Land
in a modified mount.

Stage Five

Following: We are on our backs, legs up, our opponent is out of the reach of our
feet. Opponent circles, we follow with our same side leg (if the circle to our right,
our right leg turns us) our other leg stays up in the air.

Maintain: Our opponent pulls our leg, we switch our hips and put our foot
sideways on their hips. Other foot comes onto hips as well to end in stage four.

Double Ankle Sweep

Opponent is in stage four; their feet are in reach of our hands. Our hands hook either
over their heels, and either our heels or our knees push into them. Opponent
breakfalls. If we use our knees, we follow to mount, but if we use our heels, we stand
in base, because they will most likely be too far away.

Hook Sweep

Our opponent starts in stage four, but only one foot is in reach. We hook that foot
with our hand, and our same side heel goes to their front hip. The other foot hooks
behind the opponents for knee. We push with the foot on their hip and pull with our
hand, stand in base after.