Quick Answer

BJJ uses a mix of Portuguese, Japanese, and English terminology. Key terms include "oss" (a greeting and acknowledgement), "roll" (live sparring), "tap" (the surrender signal that stops a submission), "guard" (a bottom fighting position using your legs to control an opponent), and "mount" (the most dominant top position). This glossary covers 50+ essential terms organized by category.

Walking into your first BJJ class can feel like entering a foreign country. Instructors call out position names in Portuguese, partners talk about "rolling," and someone tells you to "shrimp." Within a few weeks the vocabulary clicks — but this glossary gives you a head start. Bookmark this page and refer back to it as you progress through the ranks.

GENERAL TERMS

These are the foundational words you will hear in every class, from warm-up to the final round of sparring. Learn these first.

GENERAL TERMS

13 terms
Academyalso: dojo, gym
The training facility where BJJ is practiced. "Academy" and "gym" are the most common American terms; "dojo" comes from Japanese martial arts and is used at some schools.
BJJBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu
A ground-based grappling martial art developed in Brazil from Japanese Judo, emphasizing leverage, technique, and submission holds to overcome larger opponents. Often abbreviated BJJ.
Drill
Practicing a specific technique or movement pattern repeatedly with a cooperative partner, without live resistance. Drilling builds muscle memory and is how new techniques are introduced before sparring.
Gialso: kimono
The traditional training uniform — a heavy cotton jacket, pants, and belt. The gi is gripped extensively during training, creating a unique grip-dependent game distinct from no-gi grappling.
Kimono
The Portuguese/Brazilian term for the gi uniform. Heard frequently in classes with Brazilian instructors. Functionally identical in meaning to "gi."
Mat
The padded training surface in a BJJ academy. "On the mat" means actively training. "Time on the mat" refers to accumulated training experience.
No-Gialso: submission wrestling
Training without the traditional uniform — practitioners wear rash guards and shorts instead. Grips shift from fabric to body parts, making the game faster and more focused on body mechanics and underhooks.
Open Mat
An unstructured training session with no formal instruction — students pair up and roll freely. Open mats are common on weekends and are a great opportunity for extra sparring time.
Ossalso: osu
A multi-purpose verbal acknowledgement used in BJJ and Japanese martial arts. Depending on context, it can mean "yes," "I understand," "thank you," "hello," or "good job." You will hear it constantly on the mat.
Professoralso: coach, instructor
The primary title of respect for a BJJ black belt instructor. "Professor" is the standard Brazilian tradition; "coach" is widely used in American schools. Both are appropriate.
Rollalso: spar
Live sparring in BJJ — practicing techniques against a resisting partner in a controlled environment. Rolling is the core learning method of BJJ. When someone asks "want to roll?" they are inviting you to spar.
Tap / Tap Out
The universal signal that you are caught in a submission and want it released immediately. You tap by slapping your hand on your partner's body or the mat, or by saying "tap" out loud. Tapping is how BJJ allows full-intensity submission training without injury.
Tournamentalso: competition
A formal BJJ competition event where practitioners compete against others of similar rank and body weight. Common organizations include IBJJF, NAGA, and local promotions. Competing is optional but widely encouraged for development.

POSITIONS

BJJ is fundamentally a positional game. Before submissions, there is positioning — controlling where your body is relative to your opponent. These are the primary positions you will learn and encounter in training.

POSITIONS

15 terms
Back Controlalso: back mount
The highest-scoring position in BJJ — you are behind your opponent with your legs hooked around their hips (hooks in) and your chest to their back. Back control is considered dominant because the person being controlled cannot easily face their attacker.
Butterfly Guard
An open guard variation where you sit upright with both feet hooked inside your opponent's thighs. Known for explosive sweeps and transitions, butterfly guard works equally well in gi and no-gi.
Closed Guard
The foundational guard position where your ankles are locked behind your opponent's lower back. The most controlled guard environment — your opponent cannot simply stand or move away without breaking your lock first.
De La Riva Guardabbrev: DLR
An open guard where you wrap one leg around the outside of your opponent's near leg while your other foot posts on their hip or bicep. Named after Ricardo De La Riva and foundational to modern guard systems including berimbolo entries.
Guard
The broad category of positions where you are on the bottom but using your legs to control your opponent and remain on offense. Guard is BJJ's defining concept — being on your back does not mean you are losing.
Half Guard
A guard position where you control one of your opponent's legs between both of yours. Once considered only a defensive transition, half guard has evolved into one of BJJ's most dangerous offensive positions with extensive sweep and back-take systems.
Knee on Bellyalso: knee on stomach
A transitional top position where you place your knee on your opponent's abdomen while keeping your other leg posted out for base. Extremely uncomfortable for the bottom person and worth 2 points in competition. Used to apply pressure and force reactions.
Mount
You are sitting on top of your opponent's torso — the most dominant ground position in BJJ. Worth 4 points in IBJJF competition. From mount you threaten armbars, chokes, and can transition to back control.
North-South
A top control position where you are chest-to-chest with your opponent but oriented in opposite directions — your head near their legs, their head near yours. Used for control and transitions to kimura and choke attacks.
Open Guard
Any guard position where your legs are not locked around your opponent. Open guard is a broad category encompassing butterfly, De La Riva, spider, X-guard, and many more specialized systems.
Rubber Guard
An advanced closed guard variation popularized by Eddie Bravo, requiring significant flexibility. The bottom player pulls their leg high while controlling their opponent's posture, creating tight submission entries from unusual angles.
Side Controlalso: side mount, 100 kilos
A top control position where you are chest-to-chest with your opponent but perpendicular to their body, with no leg entanglement. Side control is stable, scores 3 points in competition, and opens attacks to both arms and the neck.
Spider Guardgi only
A gi-specific open guard where you grip both of your opponent's sleeves and post your feet on their biceps. Spider guard creates distance control and significant leverage for sweeps and triangle setups.
Turtle
A defensive position where you are on all fours — hands and knees — with your head tucked to protect your neck. Turtling prevents immediate submissions but is not a stable long-term position as the opponent attacks your back.
X-Guard
An open guard position where you thread both legs underneath your opponent's base, forming an "X" shape across their hips. X-guard creates extreme off-balancing and is a primary entry for leg lock attacks and sweeps.

SUBMISSIONS

Submissions are techniques that force a tap by applying controlled pain or threatening unconsciousness. They fall into two categories: joint locks (attacking a joint past its range of motion) and chokes (restricting blood flow or air to the brain or lungs).

SUBMISSIONS

14 terms
Americanaalso: keylock, ude garami
A shoulder lock applied with your opponent on their back. You pin their wrist to the mat and drive their elbow in a circular arc, rotating the shoulder joint. Common from mount and side control.
Ankle Lockalso: straight ankle lock
A leg attack that applies rotational pressure to the ankle joint. The straight ankle lock is legal at all belt levels and is often the first leg submission beginners encounter.
Armbaralso: juji-gatame
The most fundamental submission in BJJ — you control your opponent's arm and hyperextend their elbow joint using your hips. Armbars are available from guard, mount, back control, and many other positions. Juji-gatame is the Japanese name used in formal instruction.
Bow and Arrow Choke
A gi choke from back control where you grip your opponent's collar with one hand and their pants leg with the other, extending their body like a bow to create a tight collar choke. One of the highest-percentage back control submissions in competition.
Cross Collar Choke
A gi choke from guard or mount using two collar grips — your hands cross at the wrists to compress the carotid arteries. One of the foundational attacks from closed guard and among the first chokes taught to beginners.
Ezekiel Choke
A sleeve choke applied from mount — you reach your hand inside your own sleeve and use the fabric to compress your opponent's neck. Unusually, it can be applied in gi or no-gi, with a fist replacing the sleeve grip in no-gi versions.
Guillotine Choke
A front headlock choke — you wrap your arm around your opponent's neck and apply pressure to the trachea or carotid arteries. Available in both gi and no-gi and highly effective from guard, standing, and during scrambles.
Heel Hook
An advanced leg attack that applies rotational torque to the knee by controlling the heel and rotating the leg. Heel hooks are extremely dangerous and are restricted to higher belt levels in most competition rulesets due to their injury potential.
Kimura
A figure-four shoulder lock attacking the rotator cuff. You control your opponent's wrist with both hands and rotate their arm behind their back. The kimura grip is also used to set up sweeps, back takes, and other attacks.
Knee Bar
A leg lock that hyperextends the knee joint, similar to an armbar but applied to the leg. Legal at advanced belt levels in most rule sets. Applied from various guard and top positions.
Omoplata
A shoulder lock applied with your legs — you swing your leg over your opponent's arm and use the figure-four position of your leg to rotate their shoulder joint. Also used as a sweep when the opponent postures out of the submission.
Rear Naked Chokeabbrev: RNC
The primary blood choke from back control — your arm wraps around the opponent's neck and your hand grips your own bicep, compressing the carotid arteries. One of the highest-percentage finishes in both sport BJJ and self-defense.
Toe Hold
A leg lock that attacks the ankle via a figure-four grip on the foot, applying rotational pressure to the knee and ankle. Legal at intermediate belt levels in most rulesets.
Triangle Chokealso: sankaku jime
A figure-four leg choke from guard — you trap your opponent's arm and neck inside your legs and squeeze to compress the carotid arteries. The triangle is one of the most versatile submissions in BJJ, available from guard, mount, back control, and more.

MOVEMENTS

BJJ has its own movement vocabulary — specialized techniques for escaping, transitioning, and creating offense from unusual positions. These are the building blocks of the "flow" you see in experienced grapplers.

MOVEMENTS

9 terms
Berimbolo
An advanced inversion technique from De La Riva guard where you roll underneath your opponent to take their back. Popularized by the Mendes brothers, the berimbolo is a signature move of modern sport BJJ.
Breakfallalso: ukemi
The technique of falling safely — slapping the mat with your arm to absorb impact. Breakfalls are foundational to safe BJJ training and are among the first skills beginners learn. The Japanese term ukemi is sometimes used.
Bridgealso: upa
A fundamental escape movement — you arch your hips upward explosively while turning to one side to off-balance a top player. The bridge-and-roll is the primary mount escape for beginners. Upa is the Portuguese term.
Inversion
Any movement where you roll or rotate your hips over your own body, often placing your legs above or behind you. Inversions are used to create unusual angles, escape leg locks, and enter guard positions like berimbolo.
Pass
The action of getting around or through your opponent's guard to reach a dominant side or top position. Passing the guard scores 3 points in IBJJF competition. Common passes include the torreando, leg drag, and knee slice.
Scramble
An intense, fast-paced transitional exchange where both practitioners are fighting for position simultaneously — neither person is in a stable, controlled position. Scrambles require quick thinking and are where much of BJJ's athleticism is expressed.
Shrimpalso: hip escape
The most important movement in BJJ — you push off your foot to drive your hips away from your opponent while on your side. Shrimping creates space to recover guard, escape bad positions, and set up sweeps. Every beginner drills this from day one.
Sweep
A reversal technique performed by the bottom player (from guard) to come out on top. Sweeps score 2 points in competition. Common sweeps include the scissor sweep, hip bump, butterfly sweep, and pendulum sweep.
Technical Stand-Up
A safe method of returning to a standing position while keeping one hand on the mat for base and one arm up for protection. Used to stand up from a seated or guard position without exposing your back or losing balance.

COMPETITION TERMS

If you plan to compete — or just want to understand how tournaments work — these terms cover the rules, point system, and major organizations you will encounter.

COMPETITION TERMS

10 terms
ADCC
Abu Dhabi Combat Club — the most prestigious no-gi submission grappling competition in the world. ADCC uses a modified point system and restricted submission rules, with the world championships held every two years.
Advantage
A minor scoring unit in IBJJF competition awarded for near-passes, near-sweeps, and sustained submission attempts. Advantages are used as tiebreakers when point scores are equal at the end of a match.
DQdisqualification
Disqualification from a match — typically for illegal techniques (attacking a prohibited joint lock for your belt level), unsportsmanlike conduct, or accumulating two penalties.
Gi Division
Competition brackets for practitioners wearing the traditional uniform. Gi divisions allow collar and sleeve grips, making them distinct from no-gi divisions in terms of technique and strategy.
IBJJF
International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation — the largest and most recognized governing body for BJJ competition worldwide. IBJJF sets the rules, belt standards, and runs major events including the World Championships and Pan Ams.
NAGANorth American Grappling Association
One of the most beginner-friendly competition organizations, running frequent events across the United States. NAGA offers both gi and no-gi divisions with a more relaxed ruleset than IBJJF, making it popular for first-time competitors.
No-Gi Division
Competition brackets for practitioners wearing rash guards and shorts without a gi. No-gi divisions prohibit fabric grips and emphasize body control, underhooks, and clinch positions.
Points
The scoring currency of BJJ competition. IBJJF point values: takedown or sweep = 2 pts, knee on belly = 2 pts, guard pass = 3 pts, mount or back control = 4 pts. Submissions win immediately regardless of points.
Submission Only
A competition format where points and advantages are not used — matches can only end by submission or, in timed formats, by referee decision after overtime rounds. Popularized by events like EBI and increasingly common at local tournaments.
Weight Class
Competition brackets organized by body weight to ensure fair matchups. IBJJF has nine male weight classes from rooster (up to 141.5 lbs) to ultra-heavy (over 221.5 lbs), with similar divisions for female competitors.

BELT & RANK TERMS

The BJJ belt system is one of the most respected in martial arts — promotions are earned over years of training and cannot be purchased. Understanding the rank vocabulary helps you follow conversations about lineage and progression.

BELT & RANK TERMS

6 terms
Coral Belt
The rank between black and red belt in BJJ — typically representing 7th or 8th degree. Coral belt is split into red-and-black (7th degree) and red-and-white (8th degree) variations. Only a small number of practitioners worldwide hold these ranks.
Lineage
The chain of black belt promotions tracing back to Mitsuyo Maeda, who taught Carlos Gracie, who taught Helio Gracie — the founders of BJJ. A practitioner's lineage identifies who promoted them and their instructor's instructor, establishing a heritage within the art.
Promotion
The formal recognition of advancement to a higher rank, awarded by your instructor. BJJ promotions are not tied to a formal test — your instructor evaluates your skill, time, and character over the course of training.
Red Belt
The highest attainable rank in BJJ — 9th or 10th degree. Red belt is awarded for lifetime contributions to the art, not just technical skill. Only a handful of people in BJJ history have held the 10th degree red belt.
Stripe
A piece of tape added to a belt to mark incremental progress within a belt level. Most practitioners earn four stripes before being promoted to the next belt color. Stripes indicate consistent training and development without a full belt promotion.
Time in Rank
The minimum duration a practitioner must hold a belt before being eligible for promotion to the next. IBJJF sets minimum time requirements at each belt level — for example, at least 1 year at white belt, 2 years at blue and purple, 1.5 years at brown belt before black belt.
How We Teach This at Method

DON'T MEMORIZE — JUST TRAIN

You do not need to memorize any of these terms before your first class. At Method Jiu-Jitsu in Tulsa, our instructors explain every technique and position in plain English before using the formal terminology. Within a few weeks on the mat, this vocabulary becomes second nature — you will hear the same words repeated in context until they simply click.

The best way to learn BJJ's language is the same as learning any language: immersion. Show up, listen, and train. The glossary will follow.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

No. While BJJ has roots in Japanese Judo and developed in Brazil, most modern gyms in the United States use a mix of English and Portuguese terms interchangeably. You will pick up the vocabulary naturally within your first few months of training — no pre-study required.

Oss (also spelled "osu") is a general-purpose acknowledgement used in BJJ and other martial arts. It can mean "yes," "I understand," "thank you," "good job," or serve as a greeting depending on context. Its exact origin is debated — it likely comes from Japanese martial arts — but it is used widely across all BJJ schools.

Rolling is the BJJ term for live sparring — practicing techniques against a resisting partner in a controlled environment. Unlike a street fight or competition, rolling has safety rules: submissions must be applied with control and your partner can tap to signal they are in danger. Rolling is the core of BJJ training and is how you develop timing, sensitivity, and the ability to apply techniques under pressure.

A sweep is performed by the bottom player (the person in guard) to reverse position and come on top. A pass is performed by the top player to get around or through the guard player's legs to reach a dominant top position like side control or mount. They are opposite actions: sweeping comes from below, passing goes above.

Tapping — physically tapping your hand on your partner's body or the mat — is the universal signal that you are caught in a submission and want the technique stopped. It is the equivalent of saying "I give up" in a safe, controlled way. Tapping is not a sign of weakness; it is what allows practitioners to train submissions at full intensity without injury. You can also tap verbally by saying "tap" out loud.