BJJ instructor Ritchie Yip here to talk about the different positions in BJJ.
BJJ is profoundly complex and confusing especially to the novice. To anybody just starting Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, it can seem like a maze of positions, submissions and strategies.
To simplify things so that absolute novices to BJJ can immediately grasp what’s going on in a typical brazilian jiu jitsu match we’re going to define BJJ as only having 2 positions.
1) Top
2 Bottom
That’s it!
And, we want to generally understand that top is better!
Yes, this is an overly simple breakdown of BJJ but one that can help absolute beginners start to grasp the complexities of BJJ.
All of the different positions in BJJ can be simplified as top and bottom. If you’re on the bottom, you need to be fighting from your guard. If you don’t have your legs controlling your opponent and you’re on your back, you need to fight to get your guard back.
Conversely, if you’re on top, you want to make sure that you’re free from you training partner’s legs and that you have fully passed their guard. Many students new to Jiu Jitsu will try and attack while still in closed guard.
If you’re on top; then, stay away from your training partner’s legs.
If you’re on the bottom, always give your opponent your legs.
This is super simple way to understand the different positions in BJJ and help the complete novice find immediate comprehension with this complex sport.
Check out my video tutorial on the different positions in BJJ and i’m sure you’ll find the visual breakdown much easier to understand.
