Short answer: the fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu are a small set of skills that everything else is built on: posture and base, the main positions, escapes, guard retention, a few high-percentage submissions, and how to fall and stand up safely. A beginner who owns these beats a beginner who knows fifty techniques badly. At One Way Martial Arts in Alexandria, VA, BJJ Fundamentals classes run in the morning, at noon and in the evening.
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From the One Way Martial Arts YouTube channel.
BJJ Escapes for Beginners
Tired of tapping out? A few escapes from the dominant positions beginners get stuck in most, such as mount and side control, taught step by step.
Watch on YouTube →Defending Armbars for BJJ Beginners
Simple ways to defend the armbar from different positions, with concepts you can apply the next time you train.
Watch on YouTube →Armbar Details for Beginners
The key details that make the armbar work for newer students, and the concepts to start applying in your next training session.
Watch on YouTube →The six fundamentals
1. Posture and base
Before any technique works, you have to be hard to move. Posture is the alignment of your spine and head. Base is how your weight connects to the mat. Most sweeps and submissions on beginners happen because one of the two broke first.
2. The positional map
Jiu-Jitsu is a hierarchy of positions: guard, half guard, side control, knee on belly, mount and back control. Learn which ones are good for you, which are bad, and which direction you should be trying to move. The competition scoring system rewards the same hierarchy.
3. Escapes
You will spend your first year underneath people. The bridge and the hip escape, often called the shrimp, get you out of mount and side control. They are in every warm-up for a reason.
4. Guard retention and frames
Your guard is your defense from the bottom. Frames, using forearms and shins as structure instead of pushing with muscle, keep a heavier person off you without exhausting you.
5. A handful of submissions
The rear naked choke, the armbar, the triangle, the kimura and the guillotine cover most situations. Learn the control before the finish: a submission without position is a scramble you will probably lose.
6. Falling and standing up
Breakfalls and the technical stand-up protect you on the mat and off it. They are also the entry point to takedowns, which every student needs. Our wrestling classes are the best place to build them.
How a Fundamentals class runs
- Warm-up built from the movements above.
- One or two techniques from a single position, shown in detail.
- Drilling with a partner while coaches walk the room and correct.
- Positional rounds: starting from the position of the day with light resistance.
There is no hard sparring for brand-new students. You build up to it. Our first training page explains what to bring.
How to get good at the basics
- Train two to three times a week. Consistency beats volume.
- Drill both sides.
- Ask one question per class.
- Tap early and often. It is how you train for years.
- Keep a short note after class: one thing you learned, one thing that went wrong.
When do you move on?
You never really do. All Levels and Advanced classes add more, but black belts still drill escapes. At One Way, Advanced classes are for students with three or more stripes, which we explain in the BJJ belt system. Until then, mix Fundamentals and All Levels classes from the schedule, in the Gi and in No-Gi. For what comes next, read what changes at the intermediate level, and if you have not started yet, how to start Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Frequently asked questions
What are the fundamentals of Jiu-Jitsu?
Posture and base, the main positions, escapes such as the bridge and hip escape, guard retention with frames, a few core submissions, and safe falling and standing up.
How long should I stay in Fundamentals classes?
Most students spend their first six to twelve months mainly in Fundamentals and All Levels classes. The basics stay in your training permanently.
Do I need experience to join a BJJ Fundamentals class?
No. Fundamentals classes at One Way Martial Arts in Alexandria, VA are built for complete beginners, and the first class is free.