Common BJJ Terms, Translation, and Descriptions
When you start training Brazilian Jiu Jistsu, you realize there is a whole NEW vocabulary you didn’t know existed! While it is really cool to learn a new ‘language’, at times it brought some frustration when I didn’t understand what the instructor was saying. I didn’t want to interrupt the class, or look stupid asking what that meant.
I started googling terms and realized that there was not ONE single source for BJJ terms out there. Wikipedia was lacking, at best, and is not reliable. I found some BJJ academy sites with terms, and even video, but still with a very limited number of terms. BJJ Heroes is a great source for the beginnings of positions, however not all my questions were positions, but terms as well. And I wanted a single, easy to read, reference page. In all, it was an exercise in frustration for me to look for a list of terms in both English, and Portuguese which by the way is the primary language of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. As a follow up to this article, I will catalog the terms with a picture or video of positions as they become available. For now, I hope this list will make your first month of training a bit easier with the new language. Don’t be afraid to ask your training partners. If they don’t know, it’s probably a good questions to ask the instructor, as that means others may have the same questions you do!
Terms/Portuguese – Description
Americana/Americana – Armlock. Opponents arm starts at a 90 degree angle, your one arm/elbow at same side of their head and arm grabs their wrist, your other arm goes under their arm, and you grab your own wrist.. Submission
Ankle Lock/Botinha – position of the foot, which should be wrapped around the aggressors arm with the top of the foot being tucked under the armpit. Submission.
Arm Lock/Bar/Chave de Braco – Elbow/Arm is used from different angles to get awkward angles and cause a tap. Submission.
Berimbolo/scramble – spin upside-down in an attempt to disrupt the balance of his opponent. This will cause the guard player to either get a sweep, or take control of his opponent’s back, which is a berimbolo.
Break Fall – A technique to “break your fall” when thrown or falling by slapping your forearm on the ground, tucking your chin in, and landing on your back properly, with legs bent and tucked. Position/Term.
Bridge – A technique use to “buck” off or dislodge an opponent who is in the mount position. Escape position.
Choke/estrangulamento – Many chokes from different positions, blood or air chokes. Submission.
Choke – Arm Triangle/Triângulo de Braço/ Katagatame – a choke that leaves your opponent strangled between their own shoulder and your arm. Similar to that of the traditional triangle choke which is performed by the legs. Submission.
Choke – Baseball – 2 grips on lapel, parallel hands, between knees, rotate until lapel chokes. Submission.
Choke – Bow & Arrow – Grip your opponent’s lapel, with their head between your legs, use your other arm to rotate your body relative to his, which tightens the choke considerably. Submission.
Choke – Cross Colar – Facing opponent, at least one hand to be deep in the opponent’s lapel. where you have 1) both palms facing you,or 2) both palms facing away from you, or 3) one palm facing you and the other turned away. Submission.
Choke – Crucifix – From behind your opponent, trapping one of his arms between your legs and the other with your arm gripping their cross lapel, elbow to floor. Submission.
Choke – D’Arce – From halfguard, triangle your arms around both his neck and his underhooking arm, grab your bicep, and push forward on chest to choke. Submission.
Choke – Ezekiel – Sleeve choke. Wrap one arm behind your opponent’s head, position your other arm in front of opponent, by grabbing inside your own sleeve, twist the wrist into their throat. Submission.
Choke – Guillotine/ Guilhotina – Using forearm under throat, while your shoulder is in front of opponent. Submission.
Choke – other – There are more chokes out there, but tried to outline the most common. Submission.
Choke – Paper cutter – Grip opposide lapel, pull and twist wrist, until elbow is on floor, like a knife cutting throat motion from one side of throat to other. Submission.
Choke – Rear Naked/Mata-Leão – Sleeper hold, lion killer, RNC. From rear mount, take the back, and use the V of elbow/forearm and upper arm to close off blood circulation of throat. Submission.
Choke – Short – Starts same as a RNC, with your forearm across the throat position, and grab the opposing shoulder, or other hand that is sitting palm up on the shoulder, and squeeze biceps to lever your arm into the windpipe. Submission.
Choke – Triangle/Triangulo – Triangle is formed from crossing leg over opponents neck, and pulling their arm to form the choke, while weighing down with other leg hooked on ankle. Submission.
Coach/Coach – Instructor or assistant on the mat, NOT a black belt. Term.
Double Leg – Type of take down where both legs are gripped by hands behind both calves, head weight on oponent to take them down. Takedown.
Foot Lock/chave de pe – almost like a RNC on foot. Submission.
Grips/Pegada – Hands holding the gi somewhere, usually lapel, or sleeves, but could be anywhere. Term.
Guard – 50/50 – Type of guard. Defensive.
Guard – Butterfly/Guarda de gancho ou borboleta – Type of guard often labelled as a classic guard. The butterfly hooks are designed to jeopardize the base of the fighter with the top position using the bottom player’s feet as hooks against the inside of the guard passer’s legs. Defensive.
Guard – Closed/Guarda fechada – When you are on your back and you have your legs wrapped around your opponent’s back & your feet are locked together. Defensive.
Guard – De La Riva Reverse – aka Spiral guard. Type of guard his/her back towards the ground, while attempting to control his opponent using their open legs, one of those legs needs to be hooked inside and around the same contestant’s leg (i.e. guard player’s left leg hooking guard passer’s left leg), compromising the passer’s ability to force his weight and use his balance with the use of this hook.Defensive.
Guard – Half/Meia guarda – A defensive position where you are on your back. One of your feet is on the inside of an opponent’s leg and the other is on the outside. From this position, many students will try to move to a guard position.
Guard – Open guarda aberta – On your back, defending, legs are open. Defensive.
Guard – Spider/Guarda aranha – On your back, defending, your one foot on their bicep area, pushing up with leg stretched out, and your other leg on their forearm, close to the elbow. Grips hold them on a ‘turn the wheel motion’ to get them off balance.
Guard – Worm – On your back, opponent’s lapel and wraps around own shin, passing it underneath the opposite leg of the guard passer (i.e.: passer’s left lapel underneath his own right leg), will then make a grip with far hand. Defensive.
Guard – X – On your back, defending, legs are open, hooks and position are used to create guard. Defensive.
Hip Escape – Shrimping’ out from underneath opponent-on your side, hips pull back to escape weight over your body. Escape.
Hooks/Gancho – When feet ‘hook’ into legs or joints to hold on for better leverage. Position/term.
Kimura – Arm is locked in a position behind back, ‘handcuff’ position. Submission.
Knee Bar/Chave de joelho – Advanced move – illegal in some competitions. Submission.
Knee on belly – Transitional position after passing guard and side control, kneen goes on belly of opponent, with opposite knee stretched to side, upward position. Offensive.
Lapel/lapela – Lapel of gi. Term.
Mount/Montada – Where a BJJ student is sitting on top of another student’s chest or waist. Offensive
Neck Crank – ILLEGAL technique where a BJJ student pulls on or twists an opponent’s head in order to create neck/spinal pain. Term.
North South – Meia nove (69) – Position where you are on knees are on either side of oppenents face, head pointing in opposite direction as theirs. Offensive.
Omoplata – Shoulder Lock usually made by legs locking around shoulder of opponent, and pulling head back. Submission.
OSS – Term used as a greeting, or ‘Hear hear’ or ‘Word’ type scenario in BJJ. The true meaning is to ‘never give up’.
Pass Guard/Passar a quarda – Transitioning from one position to another (i.e. “passing” or getting around an opponent’s guard position in order to gain control). Offensive Transition.
Posture/Postura – Head and shoulders straight up, usually from knees. Term.
Professor/Professor – Black belt instructor, or any black belt on the mat. Term.
Side Control/100 kilos – Position where a student controls another student from the side (i.e. one student is on his back and the other student is on top with his legs positioned out to the side of the opponent for better control). Offensive.
Single leg – Type of take down where one leg is gripped by hands behind one calf, tucked between your leg, head weight on opponent to take them down. Takedown.
Sleeve/Manga – Sleeve of gi. Term.
Sprawl – Legs stretched out and away from opponent, placing weight on arms or chest, holding down opponent at point of contact with weight – Defensive transitional position.
Submission – Technique that chokes a joint of opponent which makes it impossible to continue the fight. If any player does the submission, then the opponent will be declared as the winner. Term.
Sweep/Raspada – Gaining a dominant position through a reversal from bottom to top(i.e. knocking an opponent to the ground by sweeping them off their feet). Position.
Technical Lift – From sitting to standing position in a certain way. Escape.
Toe Hold/mata leão no pé, americana no pé or pé de vaca – attacker holds the ankle of his opponent close to his chest, using a ‘kimura’ type grip to control the end of the foot, usually touching his little finger (pinky) to the opponent’s toe.
Turtle – A defensive ground position where you tuck in your arms, legs and head like a turtle hiding in its shell.
Underhook/Esgrima – Your arm going underneath underarm of your opponent. Position
Wrist lock/Mao de vaca – Grasp hand from top, moving palm down, towards wrist. Submission
Any terms we missed? Please feel free to send us your terms to add to the list!
OSS!
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