BJJ Glossary: 200+ Jiu-Jitsu Terms and Definitions

This BJJ glossary defines more than 200 Brazilian jiu-jitsu terms, from positions and guards to submissions, competition rules, culture and gear. Use it when a coach names a technique you have never heard of, or when you want the English, Portuguese or Japanese name for something you already drill. Terms are grouped by category and listed A–Z within each section.

Jump to a section: Positions · Guards · Submissions · Sweeps, Takedowns and Escapes · Passing and Top Control · Grips and Concepts · Training, Rules and Competition · Culture and Slang · Gear and Apparel

Positions

• 50/50: A leg entanglement where both players have the same leg control on each other, so each one is equally exposed to leg attacks and sweeps.
• Ashi garami: A Japanese term, meaning "leg entanglement," used for the family of positions where you trap an opponent's leg between yours to attack the foot, ankle or knee. Common variations include single leg X, outside ashi and cross ashi.
• Back control: A position where you are behind your opponent with your chest on their back and your legs hooked around their hips. It is often called back mount and is one of the strongest positions in jiu-jitsu.
• Body triangle: A way to control the back or the guard by locking your legs in a figure-four around the opponent's torso. It squeezes the ribs and is harder to escape than two hooks.
• Cem quilos: A Portuguese name, meaning "one hundred kilos," used for a heavy side control where the top player keeps their chest pressed on the opponent's chest. Some coaches use it for side control in general.
• Combat base: A posture inside the opponent's open guard where you kneel on one knee with the other foot posted on the mat. It gives you a stable base to grip, pass or stand.
• Crucifix: A position where you trap one of the opponent's arms with your legs and control the other arm with your hands, leaving their neck and arm open to attack. It is often reached from turtle or the back.
• Front headlock: A position where you are in front of a kneeling or turtled opponent with control of their head and one arm. It sets up chokes such as the guillotine, D'Arce and anaconda, as well as back takes.
• High mount: A mount where the top player slides up toward the opponent's armpits, which takes away their ability to bridge and sets up armbars and chokes.
• Kesa gatame: A Japanese term, meaning "scarf hold," for a pin where you sit beside the opponent's torso with your hip against their side and your arm wrapped around their head.
• Knee on belly: A top position where you place one knee across the opponent's stomach or chest with the other leg posted out for balance. It is also called knee ride and scores 2 points in IBJJF competition.
• Mount: A top position where you sit on the opponent's torso with a knee on each side. It is also called full mount and scores 4 points in IBJJF competition.
• North-south: A top position where your chest is on the opponent's chest and your head points toward their legs, so your bodies line up in opposite directions. In judo it is called kami shiho gatame.
• S-mount: A mount variation where one of your knees comes up beside the opponent's head and your other leg bends under you, making an S shape. It is a common setup for the armbar.
• Saddle: A leg entanglement where your legs cross over the opponent's hip and between their legs, controlling the knee line from the inside. It is also called the honey hole, 411 or inside sankaku, and it is a common position for inside heel hooks.
• Seatbelt: A grip from behind where one arm goes over the opponent's shoulder and the other goes under their armpit, with your hands clasped across their chest.
• Side control: A top position where you lie across the opponent's torso from the side with your chest on their chest. It is also called side mount or cross side.
• Technical mount: A mount variation where you shift to one side with one leg up beside the opponent's head and the other leg on the mat behind them. It is often used to follow an opponent who turns to escape mount.
• Truck: A position, popularized in 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu, where you control one of the opponent's legs with a leg triangle while sitting beside their hips. It sets up back takes, calf slicers and the twister.
• Turtle: A defensive position where you are on your knees and elbows, curled up to protect your neck and keep the opponent from passing to your front.

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Guards

• Butterfly guard: A seated open guard where you place the tops of your feet inside the opponent's thighs as hooks. It is a strong position for elevating and sweeping.
• Closed guard: A guard where you wrap your legs around the opponent's waist and cross your ankles behind their back. It is also called full guard.
• Collar sleeve guard: An open guard used in the gi where you grip the opponent's collar with one hand and their sleeve with the other, often with a foot on the bicep of the sleeve-gripped arm.
• De La Riva guard: An open guard where you hook one leg around the outside of the opponent's lead leg, with your foot on the inside of their thigh. It is named after Ricardo de la Riva, who made it famous in competition.
• Deep half guard: A half guard variation where you move underneath the opponent and hold one of their legs close to your chest, which puts their weight on top of you and sets up sweeps.
• Guard: Any position where you are on your back or seated and use your legs to control an opponent who is on top or standing. The term covers dozens of variations.
• Half butterfly guard: A guard that combines half guard and butterfly guard, with one butterfly hook inside a thigh while your other leg works on the opposite side.
• Half guard: A guard where you trap one of the opponent's legs between your legs.
• Inverted guard: A guard where you turn upside down, with your shoulders on the mat and your hips and legs above you, to defend a pass or attack.
• K guard: An open guard where you sit at an angle to the opponent with one leg inside their legs, shaped like the letter K. It is commonly used to enter leg entanglements and the berimbolo.
• Knee shield: A half guard where you place one shin across the opponent's torso or hips to keep distance and stop them from flattening you. It is also called Z guard.
• Lapel guard: Any gi guard that uses the lapel as a grip or wraps the lapel around the opponent's limbs for control.
• Lasso guard: A gi guard where you wrap one leg around the opponent's arm while holding their sleeve, which makes the arm hard to free and slows their passing.
• Lockdown: A half guard where you triangle your legs around the opponent's trapped leg and stretch it out to stop them from moving. It is closely associated with Eddie Bravo's system.
• Open guard: Any guard where your legs are uncrossed, using feet, hooks and grips to control the opponent.
• Quarter guard: A late stage of half guard where you hold only the opponent's foot or ankle between your legs, usually just before they finish passing.
• Reverse De La Riva guard: An open guard where you hook the inside of the opponent's lead leg with your leg, the mirror of the De La Riva hook. It is often used to stop knee cut passes and set up back takes.
• Rubber guard: A high closed guard where you pull one leg up over the opponent's shoulder and hold it with your arm, breaking their posture. It is closely associated with Eddie Bravo.
• Seated guard: An open guard where you sit up with your feet on the mat or on the opponent's legs, ready to grip, sweep or stand up. It is also called sitting guard.
• Single leg X guard: An open guard where you control one of the opponent's legs between yours, with one foot on their hip and the other behind their knee. It is also called SLX or ashi garami.
• Spider guard: A gi guard where you grip both of the opponent's sleeves and place your feet on their biceps.
• Worm guard: A gi guard that wraps the opponent's lapel around their leg for control. It is associated with Keenan Cornelius, who developed it.
• X guard: An open guard where you are under the opponent and cross your legs in an X around one of their legs, controlling their balance from below.
• Z guard: Another name for knee shield half guard.

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Submissions

• Americana: A shoulder lock where you bend the opponent's arm at a right angle with the hand toward their head and rotate it like a paintbrush. It is also called the keylock, and the judo name is ude garami.
• Anaconda choke: An arm-in choke from the front headlock where you loop your arm under the opponent's neck and through their armpit, lock your hands and roll to tighten it.
• Arm triangle: A choke where you trap the opponent's head and one of their arms together and squeeze with your arm and shoulder. It is also called the head and arm choke, and the judo name is kata gatame.
• Arm-in guillotine: A guillotine choke that wraps the opponent's neck and one of their arms together.
• Armbar: A joint lock that straightens the opponent's arm and hyperextends the elbow against your hips. The judo name is juji gatame, which means "cross lock."
• Baseball bat choke: A gi choke where both hands grip the collar like a baseball bat, then you rotate around the opponent's head to tighten it. It is often set up from knee on belly or side control.
• Bicep slicer: A compression lock where you place a forearm or shin in the crook of the opponent's elbow and close the arm over it. In IBJJF events it is legal only for adult brown and black belts.
• Bow and arrow choke: A gi choke from the back where you grip the opponent's collar with one hand and their pants or leg with the other, then pull apart like drawing a bow.
• Calf slicer: A compression lock where you place your shin behind the opponent's knee and fold their leg over it. In IBJJF events it is legal only for adult brown and black belts.
• Choke: A submission that cuts off blood flow through the neck or restricts breathing. Chokes that compress the arteries on the sides of the neck are often called blood chokes, and they work faster than air chokes.
• Cross collar choke: A gi choke where you grip deep in both sides of the opponent's collar with crossed hands and pull your elbows apart. It is one of the first chokes most gi students learn from closed guard and mount.
• D'Arce choke: An arm-in choke where you thread your arm under the opponent's neck and arm from the side and lock it with a figure-four grip. It is named after Joe D'Arce, and the gi lapel version is sometimes called the brabo choke.
• Ezekiel choke: A choke where you slide one forearm across the opponent's throat and use the other hand or sleeve to tighten it, which makes it possible from inside the opponent's guard and from mount. The judo name is sode guruma jime.
• Gogoplata: A choke from guard where you bring your shin across the front of the opponent's throat and pull their head down onto it.
• Guillotine: A front choke where you wrap your arm around the opponent's neck from the front and lift your forearm into their throat. It can be finished standing, from guard or from the top.
• Heel hook: A leg lock that rotates the heel to twist the knee, putting heavy force on the knee ligaments. Since 2021, IBJJF rules allow heel hooks for adult brown and black belts in no-gi, and they remain illegal in the gi at IBJJF events.
• Inside heel hook: A heel hook where you rotate the heel toward the inside of the opponent's body, usually from the saddle or 50/50. It is considered one of the most dangerous leg locks because the knee can be damaged before the opponent feels pain.
• Joint lock: A submission that bends or twists a joint past its normal range of motion, forcing the opponent to tap before it is injured.
• Kimura: A shoulder lock where you hold the opponent's wrist with a figure-four grip and rotate the arm behind their back. It is named after Japanese judoka Masahiko Kimura, who used it to defeat Hélio Gracie in 1951.
• Kneebar: A leg lock that straightens the opponent's leg and hyperextends the knee against your hips, the same mechanics as an armbar. In IBJJF events it is legal only for adult brown and black belts.
• Leg lock: Any submission that attacks the foot, ankle, knee or hip. What is legal varies by belt, age and rule set, so check the rules before you compete.
• Loop choke: A gi choke where you grip the opponent's collar and loop your arm around the back of their neck as they lean forward, often from guard or a front headlock.
• Mata leão: A Portuguese name, meaning "lion killer," for the rear naked choke.
• Neck crank: Any submission that bends or twists the neck instead of compressing the arteries. The can opener, which pulls the head forward from inside the closed guard, is one example. Neck cranks are illegal at every belt in IBJJF events.
• Omoplata: A shoulder lock where you trap the opponent's arm with your legs and rotate your hips to bend the arm behind them. The word is Portuguese for "shoulder blade."
• Outside heel hook: A heel hook where you rotate the heel toward the outside of the opponent's body, often from outside ashi garami.
• Rear naked choke: A choke from back control where one arm wraps around the opponent's neck and the other arm locks behind their head. It is called mata leão in Portuguese.
• Straight ankle lock: A leg lock where you hold the opponent's foot under your armpit and arch your back to hyperextend the ankle. It is also called a straight footlock, and it is legal for adult competitors at every belt in IBJJF events.
• Submission: Any technique that forces the opponent to tap, either by a choke or by a joint lock. A submission ends the match regardless of points.
• Toe hold: A foot lock where you grip the opponent's foot with a figure-four and twist it inward. In IBJJF events it is legal only for adult brown and black belts.
• Triangle choke: A choke where you lock your legs around the opponent's neck and one of their arms in a figure-four. The judo name is sankaku jime, and sankaku means "triangle."
• Twister: A spinal lock where you control one of the opponent's legs and twist their head and upper body in the opposite direction. It is closely associated with Eddie Bravo and is illegal in IBJJF events.
• Wrist lock: A joint lock that bends the wrist past its normal range. In IBJJF events it is legal for adult competitors at every belt, and many gyms ask newer students to apply it slowly.

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Sweeps, Takedowns and Escapes

• Ankle pick: A takedown where you pull the opponent's head or collar forward to load their weight onto one leg, then grab that ankle to take them down.
• Arm drag: A move where you pull the opponent's arm across their body to get to their side or back. It works from standing, seated guard and many other positions.
• Back take: Any move that brings you from in front of or beside an opponent to back control.
• Berimbolo: A rolling technique, usually started from De La Riva guard, where you invert under the opponent and spin to their back.
• Bridge: A movement where you drive your hips up off the mat while your shoulders and feet stay planted. It is the base of most mount escapes.
• Double leg takedown: A takedown where you level change and drive through the opponent's hips while wrapping both of their legs.
• Elbow-knee escape: A mount escape where you shrimp to make space and slide your knee inside to recover half guard or full guard. It is also called the shrimp escape.
• Elevator sweep: A butterfly guard sweep where you lift the opponent with a hook under one thigh and turn them over. It is also called the hook sweep.
• Flower sweep: A closed guard sweep where you control an arm and a leg, then swing your legs like a pendulum to roll the opponent into mount. It is also called the pendulum sweep.
• Foot sweep: A takedown that knocks the opponent's foot out from under them as they step, using timing instead of strength. The judo name is ashi barai.
• Granby roll: A shoulder roll from wrestling where you turn upside down to retain guard, escape turtle or recover position.
• Guard pull: A move where you sit or jump to guard from standing instead of going for a takedown. In IBJJF rules you must have a grip on the opponent before pulling guard.
• Hip bump sweep: A closed guard sweep where you sit up, post a hand and drive your hips into the opponent to knock them backward. It is also called the sit-up sweep.
• Kani basami: A Japanese term, meaning "crab scissors," for a flying scissor takedown. It carries a high risk of knee injury and is illegal in IBJJF events and many other rule sets.
• Osoto gari: A Japanese term, meaning "major outer reap," for a throw where you step beside the opponent and sweep their leg from behind.
• Ouchi gari: A Japanese term, meaning "major inner reap," for a trip where you hook the inside of the opponent's leg and drive them backward.
• Scissor sweep: A closed guard sweep where you place one shin across the opponent's stomach and chop their leg with your other leg while pulling them forward.
• Seoi nage: A Japanese term, meaning "shoulder throw," for a throw where you turn in and load the opponent over your back and shoulder.
• Shrimp: A movement where you push off one foot and drive your hips away from the opponent to make space. It is also called a hip escape and is one of the first drills most students learn.
• Single leg takedown: A takedown where you attack one of the opponent's legs and finish by lifting, running the pipe or tripping the other leg.
• Sprawl: A takedown defense where you throw your legs back and drop your hips onto the opponent's head and shoulders.
• Sweep: A move that reverses the position from bottom guard to top. In IBJJF competition, a sweep scores 2 points once you hold the top position for three seconds.
• Takedown: Any move that brings a standing opponent to the mat with you landing on top. In IBJJF competition, a takedown scores 2 points.
• Technical stand-up: A way to stand up from the mat while keeping a hand posted and a leg raised to guard against the opponent. It is also called standing up in base.
• Tripod sweep: An open guard sweep where you hold the opponent's ankle, place one foot on their hip and hook behind their other ankle, then push and pull to knock them over.
• Uchi mata: A Japanese term, meaning "inner thigh throw," for a throw where you lift the inside of the opponent's thigh with your leg as you rotate.
• Upa: A Portuguese name for the bridge and roll mount escape, where you trap an arm and a leg on one side and bridge to roll the opponent over.
• Wrestle up: A move from seated or open guard where you come up to your knees or feet and attack the opponent's legs or body to score from the bottom.

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Passing and Top Control

• Backstep: A pass or leg entanglement entry where you turn your back to the opponent and step your leg over to the other side.
• Body lock pass: A pass where you clasp your hands around the opponent's waist or hips and pin them down to walk past their legs.
• Crossface: A control where you drive your shoulder and forearm across the opponent's jaw to turn their head away from you. It is a common tool in half guard passing and side control.
• Double under pass: A pass where you scoop both arms under the opponent's legs, stack them and pass to one side.
• Float passing: A passing style where you balance your weight on the opponent and move around their guard without settling, adjusting to each reaction.
• Guard break: The step of opening the opponent's closed guard, either kneeling or standing, before you can pass.
• Guard pass: A move that gets you past the opponent's legs into a top position such as side control or north-south. In IBJJF competition, a guard pass scores 3 points.
• Headquarters: A passing position where you control one of the opponent's legs between your knees, usually with one knee forward and one back. It is a common stop between passes.
• Knee cut: A pass where you slide your knee across the opponent's thigh toward the mat while controlling their upper body. It is also called the knee slice.
• Leg drag: A pass where you pull the opponent's legs across your body and pin them to the side, turning their hips away from you.
• Long step: A pass from half guard where you step your free leg far back and around to clear your trapped leg.
• Over-under pass: A pass where one arm goes over the opponent's leg and the other goes under the opposite leg, pinning their hips as you pass.
• Pressure passing: A passing style that keeps heavy weight on the opponent, slowing them down and flattening them before you clear their legs.
• Smash pass: A pass where you fold both of the opponent's legs to one side and pin them with your hips before you pass.
• Stack pass: A pass where you fold the opponent onto their upper back with their hips over their head, then move around their legs.
• Toreando pass: A pass where you hold the opponent's legs and push them to one side as you move to the other, similar to a bullfighter moving past the bull. It is also called the bullfighter pass.
• X pass: A fast pass where you redirect the opponent's knees to one side and step around them on the other, often used against butterfly and seated guard.

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Grips and Concepts

• Base: Your balance and ability to stay stable while the opponent tries to sweep or move you.
• Chain attack: A series of techniques linked so that the opponent's defense to one sets up the next.
• Collar grip: Any grip on the opponent's gi collar or lapel, used for control, posture breaking and chokes.
• Collar tie: A standing or seated grip where you place your hand behind the opponent's neck to control their head and posture.
• Cross grip: A grip where your hand reaches across the opponent's body to grab their opposite side, such as your right hand on their right collar or sleeve.
• Frame: A structure built with your arms or legs to keep space between you and the opponent, using bone alignment instead of muscle.
• Gable grip: A grip where you clasp your hands palm to palm. It is common for chokes, body locks and leg attacks.
• Grip break: Any move that strips or removes the opponent's grip.
• Grip fighting: The exchange of gripping and breaking grips to set up attacks, especially in gi and standing exchanges. In no-gi it is often called hand fighting.
• Guard retention: The skills used to keep the opponent from passing your guard, including framing, hip movement and recovering guard after it opens.
• Hooks: Leg controls that use your feet or insteps to hold the opponent, such as the hooks inside their thighs from back control or butterfly guard.
• Inside position: Having your arms, knees or feet inside the opponent's, which usually gives you better control in standing and guard exchanges.
• Inversion: Turning upside down onto your shoulders to retain guard, enter leg entanglements or take the back.
• Knee line: An imaginary line at the opponent's knees. In leg locking, getting past it usually means you control the leg, and on top, getting past it is a key step in passing.
• Kuzushi: A Japanese term for breaking the opponent's balance. Most throws, sweeps and passes start with kuzushi.
• Leverage: Using body position and angles to multiply force, which lets a smaller person control a larger one.
• Overhook: A control where your arm wraps over the opponent's arm, trapping it against your body.
• Pistol grip: A gi grip where you hold the end of the sleeve in your fist, like holding a pistol.
• Positional hierarchy: The idea that some positions give more control than others, often ranked from back control and mount down through side control, guard and bottom positions. Coaches rank them slightly differently.
• Posture: How you hold your spine and head in a position. Good posture in someone's guard means a straight back and head up, which protects you from sweeps and submissions.
• Pressure: Weight and force applied to the opponent to limit their movement, often through your hips or shoulders.
• Pummeling: Swimming your arms or legs inside the opponent's to win underhooks or inside position.
• Russian tie: A grip where you control one of the opponent's arms with both of yours. It is also called the two-on-one.
• S-grip: A grip where you hook your fingers together with one palm up and one palm down, forming an S shape.
• Sleeve grip: A gi grip on the opponent's sleeve, used to control their arm in guard and in standing exchanges.
• Underhook: A control where your arm goes under the opponent's armpit and around their back.
• Whizzer: A wrestling term for an overhook used to defend an underhook or a leg attack, often by driving the arm down and hips away.
• Wrist control: Controlling the opponent's wrist to keep them from posting, framing or gripping.

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Training, Rules and Competition

• Absolute division: An open-weight division where competitors of any weight in a belt and age group compete against each other.
• ADCC: The ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship, a no-gi tournament held every two years. Under ADCC rules, points are scored only in the second half of regulation time, and pulling guard costs a negative point.
• Advantage: A tiebreaker in IBJJF competition awarded for nearly scoring points or nearly finishing a submission. If points are tied, the athlete with more advantages wins, followed by fewer penalties and then a referee decision.
• Black belt: The highest regular rank in BJJ, usually reached after about ten years of training. Black belts earn time-based degrees as they continue teaching and training.
• Blue belt: The first adult belt after white. Blue belts know the basic positions and escapes and start building their own game.
• Brown belt: The rank before black belt. Brown belts refine their game and, in IBJJF events, gain access to more leg locks.
• Coral belt: A belt awarded to very senior black belts, red and black for the seventh degree and red and white for the eighth degree.
• Disqualification: The removal of an athlete from a match for a serious rule violation, such as a slam or an illegal submission. It is often written as DQ.
• Drilling: Repeating a technique with a cooperative partner to build muscle memory, usually before live training.
• Flow rolling: Light, continuous sparring where both partners move at an easy pace and let techniques happen without fighting for every grip.
• IBJJF: The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, founded by Carlos Gracie Jr. It runs many of the largest gi and no-gi tournaments, including the World Championship, and sets the rule set most competitors learn first.
• Kids belts: The belt system for children under 16, which typically includes grey, yellow, orange and green belts with white and black variations. Students move to the adult system at 16.
• Match length: The time limit for a match. In IBJJF adult divisions it is 5 minutes for white belts, 6 for blue, 7 for purple, 8 for brown and 10 for black, with shorter times for masters and kids.
• No-gi: BJJ trained or competed in a rashguard and shorts without a gi. Gripping clothing is not allowed, so control comes from underhooks, wrist control and body locks. See what to wear to no-gi BJJ.
• Open mat: Unstructured mat time where students drill or roll with whoever they choose. Many gyms allow visitors from other academies at open mat.
• Penalty: A sanction for breaking competition rules, such as stalling or grabbing inside the sleeves in the gi. In IBJJF rules, repeated penalties give the opponent advantages and points and can end in disqualification.
• Points: The scoring system in IBJJF competition: 2 points for a takedown, sweep or knee on belly, 3 points for a guard pass, and 4 points for mount or back control.
• Positional sparring: Live training that starts from a specific position with a specific goal, such as passing or escaping. It is also called specific training.
• Purple belt: The rank between blue and brown. Purple belts are often expected to help teach newer students and have a clear style of their own.
• Reaping: A leg position where your leg crosses the opponent's knee line from outside to inside, putting pressure on the knee. IBJJF rules restrict reaping, though it has been legal in no-gi for adult brown and black belts since 2021.
• Red belt: The rank for the ninth and tenth degrees of black belt. It has been awarded to very few people in the history of the art.
• Rolling: Live sparring where both partners try to control and submit each other. In many gyms, "Want to roll?" is how you ask someone to spar.
• Shark tank: A drill where one person stays in while fresh partners rotate in every round or after every submission.
• Slam: Lifting an opponent and driving them into the mat, often to break a guard or a submission. Slams are illegal in IBJJF competition and usually lead to disqualification.
• Stabilization: Holding a scoring position for three seconds. In IBJJF competition, most points are awarded only after the position is stabilized.
• Stalling: Avoiding engagement or holding a position without trying to advance. Referees can penalize stalling in most rule sets.
• Stripe: A piece of tape or stitching on the black bar of a belt that marks progress toward the next rank. Most gyms give up to four stripes per belt, though practice varies. Learn more in the BJJ belt system explained.
• Submission only: A rule set where matches are won only by submission, with no points. Many sub-only events use overtime rounds to settle draws. It is often shortened to sub-only.
• Weigh-in: The check that confirms you are in your weight class. In IBJJF events, athletes weigh in wearing their gi just before their first match, so the gi counts toward the limit.
• White belt: The first belt in BJJ, worn by every new student regardless of experience in other martial arts.

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Culture and Slang

• Academy: A gym or school where BJJ is taught.
• Affiliation: A network of gyms connected to the same team, head instructor or lineage, often sharing curriculum, competition teams and belt standards.
• Blue belt blues: The common pattern of students quitting soon after earning their blue belt.
• Bowing: A sign of respect at the start and end of class, when stepping on or off the mat, or before and after rolling. How formal it is varies by gym.
• Brazilian jiu-jitsu: A grappling martial art built around positional control and submissions. It grew in Brazil in the early 20th century from the judo and jujutsu taught by Mitsuyo Maeda and was developed by the Gracie family and others. It is often shortened to BJJ.
• Butt scoot: Sitting down and sliding toward the opponent on your butt to engage from seated guard, a habit some opponents and fans find frustrating.
• Cauliflower ear: A swollen, hardened ear caused by repeated friction and trauma that leads to blood collecting under the skin. Ear guards and early draining can help prevent it.
• Creonte: Portuguese slang for someone who leaves their team for a rival. The word is commonly traced to a Brazilian soap opera character known for switching sides.
• Faixa: The Portuguese word for "belt." A faixa preta is a black belt.
• Gas: Cardio or endurance. "Gassing out" means running out of energy during a roll or match.
• Gracie family: The Brazilian family, starting with Carlos and Hélio Gracie, that adapted the jujutsu they learned into what became Brazilian jiu-jitsu and spread it worldwide.
• Jiu-jiteiro: A Portuguese term for someone who trains jiu-jitsu. The feminine form is jiu-jiteira.
• Lineage: The chain of instructors who promoted your coach, traced back through their teachers.
• Mat rat: Someone who is at every class and open mat.
• Mestre: A Portuguese word for "master," a title some academies use for very senior black belts, often those at coral or red belt.
• Old man jiu-jitsu: A slow, pressure-heavy style that focuses on control and efficient movement.
• Oss: A word used in many academies to greet, show respect or acknowledge an instruction. It came to BJJ from Japanese martial arts, and some gyms use it often while others do not use it at all.
• Professor: A title used for instructors, most often black belts. In some academies, purple and brown belt instructors are also called professor.
• Sandbagging: Competing in a lower belt or division than your skill level calls for.
• Smash: To dominate a training partner with heavy pressure. "Getting smashed" is a normal part of training at every belt.
• Spazz: A training partner who moves explosively and without control, which raises the risk of injury.
• Tap: The signal to submit, made by tapping the opponent or the mat at least twice, or by saying "tap." Tap early, and let go right away when your partner taps.
• Upper belt: Any student who holds a higher rank than you, or more generally, purple, brown and black belts.
• Vale tudo: A Portuguese term, meaning "anything goes," for Brazilian no-holds-barred fighting. Early BJJ fighters tested their art in vale tudo matches.

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Gear and Apparel

• Belt: The colored belt worn over the gi to show rank, tied around the waist with the ends hanging evenly. Read the BJJ belt system explained for how ranks and stripes work.
• Compression shorts: Tight shorts worn alone or under fight shorts to support the muscles and keep everything in place while you train.
• Cup: A protective groin guard. Few BJJ academies require one, and rules on cups vary between competitions, so check before you compete.
• Ear guards: Soft headgear that covers the ears to prevent cauliflower ear. They are also called headgear.
• Fight shorts: Shorts built for combat sports, usually with side splits or stretch panels for movement and a closure that stays put during scrambles.
• Finger tape: Athletic tape wrapped around the fingers and knuckles to protect joints that take strain from gripping, especially in the gi.
• Gi: The traditional BJJ uniform of a heavy cotton jacket, pants and belt, also called a kimono. Most IBJJF events allow white, royal blue or black gis. If you are just starting, read what to wear to your first BJJ class.
• Gi pants: The pants of the gi, typically reinforced at the knees and tied with a drawstring or rope.
• Grappling shorts: Shorts made for grappling with no pockets, zippers or exposed metal, often lighter and more fitted than fight shorts. Many people use the two terms interchangeably.
• Knee sleeves: Compression or padded sleeves worn over the knees for warmth, support or protection from mat burn.
• Lapel: The thick front edge of the gi jacket that runs from the collar to the bottom. It is used for grips, chokes and lapel guards.
• Long-sleeve rashguard: A rashguard that covers the arms, adding protection from mat burn and skin contact. Many gyms and competitions accept long or short sleeves for no-gi.
• Mat: The padded flooring used for training and competition, usually foam with a vinyl surface that should be cleaned after every class.
• Mouthguard: A guard worn over the teeth to protect them from elbows, knees and head contact. Many people wear one during rolling and competition.
• Patches: Logos stitched onto a gi. IBJJF events have rules about where patches can go on the jacket and pants.
• Ranked rashguard: A rashguard whose color matches the wearer's belt rank. Some tournaments, including IBJJF no-gi events, have rules about rashguard color and rank, so check the event's uniform guidelines.
• Rashguard: A fitted, stretchy athletic shirt worn for no-gi and under the gi that protects skin from mat burn and wicks sweat. See how to choose a rashguard.
• Ripstop: A woven fabric with a grid of reinforcing threads that resists tearing. It is common in gi pants.
• Short-sleeve rashguard: A rashguard that leaves the forearms bare, which some people find cooler and less restrictive for gripping.
• Shrinkage: The amount a cotton gi gets smaller after washing and drying. Many gis are sold preshrunk, and washing in cold water and air drying limits further shrinkage.
• Spats: Compression tights worn for no-gi, alone or under shorts, that protect the legs from mat burn and limit skin contact. Wash them after every session, the same way you wash a rashguard.
• Sublimation: A printing process where dye turns into a gas and bonds with polyester fibers, so designs stay in the fabric instead of sitting on top. Learn more in what is dye sublimation.
• Weave: The way the cotton in a gi jacket is woven, which affects its weight, texture and durability. Common types include single weave, double weave, gold weave and pearl weave.
• Zori: Japanese-style sandals worn off the mat. Wearing sandals between the mat and the bathroom keeps the mat clean, and many gyms require it.

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A glossary gives you the words, and the mat teaches you what they mean. When you are ready to go deeper on belts, gear, care and your first classes, browse the full Pressure Point Learn hub.

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