Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Glossary
As with many specialized activities, Brazilian jiu jitsu has a specialized vocabulary, some of which is technical, and some of which is, um, colorful. So this glossary is for the benefit of those readers who may not be as obsessed with BJJ as I have been accused of being. I’m sure if I misrepresent or omit anything here, I will be corrected by those readers who are MORE obsessed with BJJ than I am (and yes, there are lots of them. Be very afraid.)
Terms used in a definition that are themselves defined elsewhere are underlined.
Acai: a berry-like fruit native to Brazil that contains lots of iron and antioxidants. The fruit is crushed, mixed with guarana (another native Brazilian berry that contains a lot of naturally occurring caffeine) and ice to the consistency of ice cream, and topped with sliced banana and granola. It is gaining popularity in the States, particularly among American BJJ players, due to its nutritive properties and due to the fact that eating it makes white belts feel like they are badasses. Plus, it’s delicious.
Americana: A finishing hold that puts pressure on the opponent’s shoulder by attempting to bend it the way it does not naturally bend. Also called a paint brush because of how the arm looks as it is being bent.
Arm Bar: A finishing hold whereby a player puts pressure on his/her opponent’s elbow joint by attempting to bend it the way it does not naturally bend. I always feel so barbaric when trying to explain this, or any finishing hold, to a civilian. It just doesn't sound convincing to say, "And then you lift your hips to put more pressure on the elbow joint--but it totally won't break as long as you tap fast enough. Seriously, it's not dangerous at all."
Base: Refers to balance; it is difficult to sweep, throw, or break down the posture of someone who has good base. It is also a specific position a player assumes when in someone’s guard: knees somewhat wide, back straight, chin up. BJJ players find the fractured English (or “Engrish”) phrase “All your base are belong to us,” from the Japanese video game Zero Wing, to be hilarious.
Belt: A skill and experience ranking system common to many martial arts including BJJ. In BJJ, the order goes: white, blue, purple, brown black. It generally takes significantly longer to advance through the BJJ belt ranking system than through those of other martial arts, a point of pride for BJJ players. It is difficult to say what the average time would be because everyone is different, but it would not be uncommon to expect to spend 10 years earning a black belt.
Royce Gracie famously said that a belt covers only one inch of your ass and you have to cover the rest. He was suggesting that BJJ students not worry overly much about their belt ranking and focus instead on their skill development. As with the conventional wisdom about tapping, it is virtually impossible not to let your ego get in the way when you think about your belt ranking, either because you feel you are better than your belt would suggest, or worse; sometimes you can feel both of these things in the same day. It passes eventually. Or so I hear. (For the record, I usually feel I'm worse.)
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: How can I explain, when there are few words I can choose? Technically and at its most basic, Brazilian jiu jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art, which is to say, it is oriented toward self defense. It originated in Japan, but was introduced to a Brazilian family known asthe Gracies at the beginning of the 20th century. Over time, the Gracie family made
enough changes and innovations to Japanese jiu jitsu so that the resulting animal, BJJ, is now considered a completely different art. It was introduced on a large scale in the United States in the early 90s, when Gracie family members began routinely to beat larger, stronger practitioners of other martial arts such as karate and kung fu in what were known as Gracie challenge matches. This is when other martial artists began to take notice, particularly when these challenge matches took place in the first Ultimate Fighting Championships. The UFC was a televised event pitting different types of martial arts against each other to determine which was “the best.” Royce Gracie shocked the martial arts world in mltiple UFCs by defeating opponents who were significantly larger and stronger than he, using the principles and techniques of BJJ.
Rather than strikes or kicks, a BJJ player uses leverage and body mechanics, in very close quarters, to subdue an opponent; the Japanese characters “jiu jitsu” translate as “the gentle art”. All other things being equal, the skillful application of finishing holds and other techniques that reflect an understanding of physics and how the body works helps to neutralize any strength or size advantage one opponent may have over another. While there are many stand-up techniques and throws associated with BJJ, it is best known as an art where most of the action takes place on the ground. In fact, BJJ players are fond of mentioning (to anyone who will listen, but primarily to civilians and practitioners of stand-up martial arts) that the majority of street fights end with one or both people falling on the ground, rendering useless the techniques of stand-up arts such as karate. But on the ground is where the BJJ player feels most comfortable.
I was being facetious in the first part of the definition when I asked how I could explain BJJ. But even though everything in the above paragraphs is true, it is only a fraction of the story. At various times for various people, BJJ is an obsession, a reason to stay out of trouble, a stalwart companion during difficult times, a fascinating lifetime commitment, a source of abiding friendship, an enormous frustration, a window on Brazilian culture and customs. For others, it is a profession. For still others, it is a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a gi that takes away their loved ones for hours at a time.
I can’t say what it is about BJJ that is so captivating for others. For me, the first part of the allure was that it was so completely different from anything I had ever done; it challenged me physically and mentally in ways that neither my professional life nor other sports had. I had run marathons and played team sports, but eventually lost interest; the idea of going for a better marathon time held no allure, and I would have been too lazy to seek out opportunities to play lacrosse or soccer after high school or college was over.
But BJJ is a giant puzzle that I feel compelled to solve, even though nobody ever does completely, not even the most accomplished expert. It is more like a puzzle that keeps growing, so when you feel like you have a couple pieces in place, you eventually have to account for other pieces that you didn’t know about earlier. As your understanding becomes more sophisticated, you realize how you have barely scratched the surface, and you wonder why in the hell you didn’t start when you were three years old!
Like BJJ itself, I have a feeling that this definition is going to evolve. So watch this space for updates.
Breakfall: In BJJ and judo, the proper way to land when thrown or swept so that the impact of the fall is distributed in the least jarring way possible. The breakfall has been executed properly when the player 1) lands on his/her side with the chin tucked to ensure the head does not snap back against the ground, 2) slaps the ground with the arm that lands on the ground, 3) straightens the leg nearest to the slapping arm on the ground, and 4) bends the leg farthest from the slapping arm so the foot is on the ground.
The real purpose of slapping the ground is to counteract the jarring of the fall, but it has the added benefit of sounding really cool and drawing lots of attention.
Caipirinha: Mojito-like drink popular in Brazil that is made with cachaca, a sugar cane alcohol. An excellent choice at a churrascarria. Beware; too many caipirinhas may cause you to think your BJJ is much better than it is.
Can Opener: A neck crank executed from inside the closed guard either as a finishing hold or as a tactic to get the opponent to open the guard. Player puts both hands behind opponent’s head and lifts up, putting weight on opponent’s chest to isolate and put pressure on the neck.
The can opener was the subject of controversy during a match between Jeff Monson and Marcio Cruz at the Arnold Classic, a competition sponsored by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Suffice it to say that the general consensus is that Cruz was a tool, and that it’s not a good idea to have Monson angry with you.
Carioca: a native of Rio. Also, what most American BJJ players wish they were. I have heard stories of American BJJ players who wish this so much that they go to tournaments and pretend not to be able to speak English. (This only works if you speak passable Portuguese.)
Cauliflower Ear: A condition where repeated trauma to the ear causes the cartilage to separate from the part of the ear that provides blood flow. At first, the ear fills with fluid and must be drained. Eventually, if the trauma happens enough, the cartilage swells, dies, and hardens, becoming significantly disfigured.
This condition is common among BJJ players, whose ears are constantly rubbing against their sparring partners as they defend triangle chokes and the like. It is probably more common than it has to be, because lots of players cultivate “the ear,” hoping it makes them look like badasses. While the name refers to what the ears end up looking like, they actually end up looking more like little fists or lima beans or embryos. It’s fun to squeeze ears that have cauliflower, because they are rock hard. It feels so weird that it makes you throw up a little in your mouth.
Choke: A finishing hold that cuts off the blood and/or the oxygen to a BJJ player’s brain. A player who does not tap to a well-executed choke will pass out. There are different kinds of chokes, some that use the collar of the gi to put pressure on the arteries in the neck and/or the windpipe, others that use the forearms or biceps to do so, and others that use the legs around the head and arm (see triangle). Sometimes when you are the recipient of the choke, you know it is coming on because you start to get tunnel vision. If you pass completely out and then are awakened, you are likely to wonder what all those concerned people in weird belted outfits are doing in your living room. The choke is another aspect of BJJ that makes it difficult for civilians to believe it is “the gentle art.”
Churrascarria: Brazilian BBQ. The ultimate in id-driven eating. At most churrascarrias, diners can pay one price that includes unlimited visits to an enormous salad bar and other hors d’oeuvres-y type snacks. But it is a white belt/rookie mistake to fill up on this stuff, because the real attraction is the meat, which is also included in the price. Servers walk around the dining room carrying spits of every kind of meat imaginable: pork, chicken, beef, lamb, slicing servings onto individual diners’ plates. Many churrascarrias provide coasters that are red on one side and green on the other, or that say “yes” or “no,” and that diners use to let servers know whether they are still eating.
It takes some strategizing to get your money’s worth at a churrascarria. For instance, as mentioned above, it is wise to limit your intake of the salad bar items and snacks on the table, as these are cheaper than the meat. You should also make sure you are hungrier than usual before you go. And it doesn’t hurt to take a break every now and then (turn that coaster from green to red). Even take a walk to allow things to settle. Remember that dining at a churrascarria is a marathon, not a sprint; without proper planning, you are liable to gas out early.
Civilian: Someone who does not train BJJ. I don’t know if others use this term, but I started using it because over time it has become clear to me that people who train orient their lives around BJJ in ways that non-BJJ players don’t understand.
Handy tip: When you ask a BJJ player about BJJ, don’t make the karate chop motion or pretend to kick him/her. There’s no chopping or kicking in BJJ, and even if the player you are talking to is a nice person, s/he is liable to feel superior and/or irritated. BJJ players are crazy enough as it is, so there’s no need to give them any more ammo. I also know people who will refuse to talk to you after you do the karate chop motion or pretend to kick them.
Count Koma: Nickname of Mitsuo Maeda.
Creonte: Originally the name of a Brazilian soap opera character who was duplicitous and shady; now it means “traitor,” someone who is disloyal to his/her team. The origin of this word is sad: Carlson Gracie, Sr., coined it when members of his team left the fold to start their own team. The argument may have been over money, or over personality clashes. I don’t claim to know.
Dim Mak:
Evil Backpack: Nickname for someone who has taken your back, is on top of you, and drives his/her hips forward and down, causing maximum pressure and discomfort for you. Also refers to the move itself. At my school, it refers specifically to a specific kid, who probably weighs 130 soaking wet, but feels like an anvil when he’s on your back. Freaking kids.
Feet: Feet are the same in BJJ as they are in civilian life. But they are worth mentioning here because they figure so prominently in BJJ in multiple ways, as BJJ is usually performed barefooted.
First of all, lots of the feet you see on the mat are hideously ugly, mine included. They have callouses, mat burn, bruises, etc. Mine were gnarly to begin with, but since I have been training BJJ, they have gotten worse, not only with callouses, but also with what looks like the beginning of hammertoes. I guess I should get it checked, but it doesn’t hurt. People who do BJJ don’t tend to be the same people who get pedicures, although I try to every now and then. One of my old instructors has only 9 toes. The official story is that he cut off his little toe when he lost control of a jackhammer at a construction site, but my friend Natasha is convinced that his ex-wife took it in their acrimonious divorce.
Second, feet are important to keep track of because they frequently hit you in the head if you’re not looking. You may be sitting on the mat or sparring with somebody when all of a sudden you get a heel to the head, because somebody is in the middle of an intense roll and doesn’t see where s/he is going. It’s never intentional, but taking a foot to the face is a risk you assume when you train BJJ. What’s interesting to me is how little I flinch anymore when I see feet flying out of the corner of my eye. I guess it just doesn’t hurt that much, and there are plenty of other things to worry about.
Third, feet are important for different aspects of the game, both offensively and defensively. A simple closed guard is kept closed by virtue of the player hooking the tops of his/her feet together. BJJ players push off with their feet—against the floor, against the opponent’s hips or arms—to advance their position. They can attack an opponent’s feet, for a toe hold/figure-4 footlock, an ankle lock, or a heel hook.
Well, they can attack an opponent’s feet if the opponent HAS feet. One student I trained with was somewhat of a one-trick pony; he only used ankle locks and heel hooks while sparring. He was very good at them, but he 1) wasn’t getting any better at any other techniques and 2) was kind of a lunkhead in that he cranked those particular locks much harder than necessary, actually seriously injuring 9-Toed Joe (not his real name), among others, in the process. Well, he entered a competition, and wouldn’t you know it, his first opponent was a double above-the-knee amputee! I wasn’t there to see it, but apparently when Carlson, Sr., saw this, he doubled over with laughter, first because, as he put it, “No feet! No footlock!” and second because the dude tapped him out with a neck crank in about 30 seconds.
The moral of the story is, never underestimate the importance of feet in BJJ, especially if they are missing.
Finishing hold: Any technique that will cause bodily harm if put on at maximum strength. So named because for most people, the feeling of increasing levels of pain or the feeling that you are going to pass out is enough to make them tap out, which finishes a match or a round of sparring/rolling. (And yes, “for most people” implies that there are people who do not tap out to a well-executed finishing hold when they really should. And no, it honestly isn’t as violent and scary as it sounds.)
Flow with the Go: A saying made famous by Rickson Gracie. Some people believe he was making a profound, Zen statement about working with the power of BJJ to accomplish your goals in BJJ and in life. Others believe he just didn’t speak very good English and messed up the phrase.
Forum: In this case it means the “online community” hosted by Sam Kim, who runs an online jiu jitsu store at http://www.jiujitsugear.com. As part of his web presence, he runs a forum where people who love BJJ can interact with each other. A significant amount of tomfoolery goes on here. Some might call it a waste of time; others might call it their lifeblood. Still others call it “forum crack.” There are other online forums dedicated to the grappling arts, but this is the one I usually go to. They seem to like me there.
Gas Out: To tire quickly while sparring. An important part of BJJ training, especially in competition situations, is to have cardiovascular endurance. People who don’t are said to gas out. It’s not a coincidence that people who gas out may not look as good in a rash guard as they once did.
Gi: BJJ kimono, consisting of a heavy woven cotton jacket and pants. The jacket has a thick, reinforced collar and the pants have a drawstring waist and reinforced knees. Gis are made to take a lot of punishment and are usually white, blue or black. You can get a gi in an unusual color like red or camouflage, but as one black belt put it, it’s not really cool to wear a gi like that unless your BJJ is worth watching. (And percentage-wise, most people’s BJJ ain’t.)
Gracies: The Brazilian family to whom Count Koma/Mitsuo Maeda originally taught Japanese jiu jitsu and which evolved it into the Brazilian jiu jitsu we study today. There are literally hundreds of Gracies, who run BJJ academies all over the world, including in the US and Brazil. My teacher, Carlson Gracie, Sr., was one of 21 brothers and sisters. When I asked him why there were so many siblings in his family, he shrugged and said, “No television.”
According to him, the name Gracie is Scottish in origin.
Grappling
Guard: BJJ position wherein one player is on his/her back and has his/her legs wrapped around an opponent, who is either standing up or kneeling in base. There are many types of guards with many colorful names, including spider, butterfly, closed, open, rubber, X, and de la Riva. If you are in someone’s guard, you must try to do what’s called passing the guard, which would put you in side control or the mount, a more offensive position for you. If you have someone in your guard, you are in a strong position to go for a finishing hold; if someone is trying to pass your guard, you will be looking to recompose it and go for that finishing hold or another offensive position.
The guard is an offensive position, and since it is also the position women may find themselves in if they are attacked by a would-be rapist, it is a good one for use in women’s self defense classes. For the same reason, it can also be an uncomfortable position for a new male student to be in if he is sparring a woman. Until the woman taps him out, that is. Then he usually forgets the other association he may have with that position in favor of not getting his ass kicked. J
Guard Pass: An attempt to get out of the opponent’s guard in favor of a more offensive position like the mount or side control/thousand kilos.
Hip escape: Also called the “snake” or the “shrimp.” Fundamental BJJ move where the player starts out lying on his/her back. S/he bends one leg, let’s say the right one, and pushes his/her rear end out to the right so s/he ends up lying on his/her left side in a fetal position. S/he then squares up again on the back and bends the other leg, this time pushing the rear end out to the left. BJJ players frequently do this move as a drill up and down the mat. Its purpose is to create space between the player and his/her opponent, which will make room for movement to a better position.
Hooks: Your feet, specifically when you are taking someone’s back and have anchored your heels around your opponent’s legs. The act of getting your heels around your opponent’s legs is called “putting your hooks in.” See also “third hook.”
Hygiene: In BJJ, something there can never be too much of (or, for my grammar stickler friends, something of which there can never be too much). People who train BJJ are in very close quarters, roll around on top of each other, and get very sweaty. Yes, it sounds pleasant, but if you’re sparring with someone who stinks or who hasn’t washed his (usually it’s “his”) gi before coming to class, it can be anything but.
There seems to be some confusion about a few hygiene-related topics, so allow me to clarify. First, eating 24 Jalapeno Cheese Sliders from White Castle right before class and then insisting on sparring with me when the farts are coming on is neither hygienic nor appreciated. Second, wadding up your dirty, sweaty gi and shoving it in the back seat of your car to bake in the sun for 3 days before you take it out again and put it immediately back on does NOT = washing it. And finally, I don’t believe for a second that your mother taught you it was okay for you to snort the contents of your nasal passages into your gi collar and then expect to spar with me.
Jockrider: A wannabe, usually a lower-level BJJ player, frequently American, who 1) aspires to be better at BJJ than s/he is and 2) is driven by that desire to suck up to better BJJ players. Some people only ride the jock of one or two players; others are equal opportunity jockriders and will gladhand anyone who is famous in BJJ circles or has wiped the mat with them in sparring. (Yeah, the term is pretty vulgar, because it does refer to the jock strap of the better player. But it’s so descriptive!)
Judo roll:
Knee on Belly: Offensive BJJ position where player places his knee across opponent’s stomach while opponent is lying on the ground. Foot that is not across the stomach is posted at a 45 degree angle from opponent’s head. Also known as “knee on stomach” or “knee on chest” to people who think the word “belly” is lame.
Kimura
“Leave your ego at the door”: Common admonition to BJJ players that they come ready to learn, from anyone, and not worry about how they are performing relative to other students, particularly those at their belt ranking. As Ralph Wiggum might say, this can be almost unpossible to do. It is important to try, though.
Leg lock: Finishing hold where a BJJ player isolates part of the opponent’s leg or foot to put pressure on the knee, ankle, or toes. There is some dissent about the belt level at which BJJ students should be allowed to start learning the leg locks that put pressure on the knee, such as the knee bar or the heel hook. This is because the pressure from these leg locks can come on quickly, and frequently by the time the recipient feels pain, damage has already been done to the knee joint. So it is important that players put these holds on slowly and smoothly, but newer students do not necessarily have the control to be able to do this (see spaz).
Machados: A branch of the Gracie family that is considered to be an equally legitimate source of BJJ knowledge. It is led by five brothers: Carlos, John, Rigan, Jean-Jacques, and Roger, who also starred in a movie called The Bad Boys from Brazil. People who love BJJ usually love this movie, although the production values leave something to be desired.
Mat: Location of BJJ action. All sparring takes place on mats that are very like wrestling mats: about ¾ of an inch thick, spongy, and, if not regularly cleaned, a breeding ground for “the worm.” In a typical BJJ class, students pair off and rep techniques and then spar on a small part of the mat.
Mat Burn or Gi Burn: Skin abrasions caused by the rubbing that happens when you roll or are dragged across a BJJ mat OR when someone is trying to execute a gi choke but your face gets in the way. I had gi burn right between the eyes recently, just in time to take a driver’s license picture. I also had mat burn on the top of my foot from dragging it across the mat while repping single- and double-leg takedowns. It took a long time to heal because I kept doing the takedowns, so people wondered if I was rotting from the inside. They didn’t believe me when I said no.
McDojo: A BJJ school or academy of questionable legitimacy. It is relatively easy to trace a BJJ player’s lineage back all the way back to Count Koma through the Gracies or the Machados. Someone who tries to pass himself off as a BJJ black belt without having earned it is unlikely to know this and is rarely prepared for the shitstorm he creates by claiming that status.
Based on a very unscientific sample, guys (it’s usually guys) who lie about their BJJ belt ranking tend to 1) be fat, sweaty, and bald, 2) also claim to have black belts in fishy sounding martial arts like Rex Kune Do, and 3) refer to themselves as “Master Freddy” or “Sensei Alex.” (One notable exception to rule #3 is Master Lloyd Irvin. He is a legitimate black belt whose students call him Master Lloyd. I mention this simply because I want to live.)
Mitsuo Maeda: The man who started it all. Japanese delegate who traveled to Brazil around 1900 and was
Mount: A BJJ position where player #1 on top of #2 with his/her legs around #1’s body. #2 is on his/her back, and #1 is facing him/her, driving the hips forward to keep the pressure on. People who are sparring each other may try to “take the mount” or may “be mounted.” (I used to snicker when I talked about “being mounted,” because I have the mentality of a 12-year-old boy. But before too long I stopped thinking about it that way because I was too busy tapping out.)
Muay Thai: Also known as Thai kickboxing. A martial art whose kicks and punches are a great complement to the grappling and finishing holds of BJJ for anyone interested in training in MMA/NHB/Vale Tudo.
Muscle (as a verb)
MMA/NHB/Vale Tudo: MMA stands for Mixed Martial Arts, NHB for No Holds Barred. Vale Tudo means “anything goes” in Portuguese, I believe. There are differences among them, but the gist is that a competitor will use grappling, hand and elbow striking, kicking, knees and other martial arts techniques to submit or knock out an opponent. In competitions like the UFC and PRIDE, back in the day anything goes REALLY meant anything goes. More recently, rules have been instituted like no fishhooking, eye gouging, or attacking the family jewels. It is difficult to explain to civilians that competitors in MMA/NHB/Vale Tudo events are actually incredible athletes and not just hooligans who crave the taste of blood. But they are actually incredible athletes and not just hooligans who crave the taste of blood. I think the sport needs a Muhammad Ali, someone who is as personable and intelligent as he is, to be the ambassador.
My friend: Apparently the first phrase in the Portuguese to English phrasebook and the first lesson in any English as a second language class in Brazil. Many BJJ black belts who were born and raised in Brazil call everyone “my friend.” This is akin to my instructor Brian, who calls all the male students “Bro” and all the female ones “Sweetie.”
Neck crank (guillotine)No-gi: A type of sparring/training where players do not wear the BJJ kimono, or gi; rather, they may wear a rash guard or t-shirt and board shorts. Professional grapplers may wear only fight shorts. This changes the game in several ways. First, since there is no gi, there are no sleeves or collars to grab, which means the player must grab the body’s natural hooks—the nape of the neck, the triceps, the wrists—to engage with an opponent. For the same reason, players generally sweat more, making them more slippery and therefore more difficult to finish. There are many similarities between gi and no-gi sparring, however, and many techniques that work in a kimono also work in a no-gi situation.
North-South: A BJJ position where one player is on his/her back or side and the opponent is kneeling over the first player’s head. The kneeling player is in the dominant position, able to attack the arm and head or transition to other dominant positions. Also called 69 in reference to the sexual position, but again, it is anything but sexual!
Omoplata: A finishing hold that uses the legs to put pressure on the opponent’s shoulder. This one is REALLY hard to explain, much easier to show. Next time you see me, ask me to show you an omoplata. We’ll get an unsuspecting passerby to be the practice dummy.
Porrah: Catch-all, all purpose word in Portuguese. It can be a curse word (“shit,” “fuck,” “damn”), an admonition (“are you crazy?” “come on!” “get a move on”), an observation (“who knew!” “no way,” “wow”). It also means a bunch of other stuff, but mostly it just cracks up native Portuguese speakers when they hear gringos using it as if they know what they’re talking about. I like to do this on purpose, precisely because I have no idea how to use the word correctly.
Pride Fighting Championship: A mixed martial arts competition broadcast in Japan. Very similar in purpose and scope to the UFC, though, if possible, Japanese fans are more rabid than American ones.
R: A letter of the alphabet, obviously. Worth mentioning because in Portuguese, the letter R at the beginning of a word is pronounced like an H. So the name Rickson Gracie, who is a legendary BJJ player who by now must have a secretary to handle all the applications from people wanting jockrider positions in his camp, is pronounced “Hickson.” This is another way BJJers can identify each other; if you pronounce the R at the beginning of a Portuguese word with the English R sound, that is the BJJ player’s cue to look down his/her nose at you and explain patiently what you just did wrong and why you should feel stupid about it.
Rash Guard: a stretchy, form-fitting short-sleeved shirt that is handy for sparring gi or no-gi because it wicks moisture away from the skin and stays put rather than becoming untucked or messed up. Since it is form-fitting, some people look fabulous in a rash guard. Others do not. All of us know which category we belong in.
Repping: Repeating, specifically a technique. When your instructor shows you a technique, you then spend some time working on it so that you get better at executing it. Same usage as in weight lifting (e.g., 30 reps). Frequently, repping tends to devolve into chatting, at which point your instructor might say, “So you’re a black belt already?” That’s your cue to go back to repping the technique and be depressed that you are not, indeed, a black belt yet.
Ringworm: A nasty, itchy fungus that likes to grow on the skin of BJJ players. It is named for its tendency to grow in a bumpy, oozy circle or ring. Ringworm likes warm, moist places, so BJJ mats are perfect breeding grounds for it, especially if they and the players’ gis are not washed often enough. Training while you have ringworm is viewed as VERY uncool because it is incredibly contagious, not to mention disgusting, gross, foul, and icky. And gross.
Ring Rust: Term for what a fighter is said to have if s/he has not competed in a while and looks sluggish or out of shape. Fighters with ring rust may gas out, execute sloppy technique, or make mistakes they have not otherwise been known to make. The related term, “trough rust,” which I may have invented, refers to what someone displays who has not been to a churrascarria in a while, usually by filling up on salad, bread, and alcohol before the meat even arrives.
Roll: What BJJ players do; a sparring session. So named because since both players are on the ground, there can be a significant amount of actual rolling. The etiquette of rolling is that to the best of your ability, you watch out for other pairs on the mat, keeping everyone’s safety in mind. When two pairs bump into each other, the lower-ranked pair moves out of the way of the higher-ranked pair.
When spazzes are rolling together, it is a safe bet that they have not left their egos at the door. This translates into a high likelihood that they will roll from one end of the mat to the other, crashing into other pairs and possibly rolling off the mats onto the bare floor. Even this may not stop them from rolling, particularly if one of them thinks s/he is executing a decent finishing hold (which usually isn’t the case.)
Sandbagger: A BJJ player who competes at a level that is obviously much lower than his own skill level, to increase his/her chances of winnng. For instance, a BJJ player with a purple belt who enters a competition at the white belt level is likely to rip through the competition with no problem. This is known as sandbagging. Some instructors may encourage their students to sandbag to improve the reputation of their academies.
Side Control (Thousand Kilos): BJJ position where one player immobilizes another by lying perpendicularly across the other player (who is on his/her back or side), controlling the head and hips. The nickname “thousand kilos” derives from how heavy the controlling person can feel, especially if s/he gets on the toes to drive the hips forward.
Advanced BJJ players can make themselves feel incredibly heavy even if they don’t weigh very much. But huge guys can feel heavy just because they are, especially to someone of my size (about 135 pounds). During a side control escape drill in class one day, my teacher paired me with a guy who weighed about 260. He had no idea how to drive his hips forward, thank God, but all he had to do was lie on top of me and I couldn’t breathe. Nor could I really be seen by anyone watching, because I was almost completely covered by the huge dude. Yeah, my teacher is hilarious.
Snake or Shrimp: See hip escape.
Spaz: Even most civilians know what a spaz is, but it’s worth mentioning in the context of BJJ. People who are new to BJJ ALWAYS spaz. It’s part of the learning process. This means that while sparring, they tense up, flail around like they’re having a seizure, and use all their strength to get out of bad positions. They quickly tire themselves out, and if the opponent is any good, he/she will just ride out the storm and then quickly submit the person using technique. While the spaz phase is natural, it is also irritating to those of us who have moved on to other phases (e.g., injured, obsessed, injured, exhilarated, depressed, injured, etc). So those of you who are in that phase would be wise to snap out of it quickly. Move on to “injured” already. You’ll get there eventually anyway.
Sprawl: In response to a takedown attempt, jumping back, dropping your hips, and putting all your weight on the back of the opponent who is attempting to take you down. Also a brand of fight gear that makes cool board shorts, perfect for no-gi sparring.
Stuff a Takedown: To keep your opponent from taking you down, frequently by sprawling.
Submit: See Tap Out.
Sweep: A BJJ technique wherein a player who has an opponent in the guard takes away the opponent’s balance and flips him/her over, ending up in the mount. The cool thing about BJJ is that it isn’t intended to rely on muscle strength. Rather, it relies on physics and the mechanics of the body. Say, for instance, that you are on all fours and your opponent traps both your right leg and arm and then pushes you to your right. Regardless of your size compared to that of your opponent, if you have no supports keeping you from going over, you’ll go over. This is the premise behind a sweep.
Takedown: A method for getting your opponent on the ground. Very similar to takedowns in American wrestling, which has had an influence on BJJ recently, particularly no-gi. The player “shoots in” on the opponent, dropping one knee between the opponent’s feet, grabbing either one (single leg takedown) or both legs (double leg takedown) at the knees, and tripping the opponent, driving him/her to the side, or lifting him/her up and kicking his/her feet out.
Take the back: A BJJ move where one opponent gets behind the other opponent and controls him/her by putting the hooks in while also trapping the arms. Having someone take your back is VERY dangerous, both in sport BJJ and in MMA/NHB/Vale Tudo. Particularly if someone is mounted on you and is throwing punches, your first instinct might be to turn over to protect your face. But if you do that, you can’t fight back, while the person on top of you can continue to punch you or submit you with a rear naked choke.
BJJ has become more mainstream lately, but back in the late 80s and early 90s, practitioners of other martial arts like karate scoffed at it. Then the Gracie challenges started happening, where a BJJ player and a karate expert would square off to see “once and for all” which style was better. Well, once the fight went to the ground, which usually happened as quickly as the BJJ player wanted it to, the karate expert would be helpless, would usually get mounted, and would then usually give his back to the BJJ player. VERY bad idea.
There’s lots of footage available of some of these fights. Those karate guys would get really pissed.
Tap Out: A BJJ player who wants to submit to a finishing hold because it is too tight and s/he is in danger or pain will literally tap with his/her hand. Tapping the mat is fine, though tapping the opponent is better. Lots of cute sayings like “Tap or nap” and “Tap or snap” have cropped up and can be found on T-shirts and bumper stickers around the world. My personal favorite, used when people are talking too much during sparring, is “Less yapping, more tapping.”
Note: The party line is that it is perfectly okay to tap, that getting caught in a finishing hold is nothing to be ashamed of and is actually a sign that the tapping player is improving. NOBODY believes this. EVERYONE hates to tap. But people should anyway, much more than they do.
Technique: A BJJ move, like a choke or a sweep. The building blocks of BJJ. There are thousands of BJJ techniques. All you need to do to have BJJ worth watchin’ is learn these thousands of techniques by repping them thousands of times, putting them together in combinations while defending against your opponent’s techniques, being able to explain them in minute detail to less advanced students, and adding to the technique inventory by inventing your own. See you in 6-10 years.
Third Hook: How to explain the third hook? It’s what you probably think it is, which is to say, it’s sexual. Phallic. And it makes BJJ players snicker when they talk about “putting it in.” Note that it is not actually a BJJ term, technique, or move. Still, it’s pretty funny if you have the mentality of a 12-year-old boy, like I do.
Throw: A method for getting your opponent on the ground. Throws require that you off balance your opponent and toss them over your shoulder, over your hip, or backwards over your head. Ideally once you throw your opponent, you land on top. I had the honor of training for a while with a recent captain of the Turkish women’s Olympic judo team (judo is all about throws). She would toss people around like sacks of peat moss, smiling the whole time, not at your expense, but because she was having so much fun.
Tomato can: An MMA competitor who has no chance of beating his opponent. I’m not sure where this term originated, but I like the idea that Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup sequence was inspired by an impromptu MMA bout between Valerie Solanas and Jean-Michel Basquiat at the Factory back in the 70s. In my imagination, it goes like this: After Basquiat softened Solanas up with some jabs and uppercuts, took her down, and made quick work of it by rear naked choking the crap out of her, Warhol said, “Geez, Valerie, you don’t fight any better than, uh, a…a…a TOMATO CAN.”
And that’s why she shot him.
Triangle: A type of BJJ choke whereby the player wraps his/her legs around the opponent’s head and one of his/her arms, bending one knee over the other ankle/shin. Named for the shape of the space between the legs. This choke in particular requires close, physically and psychologically uncomfortable contact with the opponent. It is never funny to the recipient of the choke to add insult to injury by, as one guy I know calls it, “playing the ass trumpet” when you have triangled someone. It is always funny to the person doing the choking and to everyone watching.
Triple Attack: A BJJ position wherein one player is lying on his/her side with the top arm folded across the throat and underneath the neck. The other player, who is in the dominant position, crouches on top of the first player, immobilizing him/her. So named because from here, the crouching player has three options for what to do next: an arm bar, various chokes, or taking the back. Also called “small package.” (Most guys do not like it when you say, “Hey, during sparring today I was noticing your small package.”)
Turtle: A BJJ position wherein the player is on all fours, with the elbows tight against the ribs, head down, and knees close to the elbows. This is a very defensive position; the player keeps the elbows and knees tight to prevent an opponent from getting the hooks in, and tucks the chin to prevent chokes. So named because the player looks like a turtle drawn into its shell.
Ultimate Fighting Championship: A mixed martial arts competition that is gaining in popularity due to a reality show called The Ultimate Fighter and Ultimate Fight Nights, both shown on Spike TV and both showcasing fights between mixed martial artists. The UFC and PRIDE are the litmus tests, the shibboleths, if you will, that separate out the civilians from the hard core aficionados. Case in point: When I explained to a friend of mine that I was going to watch the next UFC and described what would happen, this friend looked at me as if I had said I enjoy eating rabbit turds.
Upa: BJJ move where player lying on his/her back bends the knees, plants the feet, lifts the hips, and tips up onto one shoulder. One of the components of an escape from the mount. Not to be confused with 1) Oompa Loompa (one of many aides to Willy Wonka in the whimsical Roald Dahl children’s books), 1) Oona (Charlie Chaplain’s wife), 3) Oomph (a little extra something something), or 4) Una (a friend of mine).
Work: A fight that is thought to have been fixed, as when a tomato can beats someone much better than s/he. Usage, e.g., “That fight was a work!” is appropriate whenever the person you’re rooting for loses, or so lots of fans would have you believe.