What are the BJJ positions, and how do you rank them?
In this article, I’ll list, rank, and describe the 12 primary positions in BJJ:
- Rear Mount (Top)
- Full Mount (Top)
- Side Control (Top)
- Knee-On Belly (Top)
- Turtle (Top)
- Guard (Top)
- Guard (Bottom)
- Turtle (Bottom)
- Knee-On Belly (Bottom)
- Side Control (Bottom)
- Full Mount (Bottom)
- Rear Mount (Bottom)
Using the concept of the positional hierarchy, you’ll better understand how to think about the BJJ positions as you train and roll.
NOTE: In this article, I will use generalities. These positions depend on the grappler using them. For example, someone might prefer half guard bottom over side control top because they’ve practiced it more. But, generally, top-side control is a better position.
What Is A BJJ Position?
A BJJ position refers to the positioning of your body in Brazilian jiu-jitsu relative to your opponent.
For example, when your back is on the mat, and your opponent sitting on top of your stomach, you are in the bottom mount position. Your opponent is in the top-mount position.
BJJ positions are different from submissions (or other jiu-jitsu moves, like sweeps or escapes). They are positions from which you apply techniques.
Me applying a rear-naked choke submission from the rear mount (back control) position on my Grappling SMARTY
For example, having your opponent’s back is not a submission. But, from this position, you can attempt submissions like the rear-naked choke.
Not all BJJ positions are equal. Some are good, some are neutral, and some are bad.
This is why why we can rank the BJJ positions using a positional hierarchy. Credit to Stephan Kesting for teaching me this concept.
- The best positions maximize your offensive and defensive options.
- The worst positions minimize your offensive and defensive options.
- Neutral positions are in the middle: you and your opponent have relatively equal offensive and defensive options.
In general, being on top is better than being on bottom. In a real self-defense situation, you want to be able to get up and run away. It’s much easier to do that when you’re on top of your opponent.
When you’re rolling, you win by submitting your opponent. And that’s easier to do when you move up the positional hierarchy.
Consider how much easier it is to submit your opponent from full mount instead of bottom mount. So, if you’re in bottom mount, you want to survive, escape, and advance to a better position: moving up the positional hierarchy.
Next, I’ll give you a high-level overview of the 12 primary BJJ positions, ranking them from best to worst.
1. Rear Mount (Top)
Rear mount, also known as back mount (or having your opponent’s back), is the best position in jiu-jitsu.
There’s a reason why the rear-naked choke is the highest-percentage submission in the UFC.
From rear mount, you have plenty of ways to submit your opponent. And they have no good ways to attack you.
If you want to improve your ability to take the back, control the position, and finish your opponent with high-percentage moves, check out Back Attacks Enter The System By John Danaher.
Having a solid rear mount will make you a much more offensive grappler.
2. Full Mount (Top)
Full mount, otherwise known as just “mount,” is a position where you are seated on top of your opponent.
You can also break mount down into low mount, middle mount, and high mount. It depends on how low or high you are up on your opponent’s body.
Full mount is one of the deadliest positions in jiu-jitsu and MMA, especially if striking is allowed.
There are plenty of attacking options from mount, from armbars to triangle chokes. There are also various advancements to rear mount depending on how your opponent attempts to survive and escape
Roger Gracie is known for his suffocating control from full mount, which he teaches in his instructional: The Roger Gracie Mount System.
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3. Side Control (Top)
Side control top is where you are on top of your opponent facing from the side.
It’s a very strong position from which to control and submit your opponent. The best form of top side control is where you control your opponent’s head.
From side control, you have many ways to submit your opponent. You also have plenty of ways to pass into mount.
If you like to play a pressure-based, smothering top game, side control will be your bread and butter.
Andre Galvao is known for his deadly side control, which you can learn from his instructional: Side Control Dominance.
4. Knee-On Belly (Top)
Top knee-on belly is where you have your knee on your opponent’s stomach and your other foot on the ground.
It’s a dynamic position where you have many different options for submissions and advancement.
You can also drive your knee in to make your opponent’s life hell (and sometimes, even get the tap, although this is frowned upon in training).
Top knee-on belly offers you more control in the gi than in no-gi. In the gi, you can grab the bottom player’s lapel and keep them stapled into the ground with your knee.
If you want to learn how to master the top knee on belly position, check out Knee On Belly Domination by Stephen Whittier.
5. Turtle (Top)
Top turtle is where your opponent is on all fours, and you are on top of them.
Although being in top turtle is better than being in bottom turtle, it’s here we are starting to get into more neutral positions.
You do have various attacks and advancements from top turtle, but they can be tricky to execute — especially if the bottom player likes to play bottom turtle like Priit Mikhelson.
From top, you also have to be cognizant of your opponent’s sweeping and re-guarding opportunities.
Gordon Ryan is great at solving the turtle puzzle, which he teaches in his instructional: Systematically Attacking The Turtle Position.
6. Guard (Top)
Top guard is a neutral position where you are on top of your opponent, but they have their legs “guarding” themselves from you. There are three primary types of top guard positions.
Open Guard (Top)
Top open guard is where you are standing, your opponent is on their back, and they do not have their legs around you.
From top open guard, you are looking to advance (get past your opponent’s legs) into a better position. Or, you can go straight for a leglock.
From top open guard, you have to be aware of the various sweeps and leg attacks the bottom player can do to you.
John Danaher teaches how to pass the guard in his instructional Passing The Guard: BJJ Fundamentals – Go Further Faster.
Closed Guard (Top)
Closed guard top is where you are in a kneeling position on top but your opponent has their legs wrapped around your torso with their ankles crossed.
It’s a neutral position where you don’t have any high-percentage attacks.
From closed guard top, it’s best to try and stand up, open your opponent’s legs, and then pass their guard.
As you try and do that, you must disallow the bottom player from breaking your posture and beginning their offensive sequences. Maintaining good posture here is key.
Half Guard (Top)
Half guard top is where you are on top of your opponent, but they have both of their legs wrapped around one of your legs.
From here, you have a few different ways to pass into mount or even submit your opponent.
However, your opponent has a few different ways to sweep you, attack you, or take your back.
One of the key principles from top half guard is to win the underhook, and prevent the bottom player from winning the underhook.
Lachlan Giles teaches how to develop a killer top half guard game in his instructional, The Half Guard Anthology.
7. Guard (Bottom)
Bottom guard is a neutral position where you are on the ground, your opponent is on top, but you have your legs in play to “guard” yourself from them. There are three primary types of bottom guard positions.
Open Guard (Bottom)
Open guard bottom is where you are lying on your back and your legs are freely moving around. Your opponent is standing.
Bottom open guard is a very dynamic position where you can sweep your opponent or attack them with leg locks.
From here, you must focus on keeping your legs in front of you and your opponent, as they are trying to get around your legs and into a better position like side control or mount.
John Danaher teaches the open guard in his instructional, Open Guard: BJJ Fundamentals – Go Further Faster.
Closed Guard (Bottom)
Bottom closed guard is when you are laying on your back, but have your ankles crossed around your opponent’s torso.
It’s a neutral position where you have plenty of ways to attack, sweep, or take your opponent’s back. However, you must be wary of them trying to stand up and pass.
From bottom closed guard, you’re focused on breaking your opponent’s posture down by crunching your abs and legs. This is what opens them up to your attacking options.
Taller, lankier grapplers tend to like bottom closed guard. Having longer legs makes it harder for your opponent to stand up and open your legs up.
Gordon Ryan teaches the closed guard in his instructional, Systematically Attacking From Closed Guard.
Half Guard (Bottom)
Bottom half guard is when you are on bottom, but you have your legs controlling one of your opponent’s legs.
This is a very common position you’ll find yourself in as a white belt.
It’s an interesting position where you don’t have a ton of high-percentage submission options, but you do have plenty of ways to sweep your opponent or take their back.
If you practice it, you can develop a deadly game from bottom half. Many older, more unathletic grapplers swear by it.
Lachlan Giles teaches you how to win from this position in his instructional The Half Guard Anthology.
8. Turtle (Bottom)
Bottom turtle is where you are on all fours, and your opponent is on top of you.
Bottom turtle is more of a neutral position. You don’t have many attacks from here, but you do have plenty of re-guarding and sweeping options.
And, if you get good at it, you can make it very frustrating for your opponent to attack you.
They’ll often end up making a critical mistake, allowing you to take advantage and get into a better position.
Priit Mikhelson is known for his bottom turtle game. Learn how to use this position to your advantage in his instructional Protecting & Generating Dynamic Offense From The Turtle.
9. Knee-On Belly (Bottom)
Bottom knee-on belly is where you are on the ground, and your opponent is on top of you with their knee on your torso.
The pressure your opponent can exert from here can cause you to tap.
It’s a dangerous position for you where you must prevent your opponent from advancing or submitting you. There are no good attacking options from this position.
From the bottom knee-on belly, you’re trying to escape into a better position, like re-guarding into a bottom guard.
Gordon Ryan teaches how to escape knee-on belly in his instructional, The Pillars Of Defense: Pin Escapes.
10. Side Control (Bottom)
Side control bottom is when you are laying on your back, and your opponent controls your torso from the side.
It’s a bad position for you to be in. It’s one you’ll find yourself often when you’re a white belt rolling with higher belts. That being said, there is an attack from this position: the buggy choke.
From bottom side control, remember this: do not let your opponent take control of your head.
If you can keep them from controlling your head, you’ll greatly increase your chance of survival and escape.
Learning how to survive and escape from bottom-side control is key for all BJJ players. Gordon Ryan teaches you how to do that in his instructional, The Pillars Of Defense: Pin Escapes.
11. Full Mount (Bottom)
Full mount bottom is when you are laying on your back, and your opponent is seated on top of you.
Bottom mount is one of the worst positions in jiu-jitsu, and might be the worst in an MMA context.
There are virtually no good attacks from this position (besides some cheesy Ezekiel chokes), while your opponent has plenty of submissions.
From bottom mount, you’re focused on protecting your neck and stopping your opponent from advancing into a high mount.
There are plenty of ways to escape from bottom mount control. Some escapes from bottom mount allow you to immediately attack with leg lock submissions.
Gordon Ryan’s instructional, The Pillars Of Defense: Pin Escapes, teaches you how to survive and escape from bottom mount.
12. Rear Mount (Bottom)
Rear mount bottom, or “having your back taken,” is the worst position in jiu-jitsu.
From here, you have virtually zero good attacking options, and your opponent has plenty.
In rear mount, you must first focus on protecting your neck. Then, while protecting your neck, you can start to attempt your escapes.
Even getting to another bad position — like bottom-side control — is preferable to having your opponent on your back.
Learning how to escape the back is one of the first things you should learn in jiu-jitsu according to John Danaher.
And his student, Gordon Ryan, teaches you how to do that in The Pillars Of Defense: Back Escapes.
Takeaway Thoughts
So there you have it: the 12 primary BJJ positions, ranked in order from best to worst.
Are there exceptions? Absolutely.
You might prefer bottom turtle to top turtle simply because you’ve practiced it more and you feel more comfortable there.
But generally, you want to get on top, stay on top, and finish your opponent from on top.
What’s your favorite position? Are there any specific videos or instructionals that helped you master it?
Leave a comment in the section below and let me know.
Happy rolling. 🤙
Tsavo Neal
Tsavo is the founder of BJJ Equipment, author of BJJ For Beginners, creator of the BJJ Missions app, and a brown belt instructor at InFighting. He launched BJJ Equipment to help grapplers at every belt level train smarter, make faster progress, and find the best gear for their game.