GRAPPLING MATRIX
BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU FOR BEGINNERS
A blue gi player applying side control pressure on a white gi player

Know what to do next.

Find the position you're stuck in. Learn your immediate priority, avoid the common mistake, and watch a carefully selected video before your next class.

EscapeBad position
Survive first.
ImproveNeutral position
Get to a better spot.
ControlDominant position
Stabilize, then attack.
OUR MISSION

Grappling Matrix is an organized archive of all the BJJ instructional videos online — every video indexed by the position it teaches, described in plain language, so you always know what to watch next.

Find Your Position

1 Back Control — Bottom Job: protect your neck, hand-fight first 2 Mount — Bottom Job: bridge-and-roll, or elbow-knee escape 3 Side Control — Bottom Job: frame, shrimp, recover guard 4 Knee on Belly — Bottom Job: frame the knee, shrimp away 5 Half Guard — Bottom Job: never flat — get on your side, underhook 6 Turtle — Bottom Job: stay tight, then sit out to guard GRAPPLING MATRIX ON THE BOTTOM Survive & escape — Batch 1 TOP & GUARD Being built

The bottom-survival matrix — six positions, worst first. Tap a position to open its page.

Back Control ›
🛡 ESCAPE

Protect your neck, remove their hooks, create space.

Mount ›
🛡 ESCAPE

Protect your arms and neck, create space, escape.

Side Control ›
🛡 ESCAPE

Create space, recover your guard, get to your side.

Guard ›
📈 IMPROVE

Keep your guard, break posture, look for sweeps.

Half Guard ›
📈 IMPROVE

Frame, create space, work to sweep or recover.

Top Control ›
👑 CONTROL

Stabilize first, maintain pressure, then attack.

Takedowns ›

Shots, trips, and throws that start you on top.

Submissions ›

Chokes and joint locks that finish the fight.

Sweeps ›

Off-balance from guard and come up on top.

Guard Passing ›

Beat the legs, pin the hips, settle heavy on top.

Grips ›

Win the hand fight: collars, sleeves, pant grips.

Competition Clips ›

Real matches — the matrix under pressure.

Chokes ›

Rear, collar, and triangle — strangles that end it.

Triangle ›

Three points, one squeeze: the triangle from everywhere it hides.

Baseball Choke ›

Two hands, one bat: the collar choke that swings shut.

Omoplata→
The shoulder lock with a sweep's soul: trap the arm, sit through, own the shoulder.
Kimura→
The double wristlock: two arms against one shoulder, from everywhere.
Armbar ›

Trap the arm, hips under the elbow, extend.

Leg Locks ›

Control the legs: heel hooks, ankle locks — and the way out.

Counters ›

Their move first — your answer: counters that flip the exchange.

Takedown Counters ›

They start it, you finish it: counters to shots, throws and standing holds.

Escapes ›

Get out first: escapes from locks, holds and bad spots.

Wrestling ›

The oldest grappling: shots, rides, pins and chain wrestling.

Judo ›

Kuzushi, grips and the big throws — the standing art that feeds the takedown game.

Rolling ›

Live rounds: sparring as it actually looks — the game under honest pressure.

Philosophy ›

The mind that trains: purpose, reflection and the long game.

Workouts ›

Stronger for the mat: conditioning and strength work for grapplers.

Gear ›

What to buy, in the order you actually need it — and what to skip.

Solo Drills ›

No partner, no excuse: movement, mobility and reps on your own.

Drills ›

Two bodies, endless reps: partner drills that build the game.

Theory ›

Why, not how: principles, concepts and the thinking behind the game.

Lasso ›

The leg as a rope: wrap the arm, own the sleeve, swing into the finish.

Berimbolo ›

Roll under, come up behind: the inversion that rewired the guard game.

Memes ›

The culture shelf: the jokes every grappler lives.

Turtle 🐢 ›

The shell that bites back: defense, rolls, and attacks from turtle.

Explore the Full Matrix

See how positions connect and understand the bigger picture. Switch between a simple list or an interactive mind map.

The Grappling Matrix

Positions are connected. Learn how to escape bad positions, improve neutral positions, and control dominant positions.

The mind map shows the bigger picture so you can see the paths between them.

Train this properly: This site is a study index for between classes — it is not a substitute for a qualified instructor on the mat with you. Practice new movements slowly with a cooperative partner, and tap early and tap often. Tapping is not losing; it is how you get to train again tomorrow.

Our mission: Grappling Matrix is an organized archive of all the BJJ instructional videos online. Every video is indexed by the position it teaches and described in plain language, so any grappler — starting with the white belt who freezes — can find the right instruction for exactly where they're stuck.

About the curator: Grappling Matrix is curated by a grappler who trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for five years — long enough to remember exactly what it feels like to freeze under side control with no idea what comes next. The videos here are not his; each one is taught by the instructor credited in its entry. His job is the one a beginner actually needs done: watch everything, keep only what a white belt can use, and put it in the right order.