BJJ Graph

Standing Position

Dec 09, 202517 min read

The Standing Position represents the fundamental neutral starting state in BJJ and grappling competitions. This position is characterized by both practitioners standing upright and engaging through various grips, postures, and movements while seeking advantageous entries to ground exchanges. In competition, this is typically the position where matches begin and can also result from stand-ups or resets. The Standing Position encompasses a wide range of specific scenarios depending on grip configurations, stance, and relative positioning, but generally involves both practitioners seeking to establish dominant grips, create off-balancing opportunities, and set up either takedowns or tactical guard pulls. This position serves as the gateway to all subsequent BJJ exchanges and requires a unique blend of skills that differ from ground-based grappling. Mastery of the standing position involves understanding distance management, timing, grip sequences, footwork patterns, and the ability to transition seamlessly between offensive takedown attempts and defensive sprawls or guard pulls. The strategic depth of this position is often underestimated, yet it determines how the majority of competitive matches begin and can significantly impact the overall flow and outcome of a match.

Position Definition

  • Both practitioners maintain upright vertical posture with torsos elevated and feet as the only points of contact with the mat, creating a dynamic standing engagement
  • Weight distributed through both legs with active base, allowing for rapid directional changes and explosive movements in response to opponent actions
  • Dynamic hand fighting and grip engagement occurring through collar ties, sleeve grips, or other control points, with both practitioners seeking grip dominance
  • Neutral relative positioning with neither practitioner having established dominant control, allowing for equal opportunity to initiate offensive techniques
  • Active footwork and movement patterns employed to create angles, manage distance, and set up entries to either takedowns or guard pulls

Prerequisites

  • Fundamental understanding of proper stance mechanics with balanced weight distribution and athletic base
  • Basic grip fighting competency to establish and break grips effectively
  • Recognition of common takedown setups and defensive postures
  • Awareness of guard pull timing and execution fundamentals
  • Development of balance, coordination, and proprioception for upright grappling exchanges
  • Understanding of distance management and footwork patterns

Key Principles

  • Establish and maintain proper athletic stance with knees slightly bent, weight on balls of feet, and balanced base
  • Control distance through strategic footwork, using movement to create angles and deny opponent’s preferred grips
  • Secure advantageous grips while systematically denying opponent’s grip objectives through active hand fighting
  • Create off-balancing opportunities through push-pull dynamics, direction changes, and weight manipulation
  • Maintain defensive awareness against common takedown entries while preparing offensive attacks
  • Recognize optimal timing windows for transitions to takedowns, guard pulls, or defensive reactions
  • Manage energy efficiently through strategic movement and selective grip engagement rather than constant muscular tension

Available Techniques and Transitions

Double Leg Entry → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 25%
  • Intermediate: 40%
  • Advanced: 60%

Single Leg Entry → Half Guard

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 30%
  • Intermediate: 45%
  • Advanced: 65%

Ippon Seoi Nage → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 15%
  • Intermediate: 30%
  • Advanced: 50%

Osoto Gari → Mount

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 20%
  • Intermediate: 35%
  • Advanced: 55%

Ankle Pick → Half Guard

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 25%
  • Intermediate: 40%
  • Advanced: 60%

Snap Down → Front Headlock

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 30%
  • Intermediate: 50%
  • Advanced: 70%

Guard Pull → Closed Guard

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 40%
  • Intermediate: 60%
  • Advanced: 80%

Sitting Guard Pull → Seated Guard

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 45%
  • Intermediate: 65%
  • Advanced: 85%

Arm Drag to Back → Back Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 20%
  • Intermediate: 35%
  • Advanced: 55%

Uchi Mata → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 15%
  • Intermediate: 30%
  • Advanced: 50%

Kouchi Gari → Half Guard

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 25%
  • Intermediate: 40%
  • Advanced: 60%

High Crotch → Half Guard

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 25%
  • Intermediate: 40%
  • Advanced: 60%

Rolling Guard Pull → De La Riva Guard

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 30%
  • Intermediate: 50%
  • Advanced: 70%

50-50 Entry from Standing → 50-50 Guard

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 20%
  • Intermediate: 35%
  • Advanced: 55%

Bodylock Pass → Side Control

Success Rates:

  • Beginner: 25%
  • Intermediate: 40%
  • Advanced: 60%

Defensive Counters

Counter Techniques

Decision Making from This Position

If opponent establishes strong collar tie and is driving forward with pressure:

If opponent is standing upright with minimal grip engagement and maintaining distance:

If opponent is shooting for legs or lowering level aggressively:

If opponent secures dominant sleeve and collar grips with strong judo posture:

If opponent is circling and avoiding engagement with constant movement:

Common Mistakes

1. Standing too upright with locked knees and high center of gravity

  • ❌ Consequence: Increases vulnerability to throws and off-balancing, makes takedown defense ineffective, and limits ability to change levels quickly
  • ✅ Correction: Maintain athletic stance with slight knee bend, weight on balls of feet, and lower center of gravity while keeping back straight for mobility

2. Neglecting grip fighting and allowing opponent to establish dominant grips unchallenged

  • ❌ Consequence: Opponent gains control of distance and positioning, can execute techniques at will, and dictates the pace and direction of exchanges
  • ✅ Correction: Actively fight for grips with purposeful hand fighting, systematically break opponent’s grips while establishing your own strategic grip configurations

3. Remaining stationary with flat feet and predictable positioning

  • ❌ Consequence: Becomes easy target for takedowns, allows opponent to time attacks, eliminates ability to create angles, and makes defensive reactions slower
  • ✅ Correction: Maintain constant subtle movement with active footwork, circle to create angles, use forward and backward pressure to disrupt opponent’s timing

4. Overextending stance with feet too wide or too far forward

  • ❌ Consequence: Compromises balance and stability, creates openings for foot sweeps and trips, makes recovery from off-balancing attempts difficult
  • ✅ Correction: Keep feet shoulder-width apart with weight centered, maintain ability to quickly adjust stance in any direction while preserving strong base

5. Telegraphing intentions through obvious weight shifts or preparatory movements

  • ❌ Consequence: Opponent can anticipate and counter attacks before execution, defensive reactions become effective, and success rate drops significantly
  • ✅ Correction: Disguise attacks with subtle setups, use feints and false attacks to mask true intentions, maintain neutral posture until commitment point

6. Gripping with excessive muscular tension and death grips that drain energy

  • ❌ Consequence: Rapid fatigue of forearms and hands, decreased grip endurance throughout match, compromised ability to maintain grips in later exchanges
  • ✅ Correction: Use strategic grip timing with relaxed hands until critical moments, employ efficient grip breaking techniques rather than pure strength battles

7. Looking down at feet or opponent’s hips instead of maintaining visual awareness

  • ❌ Consequence: Misses upper body attacks, susceptible to snapdowns and collar ties, compromises posture and makes head vulnerable to control
  • ✅ Correction: Keep head up with eyes focused on opponent’s chest and collar area, use peripheral vision to track lower body movements and footwork

Training Drills

Progressive Grip Fighting Sequences

Partner drill where both practitioners engage in grip fighting with escalating resistance levels. Start with 30% intensity for grip establishment, progress to 50% for grip breaks and re-grips, culminate in 70% intensity full grip fighting. Focus on hand speed, strategic grip selection, and energy-efficient grip breaking techniques. Reset every 30 seconds to practice fresh engagements.

Duration: 5 rounds of 2 minutes

Dynamic Movement and Angle Creation

Solo and partner drill focusing on footwork patterns while maintaining athletic stance. Practice circle steps, penetration steps, defensive retreat steps, and angle changes. Partner version involves mirroring opponent’s movement while seeking to create off-angles through superior footwork. Emphasize balance maintenance throughout all directional changes.

Duration: 3 rounds of 3 minutes

Stance Transitions Under Pressure

One partner applies various forms of pressure (pushing, pulling, circling) while other maintains optimal stance and base. Defending partner must adjust stance dynamically to maintain balance without compromising posture. Progress to defender initiating attacks from adjusted stances. Develops reactive stance adjustment and stability under duress.

Duration: 4 rounds of 90 seconds per partner

Takedown Entry Recognition and Defense

Partner repeatedly demonstrates various takedown entries at slow speed while defender practices appropriate defensive responses. Progress from recognition without resistance to full-speed defense. Includes single leg, double leg, throws, and snapdowns. Emphasize early recognition cues and immediate defensive reactions.

Duration: 10 minutes of progressive drilling

Guard Pull Timing and Execution

Practice multiple guard pull variations from standing engagement, focusing on grip establishment before pull, timing the drop, and landing in optimal guard position. Partner provides realistic resistance to grips but allows pull completion. Cycle through closed guard, seated guard, De La Riva, and 50-50 entries.

Duration: 8 minutes rotating techniques

Optimal Paths from This Position

Guillotine Path from Standing

Standing Position → Snap Down → Front Headlock → Guillotine Choke → Won by Submission

Leg Lock Path via Guard Pull

Standing Position → 50-50 Entry from Standing → 50-50 Guard → Inside Heel Hook → Won by Submission

Back Attack Path from Takedown

Standing Position → Single Leg to Back Take → Back Control → Rear Naked Choke → Won by Submission

Armbar Path from Guard

Standing Position → Guard Pull → Closed Guard → Triangle from Closed Guard → Triangle Choke → Won by Submission

Kimura Path from Standing Control

Standing Position → Russian Tie to Back Take → Standing Back Control → Kimura from Standing → Won by Submission

Success Rates and Statistics

Skill LevelRetention RateAdvancement ProbabilitySubmission Probability
Beginner30%35%5%
Intermediate50%55%15%
Advanced70%75%30%

Average Time in Position: 30-90 seconds in competitive settings, longer in training environments

Expert Analysis

John Danaher

The standing position represents the most complex decision-making environment in grappling because it requires integration of multiple skill sets that are often trained in isolation. The systematic approach to standing exchanges begins with understanding that grip fighting is not merely about securing grips, but about creating hierarchical control that facilitates specific takedown entries while denying the opponent’s preferred attacks. I emphasize the connection between grip configurations and takedown mechanics - certain grips naturally lead to certain techniques, and the grip fighting phase should be viewed as the setup phase for your primary offensive techniques. The concept of creating defensive frames in standing is equally critical; maintaining proper distance through head position, forearm frames, and strategic grips prevents the opponent from entering their optimal attack range. From a biomechanical perspective, the standing position demands an understanding of leverage principles that differ significantly from ground grappling - the base of support is much smaller with just the feet, making balance disruption through rotational forces and directional changes more effective than the linear pressure that works on the ground. Practitioners must develop the ability to recognize takedown entries in their earliest phases, as defensive reactions become exponentially more difficult once an opponent has established positional control through grips and body positioning.

Gordon Ryan

In modern competition, the standing phase is often a strategic game of managing risk versus opportunity, and understanding your strengths relative to your opponent is critical for decision-making in this position. I approach standing exchanges with a clear hierarchy of preferred outcomes based on the specific opponent and competitive context. Against wrestlers with superior takedown games, I prioritize grip configurations that facilitate tactical guard pulls to my strongest guard positions, particularly outside Ashi Garami entries that immediately threaten leg attacks. The key is to make the guard pull look like a defensive reaction while actually being a planned offensive entry. Against pure guard players, I’ll engage more aggressively in the standing phase to establish dominant grips that set up passing sequences or force them into guard pulls that favor my top game. Grip fighting in competition needs to be efficient and purposeful - I’m not interested in prolonged grip battles that drain energy, but rather in quick decisive grip sequences that either establish my attack or force the opponent into a disadvantageous position. The timing of guard pulls is crucial; pulling too early gives up potential advantages position and points, while waiting too long can result in being taken down. I’ve developed specific grip sequences that create the illusion of takedown attempts, causing opponents to react defensively, which then opens clean guard pull entries with optimal positioning. Understanding referee interpretation of engagement rules is also critical for avoiding penalties while controlling the pace of standing exchanges.

Eddie Bravo

The standing position in no-gi grappling presents unique opportunities for creative entries into the 10th Planet system, and I’ve developed specialized approaches that bridge conventional wrestling with our submission-oriented game plan. The absence of gi grips fundamentally changes the standing game - you’re working with collar ties, underhooks, overhooks, and wrist control rather than sleeve and lapel grips, which creates different timing windows and entry mechanics. I emphasize using the standing position to set up direct entries into rubber guard, lockdown half guard, or leg entanglement positions through strategic guard pulls that immediately establish the grips and configurations needed for our attacking sequences. The concept of the combat guard pull is central to our approach - this isn’t a passive pull to guard, but an aggressive entry that immediately threatens submissions or sweeps, putting the top player in defensive mode from the moment they enter your guard. For example, pulling to rubber guard with immediate mission control or pulling to lockdown with the whip-up setup already in progress. Standing exchanges also present opportunities for front headlock entries, which are highly compatible with our submission chains - the guillotine, darce, and anaconda sequences work beautifully in no-gi and can be set up through snapdowns or failed takedown defense. I teach students to view the standing position not as a separate phase of grappling, but as the entry point to our systematic submission attacks, with each grip fight and positioning battle designed to create the specific entries that lead into our highest-percentage finishing sequences.