What are Posts?
Posts are contacts with the mat or another support that help catch a weight shift, maintain balance, or provide a base for movement.
A post only helps if it supports the direction you are moving. In attack, identify which limb could catch the opponent and control it before redirecting their weight.
Film Study
Watch Posts in action — curated instructionals
The elbow post in back control — taught by Rory Van Vliet · Watch on YouTube
Active posting to set up and defend submissions — taught by BJJ Cache · 5:22 · Watch on YouTube
Building structures, frames and posts — taught by MMA Leech · 6:21 · Watch on YouTube
Active toes: posting with the feet — taught by M1FC · 1:10 · Watch on YouTube
Building Blocks
- Place the post in the direction of the developing weight shift.
- Keep the support connected to your body position.
- Adjust or replace a post as the direction changes.
- Control the opponent’s likely posting limb before a sweep.
Prerequisites
Directional Recognition: The ability to instantly identify which direction you are being displaced — forward, backward, left, right, or diagonally — and place the post accordingly. This is a proprioceptive skill that develops through repeated exposure to off-balancing. Advanced practitioners feel the displacement direction before the sweep fully develops.
Reflexive Posting: Developing the automatic, reflexive response of extending a limb to post when displacement is detected. This cannot be a conscious, deliberate decision — it must be trained to the point of reflex. Delay of even half a second often means the sweep or takedown succeeds before the post is established.
Skeletal Load Transfer: Planting the post with proper skeletal alignment so the toppling force transfers through the bones into the ground rather than being absorbed by muscles. A straight-arm post with stacked shoulder, elbow, and wrist transfers force efficiently. A bent-arm post absorbs force in the bicep and shoulder, leading to collapse.
Head Posting: Using the forehead driven into the mat or against the opponent’s body as a post when hands are occupied. Head posting is common in scrambles, turtle attacks, and passing where both hands are committed to grips or controls. The neck must be strong and the head positioned to transfer force without cervical strain.
Post Denial: The offensive skill of preventing the opponent from posting during sweeps and off-balancing. This includes controlling the posting arm with a grip, blocking the posting space with your body, or timing the sweep to the moment when the posting limb is occupied with another task.
Post-to-Recovery Transition: Using a successful post as the launching point for full base recovery rather than just surviving momentarily. Once the post catches the weight, immediately transition to a stable base by repositioning the hips, re-establishing proper weight distribution, and re-engaging with grips or controls.
Foot Posting: Planting a foot wide in the direction of displacement to catch balance. This is particularly important from standing and from mount, where foot posts prevent takedowns and sweeps respectively. Foot posts provide a wider base than hand posts because the leg is longer.
Post Awareness Under Fatigue: Maintaining the reflexive posting response even when fatigued. Many sweeps and takedowns succeed late in rounds because tired grapplers lose their posting reflexes. Training posting responses under fatigue conditions builds the resilience to maintain this critical defensive skill throughout a match.
Where to Apply
Mount: Adjust a hand, knee, or foot support as the bottom player bridges so your weight stays within a usable base.
Butterfly Guard: From bottom, control the posting arm on the sweep side. From top, recognize the weight shift while a support is still available.
Half Guard: An elbow or hand post can support the bottom player’s movement into a seated position or underhook exchange.
Knee on Belly: The outside foot provides a mobile support as you follow the opponent’s turns or return to side control.
How to Apply
- Detect the direction of displacement: Feel which direction your weight is being moved — forward, backward, left, right, or diagonal. The displacement direction determines where the post must go. React to the sensation of weight shifting rather than waiting for visual confirmation.
- Identify the fastest available limb for posting: Determine which limb can reach the posting position fastest: nearside hand, far hand, foot, or head. If hands are committed to grips, consider whether releasing the grip for a post is worth it, or whether a foot or head post can serve.
- Extend the post with skeletal alignment in the displacement direction: Drive the posting limb out with the joint stacked — shoulder over elbow over wrist for a hand post, hip over knee over ankle for a foot post. The straighter the skeletal chain, the more force transfers to the ground and the more stable the post.
- Plant the post firmly and drive weight into it: Lock the post against the mat or against the opponent’s body. Do not let it slide or collapse. Drive your body weight into the post to create the structural resistance that stops the displacement. The post must be active, not passive.
- Stabilize momentarily and assess the situation: Once the post catches your weight, take a brief moment to assess: is the sweep fully defended, or is it continuing from another angle? Is the opponent adjusting to attack the post itself? Determine the next step before committing.
- Transition from post to full base recovery: Do not stay on the post. Immediately begin repositioning your hips and other limbs to re-establish proper base. A post is temporary — use it as a platform to rebuild your foundation, not as a permanent support point.
- Re-engage with the opponent from the recovered position: Once base is restored, free the posting limb and return it to a productive role — gripping, framing, hooking, or attacking. The post served its purpose; now the limb needs to contribute to the next phase of the exchange.
- When on offense, deny the opponent’s posts before sweeping: Before executing a sweep or off-balancing attempt, control the limbs the opponent would use to post. Grip the posting hand, block the posting space with your body, or time the sweep to catch the posting limb occupied with another task.
Progress Markers
Beginner Level:
- Posts with hands when swept but frequently posts in the wrong direction or too late
- Uses bent-arm posts that collapse under the opponent’s sweep momentum
- Does not recognize the need to deny the opponent’s posts when executing sweeps
- Only uses hand posts — no awareness of foot posting or head posting options
Intermediate Level:
- Posts reflexively in the correct direction for most common sweeps
- Uses extended-arm posts with proper skeletal alignment that resist collapse
- Begins controlling the opponent’s posting hand before executing sweeps
- Transitions from post to base recovery rather than freezing on the post
- Uses foot posts from standing and kneeling positions for balance recovery
Advanced Level:
- Posts reflexively in all directions including uncommon diagonal displacement angles
- Systematically denies opponent posts as part of sweep setup, dramatically improving sweep success rate
- Uses head posts effectively when hands are committed to grips or controls
- Selects the optimal posting limb based on availability and tactical cost (minimizing grip sacrifice)
- Transitions from post to offensive recovery — using the post as a launching point for counter-attacks
Expert Level:
- Posts are invisible — opponents cannot tell when the practitioner has caught a sweep because the recovery is so fast and smooth
- Baits opponents into sweep attempts by appearing vulnerable, then posts and immediately counters from the recovery position
- Teaches posting mechanics clearly with emphasis on direction, timing, skeletal alignment, and post denial
- Maintains posting reflexes under extreme fatigue in late rounds of competition
- Integrates posting awareness into every position so that sweeps rarely succeed, even against aggressive attackers