The FIRST 3 Positions EVERY BEGINNER Should Master | BJJ basics for beginners

March 1, 2026

Hey guys, Coach Luke here with Cebolina, and today we're breaking down the absolute fundamentals of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for people who are brand new to the sport. If you've never trained jiu-jitsu before or you're curious about what actually happens when people are grappling on the ground, this video is for you. We're going to cover three basic positions that form the foundation of BJJ: closed guard, full mount, and back control. Understanding these positions will help you make sense of what you see in competitions, MMA fights, and even self-defense scenarios. These aren't just random positions - they're the building blocks that every single jiu-jitsu practitioner learns, and they each serve a specific strategic purpose in controlling your opponent and setting up attacks.

Let's start with closed guard, which is one of the most fundamental positions in jiu-jitsu. In striking martial arts, your hands are your guard - they protect you and create distance. In jiu-jitsu, your legs become your guard. When you're in closed guard, your legs are locked around your opponent's torso, which gives you incredible control. From this position, you can manage distance, attack submissions, and attempt sweeps to reverse the position and get on top. The closed guard is especially powerful in pure grappling because your opponent has very limited offensive options while you have many ways to attack. Most of the danger comes after your guard is passed - once your opponent gets past your legs, you're in a more defensive position and they're in a more offensive one. This is why maintaining and playing from guard is such a crucial skill in jiu-jitsu.

The third essential position is back control, and it's debatable whether mount or back control is stronger - both score four points in competition because they're both extremely dominant. When you have someone's back, you're positioned behind them with your hooks in (legs controlling their hips), which gives you incredible control and attacking opportunities. In a self-defense scenario or MMA fight, I can strike my opponent from behind while it's very difficult for them to hit me back. The most common attacks from back control are chokes, particularly the rear-naked choke, which is one of the highest-percentage submissions in jiu-jitsu. Just like with mount, the person whose back is taken is in a purely defensive position with very limited options - their primary goal is simply to escape and survive. Understanding these three positions - closed guard, full mount, and back control - will give you a solid foundation for understanding what happens during jiu-jitsu sparring and competition. When we're rolling, we're essentially trying to either play guard and attack from there, or pass the guard to achieve dominant positions like mount or back control. If you have any questions about these positions or jiu-jitsu in general, feel free to drop them in the comments below. See you next time!

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