Where should I grip in BJJ? Grip Fighting 101

Gripping and grabbing is such an inescapable part of jiu-jitsu, grappling and by extension all fighting. There are many reasons why we would choose to establish a grip. This could be to sink in a collar choke, to extended a limb or even to defend against the opponent’s own aggression.

 

While the practical applications of gripping (cloth) or grabbing (body part) are endless, the mechanical reason should always be the same:

 

To define the end of the lever.

A lever is an inflexible rod that bridges between the mover (Force) and what needs to be moved (Load) around a rotation point (Fulcrum). The further away from the fulcrum we apply the force, the less force we need to move the load and vice versa.

 

You will often hear instructors referring to finding the “end of the lever”. This is because the further away you are from the fulcrum, less force you will need to move the load. Therefore, it stands to reason that there are better and worse places to grip and grab. Below is an introduction to the better places to grip and grab and while indeed there are others to investigate, these should form the foundation of anyone’s gripping strategy.

 

1. The collar. If you are looking to control posture, the spine is your lever. The end of the lever is as high as possible on the collar, close to the label, because that puts you the furthest away from the fulcrum (the hips). Gripping any lower will not be optimal and to grab any higher you’d need to abandon the gi and control the back of the head.
2. The seam of the sleeve just above the elbow. If you are looking to control the lateral movement, the upper arm is your lever. The end of the lever is as low as possible on the seam at the back of the arm, close to, but just above, the elbow, because that puts you the furthest away from the fulcrum (the shoulder).
3. The cuff of the sleeve just above the wrist. If you are looking to control the movement of their hand, the lower arm is your lever. The end of the lever is as low as possible on the sleeve, at the cuff, (or even the wrist or the hand itself) because that puts you the furthest away from the fulcrum (the elbow).
4. The bunched up material at the outside (or inside) of the bent knee. If you are looking to control the guard recovery, the thigh is your lever. The end of the lever is as low as possible on the pants, immediately outside, or inside, the knee, because that puts you the furthest away from the fulcrum (the hips).
5. The cuff of the pants just above the foot. If you are looking to control the movement of their foot, the lower leg is your lever. The end of the lever is as low as possible on the pant leg, at the cuff, (or even grabbing over the arch of the foot) because that puts you the furthest away from the fulcrum (the knee).

As expected, there are other minor grip locations (such as various locations on the belt etc.) that serve other, perhaps more niche purposes. I will talk more about these in a future article.

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