Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) does not have an established canon (formalized set of techniques), with significant regional variation seen in both application and naming. Brazilian jiu-jitsu initially consisted of judo katame-waza (newaza) techniques, but has since evolved to encompass a far greater variety by absorbing techniques from amateur wrestling, catch wrestling, sambo, and Japanese jujitsu (not to be confused with Brazilian jiu-jitsu). Due to its status as an eclectic martial art, much controversy surrounds the renaming of techniques derived from other martial arts. Many of these martial arts including Brazilian jiu-jitsu's parent art of judo, was itself a collection of adopted techniques from other older forms of martial arts before developing unique techniques. In recent times however, technical innovations exclusive to Brazilian jiu-jitsu (e.g. worm guard, inverted guard) have been developed, setting it apart from its predecessors.
Unlike its direct predecessor judo, which categorizes techniques on the basis of mechanism, Brazilian jiu-jitsu techniques are frequently eponyms, which leads to confusion among practitioners. Examples include:
Below is a partial list of techniques categorized by type.
1. Closed Guard (Full Guard) 1. Knee-in-Tailbone Break 2. Standing Guard Break 3. Double Forearm/Wedge Break 4. Hip Control + Elbow Wedge 5. Can Opener (caution: often illegal in sport BJJ)
2. Half Guard (Top Position) 1. Crossface + Knee Slice Pass 2. Backstep Pass 3. Twist Pass (Weave Arm Through Legs) 4. Tripod Smash Pass 5. Knee Pry + Hip Kickout
3. Mount Escapes 1. Bridge and Roll (Upa Escape) 2. Elbow Escape (Shrimp Escape) 3. Knee-to-Elbow + Hip Escape Combo 4. Foot Drag Escape 5. Trap and Bridge vs High Mount 6. Elbow Wedge to Knee Insert 7. Technical Bridge to Turtle 8. Knee Push + Elbow Pull 9. Ghost Escape (Frame and Backdoor Slide Out) 10. Kipping Escape (Advanced)
4. Open Guard 1. Torreando (Bullfighter) Pass 2. Leg Drag Entry 3. X-Pass (Step-Over Guard Break) 4. Tripod Push + Backstep 5. Shin Pin Pass
5. Bottom Escapes 1. Most important 3âÂÂ5 (to be defined)
6. De La Riva Guard 1. Backstep Escape 2. Leg Pummel (Shin Kill) 3. Knee Cut Through Hook 4. Pant Grip + Push Knee Down
7. Spider Guard 1. Posture Up + Elbow Peel 2. C-Scoop Arm Escape 3. Leg Drag vs Lasso 4. Pin a Leg + Torreando
8. Lasso Guard 1. Strip Sleeve Grip + Backstep 2. Knee Pin + Pullout 3. Step Over Lasso + Smash Pass 4. High-Step Backward to Unwind Hook
9. Butterfly Guard 1. Float and Smash (Low Hips, Heavy Pressure) 2. Cross-Body Smash Pass 3. Step-Back & Leg Drag 4. Body Lock Pass
10. X-Guard / Single-Leg X 1. Kick Out Leg (Push Shin Off) 2. Backstep + Knee Twist 3. Sit into Hip Smash 4. Push Foot Off Hip
(not to be confused with foot sweeps which are standing techniques)