The invariables of grappling
No-gi submission grappling,
grounded in mechanical truth.
InGrappling is the single best free reference for submission grappling. Every technique page is anchored to an invariable — a mechanical law that holds regardless of body type, size, style, or lineage. Not how someone taught it. Why it works.
Position of the day · Sunday, April 26
Headquarters (HQ)
Headquarters is the kneeling top position between passing and control — one knee up, one knee down beside the opponent's hip. Submission grappling reference.
Invariables this position tests
- INV-07 Establishing connection is the prerequisite for all control. Control cannot begin until connection exists. Distance — whether created by the opponent deliberately or allowed to develop accidentally — returns initiative to the opponent and must be closed before control can be re-established.
- INV-G01 The bottom player must maintain their feet between or at the line of the top player
- INV-P01 The top player must clear the bottom player
What students miss most
Headquarters is the kneeling top position between passing and control — one knee up, one knee down beside the opponent's hip. Submission grappling reference.
Common mistakes are surfaced from the technique's full coverage page.
Built on invariables, not lineage
An invariable is a mechanical truth that holds regardless of who taught the technique. Every page on this site names the invariable it expresses. That's what makes the explanation actually useful.
The Invariables Framework
Greg Souders formalised the application of ecological dynamics to grappling. Every technique page cites the invariable it expresses — the mechanical law that explains why it works, not just that it works.
Read the invariables →Six Submission Hubs
John Danaher's codification of all submissions into six mechanical families — back attacks, leg locks, kimura, armbar, front headlock, triangles — is the organisational spine of all technique content on this site.
Explore the hubs →Scramble Hierarchy
Craig Jones documented the decision order in scrambles: stand up first, then shoot, then turtle. The height/hip height principle. The wrestle-up as primary offensive tool. Chaos has structure.
Standing and scrambles →Centerpiece feature
Every position.
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A force-directed graph of the complete positional landscape of no-gi grappling. See how every position connects to the next — guard to back, standing to leg entanglement, every submission threat mapped to its source. The whole game, in one navigable view.
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The ecological approach, invariable-based cuing, and curriculum design.
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High-percentage content by ruleset, competitive meta, and positional maps.
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Safety frameworks, what responsible coaching looks like, and what to expect.
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Leg Entanglements
Position family
The most searched, most poorly documented area in no-gi grappling. Complete coverage from ashi garami to cross ashi, with invariable analysis at every step.
Back Position
Position family
The complete back control system — seatbelt, body triangle, harness, and every finish from each.
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Conceptual layer
Gripping sequences, range objectives, and dilemmas — the strategic layer that explains how techniques relate to each other. How individual techniques become systems.
The Invariables Index
Reference
Every mechanical truth that underpins technique on this site. The foundational reading.
The Positional Map
Interactive reference
Every position, every transition, every submission threat. Force-directed and filterable.
Tapping Culture
Social dynamics
Why tapping is not weakness, how to build a mat culture where people tap early, and what it means for safety.