How InGrappling Works

InGrappling teaches no-gi submission grappling through four interlocking layers. This page explains what each layer is for, how they connect, and how to read a technique page in the context of where you are in your training. If you’re new to the site, read this before anything else.

The three content layers

Most grappling sites pick one content mode and stick with it. They’re a technique library, or a philosophy essay collection, or a curriculum, or a set of training-partner drills. Each mode has strengths and weaknesses. A pure technique library shows you what to do but not why. A pure concept collection tells you why but doesn’t show how. A pure curriculum shows the sequence but not the detail. We don’t pick one — we use three, with a fourth sequencing layer that wraps the others.

The three content layers, from most general to most specific:

Invariables — the mechanical principles that make every technique work. Twelve universals (INV-01 through INV-12) plus domain-specific sets for leg entanglements and other specialised areas. Invariables do not change with technique, lineage, or ruleset.
Technique library — the mechanical details of individual techniques. How to do a kimura, a triangle, a knee-cut pass, a butterfly sweep. The how.
Concepts — the connective tissue. How techniques chain, which positions force dilemmas, how grips escalate, why some submissions work from a family of positions. The why and the when.

Wrapping all three is the curriculum — the sequencing layer. The curriculum decides what should be learned, in what order, and why. It draws on all three content layers to sequence learning by ability level.

Layer 1: The invariables

The invariables are the mechanical laws that explain why techniques work. They are the deepest layer of the site because they change the least — they are true regardless of technique, style, or ruleset. A kimura works because of INV-02 (structural alignment) and INV-05 (angle of force). A rear naked choke works because of INV-01 (connection) and INV-10 (two-contact-point control). A butterfly sweep works because of INV-04 (hip engagement) and INV-07 (level change).

Understanding the invariable behind a technique is what transforms learning from memorisation to comprehension. A student who has only learned the steps of a kimura has a movement pattern. A student who has learned the steps and the invariable has a framework — they can diagnose why the kimura failed, they can see a kimura opportunity in a position they have never drilled, and they can transfer the principle to related techniques like the omoplata or the straight wristlock.

The invariables are the first thing the foundations curriculum introduces, even before individual techniques. This ordering is deliberate — it is the first of the three sequencing principles (see below).

Layer 2: The technique library

The technique library covers the mechanics of individual techniques. Each technique page has the same structure: what it is, the entry, the mechanics, common errors, the counter, and the invariable it depends on. Every technique page is cross-referenced to the invariables it relies on and the concept systems it participates in.

Technique pages are not tutorials to be read once. They are reference documents. When you encounter a technique in your school’s curriculum, look up the page to understand the invariable, the common errors, and the counter. When a training partner catches you with something, look up the page to understand what the entry looked like and where your defence could have interrupted it.

The library is organised by position family — guard, back, front headlock, top positions, leg entanglements, leg locks, standing — with pages nested underneath. Position-family index pages give you an overview of all techniques in that family.

Layer 3: Concepts

The concepts layer is what most grappling instruction is missing. It explains how positions and techniques connect — the dilemmas, the grip escalations, the submission systems, the guard systems. This is the layer that separates a student who knows a collection of techniques from one who has a connected game.

Concepts are organised into five subcategories:

Guard systems — how butterfly, half guard, closed guard, X-guard, and others function as connected offensive systems with their own mechanics, attacks, and defensive retreats.
Passing systems — the five families of guard passing (knee slice, smash, leg drag, torreando, half-guard passing) and how they differ mechanically.
Submission systems — how chokes and joint locks chain from each position. The kimura system, the triangle system, the leg-lock system, the back-attack system, and others.
Tactical dilemmas — forced-choice sequences that make any defensive response lead to another attack. The building blocks of a connected game.
Range objectives — what you are trying to achieve in each range. Standing objectives differ from guard-bottom objectives differ from guard-passing objectives. Match your intent to your range.
Gripping sequences — grip escalation and chain patterns. How grips open dilemmas.
Scramble concepts — patterns that recur when the position breaks down.

The concepts layer is where foundations students go after they know the individual techniques. It is not a replacement for the technique library — it assumes you have already encountered the techniques it references.

The curriculum sequencing layer

The curriculum wraps the three content layers. It decides what to teach, in what order, and why. Every decision in the foundations and developing curricula follows from three sequencing principles:

Invariable precedence. The mechanical principles precede the techniques that depend on them. A student who understands the invariable has a framework; a student who only knows the technique has a movement pattern. This is why the foundations curriculum introduces invariables in stage 2 — before any attacks are taught.
Defence before offence for elevated risk. For any technique that carries elevated injury risk — heel hooks, neck cranks, reaping, knee bars — the escape is taught before the attack. This produces safer training and better attackers. A student who learns to escape a heel hook first will understand the mechanical fragility of the position when they later learn to apply it.
Position before submission, always. Submissions are taught after the positional prerequisites are established. No armbar from mount before the student can maintain mount under pressure. No rear naked choke before the student can maintain the seatbelt against a resistant partner. This is encoded in INV-08 — the position → control → submission chain.

The curriculum is split into three ability levels — Foundations, Developing, and Proficient. These are criterion-based, not time-based. The criteria for advancement are spelled out on each curriculum page. The progression frameworks page explains why ability-based progression is more honest than belt-based progression.

Reading a technique page in context

The layered structure means every technique page is connected to the three other layers. When you read a technique page, the context depends on where you are in your training:

If you are at foundations level — start with the invariable the technique depends on (linked at the top). Read the mechanical description. Skip the concept-layer references (guard systems, submission systems) until you have encountered the technique in training. Come back to the concept layer once the technique is familiar.
If you are at developing level — lead with the concept layer. What submission system does this technique belong to? What dilemma does it create? Then read the technique mechanics with the system context in mind.
If you are at proficient level — you are probably using the page as a reference to fill a gap or to understand a counter your partner caught you with. The invariable and concept references are where you’ll spend most of your time.

Picking a path through the site

There is no single right path. But here are three common ones:

New student who wants to learn the sport from scratch — start with For students, then tapping culture, then the invariables index, then work through the foundations curriculum stage by stage.
Experienced student filling gaps — use the technique library as a reference, but spend most of your time in the concepts layer. If you already know most of the individual techniques, the concepts layer is where you’ll find the connections you’re missing.
Coach designing a curriculum — start with For coaches, then read the three sequencing principles above, then work through foundations and the twelve-week programme. The programme is a ready-to-deliver sequence.

What this site is not

To avoid confusion, a few things this site does not try to be:

Not a replacement for a coach. You cannot learn no-gi submission grappling without a training partner and a coach who can see what you’re doing. The site is reference material, not instruction.
Not a lineage. We do not claim membership in any particular competitive lineage, team, or school of thought. The invariables are framed without lineage attribution because the mechanics are universal.
Not a competition-focused site. The curriculum is built for long-term development in no-gi submission grappling as a practice, not as a competitive career. Competition preparation is a subset of the proficient curriculum, not its core purpose.
Not gi-oriented. InGrappling is a no-gi resource. Gi-specific techniques (lapel chokes, collar grips, sleeve control) are not covered. Many of the positions and submissions do overlap, but the grip fighting and the pace are different enough that the gi needs its own treatment.

Now that you know how the site works, the next step depends on who you are. Return to students, coaches, or school owners, or dive straight into the foundations curriculum.