Start · For beginners
New to no-gi? Start here.
No-gi submission grappling is its own sport — with its own grips, positions, and competitive world. This is the front door: what it is, how to begin safely, and where to go next. No experience assumed.
How to start no-gi grappling
Starting is simpler than it looks. You do not need to be fit, flexible, or coordinated first — those come from the training, not before it. You need a place to train, a willingness to be a beginner for a while, and an understanding of the one rule that keeps everyone safe. Here is the whole path.
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Understand what you are starting
It is worth ten minutes before you walk in. Read what is no-gi jiu-jitsu? for the plain-language version, and submission grappling is its own discipline for why it is a sport in its own right rather than "BJJ without the gi."
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Find a place to train
You cannot learn this from a screen — you need a room, a coach, and training partners. Look for a school that runs dedicated no-gi or submission-grappling classes, keeps its mats clean, and has beginners who are clearly looked after, not used as practice dummies. A free trial class is normal; take one before you commit. Our guide to finding a good no-gi school covers exactly what to look for — and the red flags to avoid — and the students page goes deeper.
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Sort out simple gear
Almost nothing is required. A snug rash guard (so nothing catches fingers or toes), shorts or leggings with no pockets or zippers, a mouthguard, and a water bottle will get you through your first month. There is no uniform to buy — the full list is in what to wear to no-gi grappling.
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Learn the one rule that matters first
Before technique, before anything: the tap. When a choke or joint lock is locked in, you tap your partner to signal you give up, and they let go immediately. Tapping early and often is not losing — it is how everyone trains hard without getting hurt. Read tapping culture before your first session. It is the single most important thing on this page.
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What your first class looks like
A warm-up, some movement drills, then a coach showing one technique that you practise with a partner who is helping rather than resisting. Many schools will not have you spar ("roll") on day one, and you should not feel any pressure to. You will be tired and a little lost. Everyone was. Show up again. The full walk-through is in what to expect in your first class.
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Show up consistently, and learn why it works
Progress comes from turning up two or three times a week far more than from any single lesson — see what to focus on in your first month. As the techniques start to stick, this site is built to tell you why they work: the Foundations path sequences your first year principle by principle, the invariants explain the mechanics underneath every move, and the position map shows how the whole sport fits together. New to the site itself? How InGrappling works explains the layout in two minutes.
Understand the sport
Compare and decide
No-gi vs BJJ
They are not two different arts. What actually changes when the uniform comes off — and what carries over.
No-gi vs wrestling
Same scramble, different goal: wrestling pins, no-gi submits. Where they overlap, and what a wrestler must learn.
Gi or no-gi first?
The honest decision framework, against the usual "always start in the gi" advice. You can start with no-gi.
Coming from another sport
No-gi for wrestlers
Your head start is real — and the four things to add: the guard, submissions, leg-lock defence, and the tap.
Gi to no-gi
Most of your jiu-jitsu transfers; the grips do not. What changes when the uniform comes off, and how to adapt fast.
No-gi for judo players
Your throws and grip-fighting transfer; the jacket and the long ground game are the adjustments.
Your first weeks on the mats
Finding a good school
The signs of a mature, safe, well-run gym — and the red flags to walk away from. A standards-based guide, not a directory.
What to wear
A rash guard, shorts, and a mouthguard. There is no uniform to buy — here is the whole short list.
Your first class
What actually happens — the warm-up, the drilling, whether you spar — plus what to bring and the etiquette.
Your first month
What to focus on, what to safely ignore, and why showing up consistently beats everything else.
Your first six months
A realistic roadmap from your first class to functional skill — what to focus on at each stage.
Learn the fundamentals
Positions to know
The core positions from worst to best — guard, side control, mount, the back — and why knowing where you are comes first.
Leg locks for beginners
No-gi's signature game, the safe way: defence first, heel hooks gated, and the order to learn them in.
Best submissions to learn first
Five high-percentage finishes worth your time, and why each one suits a beginner.
The first 10 techniques
What to learn first, in order — movements and escapes before submissions, each linked to a full guide.
Drills for beginners
The handful of solo and partner drills that build the foundation — worth your warm-up from week one.
Step-by-step guides
How to breakfall
Hit the ground without hurting yourself — the first safety skill, step by step.
How to shrimp (hip escape)
The most important movement a beginner learns — how to make space and escape.
Your first armbar
The armbar from mount, step by step — control first, finish slow, tap discipline.
Your first rear naked choke
Grappling's highest-percentage finish, from back control — the safe beginner version.
Your first guillotine
The choke you can finish off a sprawl — step by step, applied with control.
Common beginner questions
Are heel hooks dangerous?
The honest answer to the question every beginner asks — and how the sport trains its highest-risk submission safely.
Common beginner mistakes
The six mistakes almost everyone makes early — each with the mechanical fix.
Is no-gi harder than gi?
Not harder — differently hard. Why no-gi feels faster and less forgiving, and what that means for a beginner.
Is it good for self-defence?
An honest take: real value for one-on-one control and composure, with real limits worth knowing.
How long to get good?
Years to truly good, months to functional — and why progress is measured by ability, not time served.
Is no-gi safe?
Honestly yes, for a contact sport — because of the tap. How injury risk works, and how it is managed.
More questions answered
How a match works
Win by submission, or on points — how no-gi scoring, legal techniques, and match length work.
Competitions explained
ADCC, EBI, and the scene — and whether you ever have to compete (you don't).
No-gi vs MMA
Not the same — no-gi has no strikes — but it's the grappling backbone of MMA.
How often to train
Two to three sessions a week is the sweet spot — enough to improve without burning out.
Do I need a mouthguard?
Yes — the one bit of protective gear worth buying. What else you need, and what to skip.
Hygiene & avoiding staph
The most common avoidable risk — how to prevent skin infections, spot them, and stay clean.
Begin here
Tapping culture
Understand this first — the tap is the signal that makes training safe. Read it before your first session.
The Foundations path
A structured, criterion-based route through your first year on the mats — sequenced, not random.
How the site works
The three-layer model — techniques, the concepts behind them, and the invariants underneath.
How to learn no-gi, step by step
The full beginner curriculum as a structured path — the ten Foundations stages, in order.
Explore the reference
The invariants
The mechanical principles that hold across every position. Learn these and new techniques come faster.
The position map
A navigable map of the sport — positions, transitions, and how they connect.
The glossary
Every term in the sport, defined mechanically — the vocabulary of no-gi.
Essential terms
The must-know vocabulary — positions, actions, submissions — each defined and linked, so day one makes sense.
Find your path
For students
If you train, or you are about to.
For parents
Is it right for your child? What grappling offers, how safety works, and how to choose a programme.
Questions answered
Is this a BJJ site? Why no belts? Where do I start? — the common questions.
Starting later in life
It is never too late — how to begin as an older athlete, training smart and lasting.