The first 10 techniques to learn in no-gi

There is no official list, but there is a sensible order. The sport is learned defence before offence and position before submission, so the first techniques worth your time are the ones that keep you safe and oriented — the flashy finishes come after. Here is a reasonable first ten, in roughly the order they pay off. Each links to a full guide.

Movements and escapes first

1. The shrimp (hip escape) — the foundational movement; how you make space to escape anything.
2. The breakfall — falling safely, so the rest of training is survivable.
3. Escaping side control — getting out of the most common pin you will find yourself under.
4. Escaping the mount — the bridge-and-roll and elbow-escape off the bottom of mount.
5. Guard retention — keeping your legs between you and a passer, so the bottom is a position you play, not one you suffer.

Then position and offence

6. A basic sweep — reversing from the bottom to end up on top.
7. A basic guard pass — getting past the legs into a controlling top position.
8. The rear naked choke — the highest-percentage finish, from the back you have learned to take.
9. The armbar — your first joint lock, from mount, control-first.
10. The guillotine — the choke you can finish off a sprawl, closing out the standing exchanges.

Why this order

Notice the shape: five movements and escapes before a single submission. That is not caution for its own sake — a beginner who can survive and escape can train safely with anyone and stay in rounds long enough to learn, while a beginner who only knows finishes spends every roll being escaped and re-pinned. Position before submission is the whole game, and the Foundations path sequences it the same way. The positions every beginner should know shows the map these ten techniques move across.

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