Grappling and MMA glossary
In your first weeks you'll hear a lot of terms nobody stops to explain. Here's what they mean — so you don't have to ask mid-round.
Why the terms stay in English
Grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu reached this region through English, and positions and techniques have established names that everyone recognises regardless of language. Translating them would be accurate but useless — at a seminar or competition you'll hear "mount" and "sweep", not a local equivalent. So the original names stick.
- Guard
- The position where you're on your back using your legs to control an opponent in front of you. Unlike most sports, being on your back in jiu-jitsu isn't losing — you attack, sweep and finish from guard.
- Mount
- Sitting on your opponent's chest. One of the most dominant positions in grappling and the most uncomfortable to be under.
- Side control
- Controlling from the side, lying across an opponent who is on their back. A stable position that leads easily to mount or a submission.
- Back control
- Controlling from behind with hooks around the opponent's hips. The best position in the sport — it opens the rear naked choke and your opponent can't see you.
- Tap
- Submitting. You tap your partner or the mat two or three times and the technique stops immediately. Tapping isn't defeat, it's the basic safety rule — you tap early and without ego.
- Roll
- Sparring in grappling. Two people working at full or partial intensity, with real resistance, under control.
- Drill
- Repeating a technique with a partner who doesn't fully resist, until the movement becomes automatic.
- Sweep
- Reversing an opponent from the bottom so you end up on top. How guard turns into an advantage.
- Guard pass
- Getting past an opponent's legs to reach side control or mount. One of the most important skills in grappling.
- Escape
- Getting out of a bad position — from under mount or side control, or out of a choke. Beginners spend most of their time here.
- Submission
- A technique that ends the fight: a joint lock or choke, after which the opponent taps.
- Joint lock
- A technique that takes a joint beyond its natural range — usually elbow, shoulder or knee. Applied slowly and released on the first tap.
- Choke
- A technique that cuts blood flow to the brain or air to the lungs. A properly applied blood choke is fast and painless, which is why you tap straight away.
- Armbar
- An elbow lock applied with the legs across the opponent's chest. Probably the best-known submission in jiu-jitsu.
- Kimura
- A shoulder lock using a figure-four grip on the wrist. Named after Masahiko Kimura, the judoka who used it against Hélio Gracie.
- Triangle
- A choke with the legs, trapping the opponent's neck and one arm in a triangle.
- RNC (rear naked choke)
- A choke from back control using only the arms. The most common finish in MMA.
- Takedown
- Putting an opponent from standing onto the mat. It comes from wrestling and in MMA often decides who dictates the fight.
- Sprawl
- Takedown defence — throwing your legs back and dropping your hips onto an opponent shooting for them.
- Clinch
- Close-range fighting from standing, gripping the neck, arms or body. The space between striking and wrestling.
- No-gi
- Training without a kimono, in shorts and a close-fitting top. No fabric grips, faster pace. Our regular program is mostly no-gi.
- Gi (kimono)
- The classic Brazilian jiu-jitsu uniform. Grips on sleeve, lapel and belt open techniques that don't exist in no-gi.
- Rashguard
- A close-fitting top for no-gi training. It protects the skin from mat friction and stays in place while rolling.
- Open mat
- An informal session with no structured class. You come, drill what you like and roll freely. Ours is Saturdays, 10:00 to 12:00.
- Shrimping
- The basic hip movement along the mat that creates space to escape a position. One of the first things you learn and one you never stop practising.
- Ground and pound
- Striking an opponent from a dominant position on the ground. It exists in MMA, not in grappling.
- Belts
- Rank in Brazilian jiu-jitsu: white, blue, purple, brown and black. Progress is slow — black belt typically takes ten years or more.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need to know these terms before my first session?
- No. The coach demonstrates everything, and you pick the names up within a few weeks. This page exists to speed that up, not to be a prerequisite.
- What does it mean when someone says they tapped?
- That they submitted, by tapping their partner or the mat. It's a normal, everyday part of training — everyone taps, coaches included.
- What's the difference between grappling and jiu-jitsu?
- Brazilian jiu-jitsu is classically trained in a kimono, grappling without one. The techniques overlap heavily, and we train mostly no-gi.
It sinks in fastest on the mat
The terms settle after a couple of weeks of training. The first session is free — message the coach and come along.
Nedžarići 7, Sarajevo
Other programs
MMA is the most complete combat sport — striking, wrestling and ground fighting in one. At OCD Fighters we train all three from day one, in groups split by experience level.
Grappling is fighting without strikes — takedowns, control, submissions and chokes. A sport where technique regularly beats strength, and probably the fastest way to learn to control someone bigger than you.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu is ground fighting built on leverage, angle and timing — the idea that a smaller, weaker person can control a stronger one who doesn't know what they're doing. Ours is taught by a black belt.
A dedicated women's jiu-jitsu session, in a closed group, led by coach Dalila. No prior experience needed, and no atmosphere where you have to prove anything to anyone.
Never trained before? That's where most of our members started, and it isn't an obstacle. We run dedicated beginner groups for MMA and grappling, paced for people starting from zero.
No hidden costs and no joining fee. You pay a membership for the program you train, or per session if a monthly rhythm doesn't suit you. Your first session is free.
We train Monday to Saturday, mornings and evenings, in groups split by level. The full weekly schedule is below, with today highlighted.
Our gym is at Nedžarići 7, in the Novi Grad municipality of Sarajevo. There's a map and a directions button below — if it's your first visit, following the route straight to the address is easiest.
The gym is in Nedžarići, walking distance from the student halls. Sessions run mornings and evenings so they fit around lectures — and if your schedule is unpredictable, you can pay per session.