Core Mechanics

All techniques in jiu jitsu are combinations of six fundamental mechanisms: frames, levers, wedges, clamps, hooks, and posts.

The bad news? There are potentially infinite techniques in jiu jitsu, each with dozens or hundreds of details. You’ll never remember them all.

Luckily, you don’t have to. Once you understand the core mechanics, you’ll start to see the commonalities behind all techniques. More importantly, you won’t need to remember every single step when applying a technique. You just need to remember to apply the core mechanics. This lets you focus less on rote memorization and more on filling in the gaps on the fly. It also allows you to be more creative, modify techniques to suit you, or even create your own.

Frames

Frames are perhaps the most important defensive concept in jiu jitsu. Framing means creating a shield with the hard, bony parts of your body to prevent your opponent from closing in on you. Frames are predominantly used from the bottom positions.

Good frames don’t rely on muscles. They rely on skeletal alignment. You shouldn’t be trying to bench press your opponent away from you. Instead, you’re using your skeleton to create a bony shield that keeps them at a distance while you move your body to create space.

It’s preferable to make frames that don’t involve joints your opponent can exploit. If you straighten your arm and push with your hand, your wrist and elbow become weaknesses in the frame. Framing with your hand allows more dexterity and gripping options, but is more susceptible to collapse. Similarly, when framing with your legs, shins and knees support more weight than feet due to greater surface area. Feet create longer-range frames but are easier for your opponent to access as levers.

Levers

Levers are force multipliers, and the most efficient way to create openings and attack. The levers of the body, from strongest to weakest, are: your legs, your arms, and your head. This ordering is called the anatomic hierarchy.

Using the head as a lever primarily attacks your opponent’s posture, while using arms and legs primarily attacks structure.

Both arms and legs have three primary joints:

Arms: shoulder, elbow, wrist
Legs: hip, knee, ankle

To control an arm or leg effectively, you generally need control of at least two of these three joints. You will generate more leverage by accessing the end of the lever (the wrist rather than the shoulder, the ankle rather than the hip).

When you are on the attack: lever control is what allows you to advance to more dominant positions and secure submissions. All legitimate submissions are attacks on one or more levers.

When no one has a clear advantage: lever control is especially important because the first person to secure a dominant lever will usually control the exchange.

Wedges

There are two types of wedges:

A blocking wedge immobilizes part of your opponent’s body. Example: placing your hand next to your opponent’s hip to prevent them from re-guarding.
A prying wedge opens your opponent’s frame. Example: the knee cut pass, where you drive your knee through your opponent’s guard so they cannot use their legs.

Wedges and levers often work together. To control a lever more effectively, you usually need to create wedges on opposite sides of the lever to immobilize it. This involves two-on-one (two limbs controlling one lever) or four-on-one control schemes.

Clamps

Clamps are created when you lock a portion of your opponent’s body inside a closed circuit. You make a clamp by clasping your legs or arms together, creating a kinetic chain. Clamps act as anchors that slow your opponent down and tether your body to theirs.

Clamps are strong controls because they form a closed loop. Your opponent can’t simply pull out the way they can with a hook. Common examples: closed guard (legs clamped around the torso), body triangle (legs clamped from back control), and arm clamps from side control.

Hooks

Hooks are made with the ends of your limbs, most commonly the instep of your foot (the shoelace area). This is what’s called a butterfly hook. Hooks create dynamic movements and elevation from the bottom position, and require you to dominate the inside channel.

Hooks are also weak compared to clamps because they don’t form a closed circuit. Your opponent can shut down a hook by pummeling inside or disengaging. This is why hooks often work best when combined with other mechanics (a hook plus a clamp, or a hook plus a frame).

Posts

Posts are used to maintain base from the top or bottom position. From the bottom, posts allow mobility and hip movement. From the top, posts prevent sweeps.

When posting, it’s crucial that your post matches the angle of the force being applied to you. If someone pushes you sideways and you post forward, the post won’t support you. A good post redirects force through your skeleton into the ground.

How the Core Mechanics Connect to Alignment

Every position in the curriculum can be understood as a combination of these six mechanics. When you’re in a good position, you’ll find that your frames, posts, and clamps are preserving your alignment while your levers, wedges, and hooks are disrupting your opponent’s.

When something isn’t working, ask yourself: which mechanic is failing? Is your frame collapsing because you’re using muscles instead of bones? Is your hook getting cleared because you don’t have inside position? Is your post at the wrong angle?

The core mechanics give you a vocabulary for diagnosing problems and finding solutions across every position in jiu jitsu.