Position Before Submission: BJJ's Core Principle
☰Contents
Understand BJJ's core principle: position before submission. Why dominant positions lead to more submissions and how to build a positional hierarchy.
What Does 'Position Before Submission' Mean?
This principle, attributed to Hélio Gracie, means that securing a dominant position should always precede attempting a submission. Hunting for submissions from bad positions leads to failed attempts and ended up in worse positions.
The Positional Hierarchy in BJJ
| Position | Relative Value | Primary Threats |
|---|---|---|
| Back Control | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | RNC, bow and arrow, chokes |
| Mount | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Armbar, triangle, collar chokes |
| Side Control | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Kimura, americana, north-south choke |
| Knee on Belly | ⭐⭐⭐ | Transition to mount/back, cross collar |
| Guard (bottom) | ⭐⭐ | Triangle, armbar, omoplata, sweeps |
When to Hunt Submissions vs. Improve Position
General rule: if you're in top control, stabilize first, then attack. If you're in guard (bottom), attack immediately — you're already not improving the position. The exception: opportunistic submissions (when the submission presents itself perfectly, take it regardless of hierarchy).
How This Principle Develops
At white belt: submissions are the goal. At blue belt: position becomes more valued. At purple and above: position and submission attempts merge — attacks serve to improve position and vice versa. The most advanced practitioners use submissions to move to better positions even when they fail.