Turtle Position Guide
☰Contents
BJJ turtle position: defensive survival, offensive turtle attacks, back take defense, and using turtle to recover guard or take the back.
The turtle position is a defensive posture in BJJ that, when used correctly, becomes an offensive tool for back takes and guard recovery rather than a passive submission target.
What Is the Turtle Position?
The turtle position is when you are on all fours (knees and hands on the mat) with your back facing upward. It is often used when defending a guard pass, after a takedown, or when recovering from a bad position. While seemingly defensive, it is a launchpad for multiple attacks.
Defensive Turtle Survival
Defensive turtle fundamentals: keep your elbows tight to your sides to prevent hook insertion, keep your head low to prevent choke attacks, use constant motion (never be static), post on a foot or two to create better angles, and always keep your hips mobile.
Attacking from Turtle
The turtle position enables you to attack: stand-up and attack your opponent's legs, roll to guard by tucking and rolling to the side, take their back by rolling forward under them, or attack with a front headlock/arm drag when they reach over you.
Defending Turtle Attacks
Common turtle attacks to defend: clock choke (grip one arm, walk around and apply collar choke), bow-and-arrow from turtle (reach over your shoulder), back take (they insert hooks). Against clock choke: immediately circle toward them; against back take: strip hooks and stand up.
Turtle as a System
Elite wrestlers and judokas use turtle as a base to attack rather than just survive. Gordon Ryan has used turtle to drag opponents to their back. Judokas use turtle to set up lateral drop suplexes. Approach turtle as position zero in a larger system rather than a last resort.
Frequently Asked Questions
Turtle can be dangerous if you are passive — being static in turtle makes you vulnerable to clock chokes, back takes, and guillotines. Active turtle with constant motion and attacks is much safer and actually offensive.
Two main entries: the "seat belt from turtle" (reach one arm over the shoulder, one arm under the armpit, insert hooks from behind), or the "roll under" (when they turtle, dive under them and roll forward, ending with their back).
A sprawl is a wrestling defense against a takedown — you kick your hips back to prevent being taken down. Turtle is a ground position when you are on hands and knees. Transitioning from a sprawl into a tight turtle can be a useful sequence.