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Judo has a standardised syllabus of techniques maintained and occasionally revised by the Kodokan, divided into throwing and grappling (pins, joint-locks, strangles) techniques.

Most national organisations maintain a list of techniques based on this syllabus which a student is required to demonstrate some degree of proficiency in as a component of each grading.

Does a similar standardised syllabus exist for BJJ?

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2 Answers 2

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IBJJF referenced techniques

BJJ does not have a canonical list of techniques, however, the IBJJF makes reference to a number of techniques in its rules:

Group Techniques
Takedown Single or double-leg takedown, Suplex, Scissor takedown**
Positions Side-control, North-south, Knee on belly, Mount, Side-mount, Sideways mount, Technical mount, Back mount, Back control, Hooks, Ground fighting
Guard Closed guard, Half-guard, Reverse half-guard, guard pull
Guard pass
Sweep
Submission • Triangle, Flying Triangle, Arm triangle, Choke with spinal lock, Forearm choke, Ezequiel choke, Frontal guillotine choke
• Do-jime*
• Armbar, Flying Armbars, Omoplata, Wristlock
• Bicep slicer, Calf slicer
• Straight foot lock, Toe hold, Knee bar, Heel hook,** Lock twisting the knees,** Knee reaping**
• Triangle (pulling head), Spinal lock**
  • References: (1.3.8), (2.5.2), (4.1.7), (4.1.8), (4.2), (4.4), (4.4.1), (4.5), (6.2.2 W), (6.2.3 L), (6.2.3 M)
    * "Lock inside the closed guard with legs compressing kidneys or ribs"
    ** banned in competition

Common techniques

The following is a (non-exhaustive) list of techniques generally recognized in the BJJ community:

Positions

Group Techniques
Takedowns Judo throws (Tomoe-nage, Sumi-gaeshi, O-soto-gari, Tani-otoshi, Seoi-nage)
Wrestling takedowns (Single leg, Double leg, Ankle pick, Fireman's carry, Suplex, Knee tap, Arm drag)
Guard pull
Guards Closed guard
Half guard (Quarter guard, Lockdown, Z-guard)
Open guard (X, De la Riva, Spider, Butterfly, Rubber, 50/50)
Guard passes Simple guard pass
Stacking guard pass
Near knee guard pass
Guard sweeps Closed guard:
⠀⠀Scissor sweep
⠀⠀Push sweep
⠀⠀Xande sweep
⠀⠀Flower sweep
Half guard:
⠀⠀Old school sweep
⠀⠀John Wayne sweep
⠀⠀Pendulum sweep
Open guard:
⠀⠀Butterfly sweep
⠀⠀De La Riva sweep
Pins Side control
Scarf hold
Mount (Full, Seated, Technical, Back)
Back control
Knee on belly
North-South
Crucifix

Submissions

Joint-locks

Group Techniques
Armlocks Wristlocks (flexing, supinating, abducting)
Armbar (straight, inverted)
Biceps slicer
Shoulder lock:
⠀⠀Americana, Kimura, Hammerlock
⠀⠀Omoplata, Baratoplata, Monoplata/Marceloplata
Leglocks Ankle-locks (Straight, Toe hold)
Kneebar
Calf slicer
Heel hook* (inside, outside)
Banana split
Neck cranks (Can opener, Cattle catch, Crucifix, Twister, Guillotine)

Chokes/Strangles

Group Techniques
Gi chokes Baseball choke
Cross choke (Palm up/palm down, Palm up/palm up, Arm and collar)
Breadcutter/Papercutter
Thrust choke
Loop choke
Ezequiel
Bow and Arrow, Clock choke, Crucifix
No-gi chokes RNC (Biceps grip, Gable grip)
Guillotine
North South Choke
Gogoplata
Triangle
Arm triangle:
⠀⠀(Kata-gatame choke, Von Flue)
⠀⠀(Anaconda, Peruvian necktie, D'Arce/Brabo/Japanese necktie)
Pressure submissions Body-scissors
Knee on belly
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Short answer: no.

Long answer: Noooooooooooo.

There's a few resources that show a full curriculum, such as The Gracie Jiu Jitsu handbook that Helio "wrote", Jiu Jitsu University by Saulo Ribeiro, various online curricula (Gracie University; Gracie Barra has a complete curriculum, on their paid website; Various "fundamentals" dvds available from various locations such as Keenan Online, SubMeta, BJJ Fanatics, etc.), etc.

I'd speculate that the reason for this has more to do with the relative education/income levels of the Brazilians training the art themselves, coupled with the Gracie's marketing machine not wanting to "give away the store" when it comes to techniques in the early days. This is mimicked by the way most koryu arts in Japan were recorded as well: with imagery that made sense only to those who were already familiar with the technique – i.e. as a sort of mnemonic to remember the move.

The real question I think is "will BJJ as a sport migrate more in a similar direction that collegiate-style wrestling is taught, or will it still maintain a technique-focused curriculum?" I believe that in 2-3 generations of practitioners (particularly as it continues to spread as a sport), it will move further away from "do this when this happens" and allow sessions to be more free-form.

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