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