Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art that emphasizes ground fighting. There are also takedowns, throws, standing submission holds (used for things such as disarming an opponent with a knife or gun) and minimal striking. The art emphasizes position and control on the ground, and fight ending submissions - which will either choke the opponent unconscious (or to death if held long enough) or break a limb.
The hierarchy of position is as follows, from worst to best:
The opponent has your back. If your opponent has your back he can hit you without fear of being hit back, also there is not fear of damage when going for submissions from this position. The most famous submissions from the back is the rear naked choke, also known as the Lion's Kill and as the Sleeper Hold in Professional Wrestling.
The opponent has you mounted. This is where you are face up and the opponent is over your body, past your legs. From here the opponent can rain down strikes on you while taking minimal damage and also has a plethora of submissions at his disposal.
The opponent is on you in cross-side. This is where the opponent is perpendicular to you almost having you pinned. The opponent can can hit you, from here, but not as hard as from mount, and not with both hands. Your opponent can also submit you from here and is mostly safe from submissions and strikes. The UFC has mainstreamed the term side-mount for this position.
You have the opponent in your half-guard. Half-guard is the term for the position when you have one of your opponent's legs trapped between your legs. This gives you some control over your opponent, allowing you to more easily dodge incoming strikes, and to reverse the situation more easily as well as a few submission options. The opponent also has few submission options from here as well.
Your opponent is in your full guard. From the full guard you have many submission options, but your opponent has a striking advantage. Your strikes will be weak from here, but so will his submissions.
You are in the opponent's guard. See above, only switch you and the opponent.
You are in the opponent's half-guard.
Your are on the opponent in cross-side.
You are mounted on the opponent.
You have the opponent's back.
The most famous and simple submissions in Brazilian jiu-jitsu are the arm bar, the triangle, the kimura, the rear naked choke and the guillotine.
The arm bar can be performed from the opponent's back, when the opponent is mounted, or when the opponent is in your guard. Generally, it
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