The first 10 techniques to learn in no-gi

Beginner listCore conceptThere is no official list, but there is a sensible order. The sport is learned defence before offence and position before submission, so the first techniques worth your time are the ones that keep you safe and oriented — the flashy finishes come after. Here is a reasonable first ten, in roughly the order they pay off. Each links to a full guide.

The shrimp (hip escape) — the foundational movement; how you make space to escape anything.

The breakfall — falling safely, so the rest of training is survivable.

Escaping side control — getting out of the most common pin you will find yourself under.

Escaping the mount — the bridge-and-roll and elbow-escape off the bottom of mount.

Guard retention — keeping your legs between you and a passer, so the bottom is a position you play, not one you suffer.

A basic sweep — reversing from the bottom to end up on top.

A basic guard pass — getting past the legs into a controlling top position.

The rear naked choke — the highest-percentage finish, from the back you have learned to take.

The armbar — your first joint lock, from mount, control-first.

The guillotine — the choke you can finish off a sprawl, closing out the standing exchanges.

Notice the shape: five movements and escapes before a single submission. That is not caution for its own sake — a beginner who can survive and escape can train safely with anyone and stay in rounds long enough to learn, while a beginner who only knows finishes spends every roll being escaped and re-pinned. Position before submission is the whole game, and the Foundations path sequences it the same way. The positions every beginner should know shows the map these ten techniques move across.