4 Essential BJJ Techniques to Drill at Home for Better Grappling Skills

Why Home Drilling is Key for BJJ and MMA Practitioners

In the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and mixed martial arts (MMA), consistent drilling is the foundation of mastery. While live rolling with partners is ideal, home practice allows you to refine fundamentals anytime. These four guard techniques—armbar, triangle, guillotine, and omoplata—are versatile for BJJ, wrestling, and MMA submissions. They're solo-friendly, focusing on positioning and mechanics you can shadow drill on a mat or even visualize.

To get started, invest in quality gear like a durable BJJ gi or no-gi rash guards and shorts from brands such as Hyperfly, Tatami, or Scramble, available at your preferred MMA retailer like Apollo MMA. A yoga mat or home grappling dummy enhances safety and realism. Focus on slow, controlled reps to build muscle memory, then add speed and resistance as you progress. These moves translate directly to MMA scenarios, helping you threaten from bottom position against strikers or grapplers.

1. Armbar from Closed Guard: A Classic Submission Setup

The armbar from closed guard remains one of the most reliable submissions in BJJ arsenals. It isolates the elbow joint, making it effective against larger opponents. Solo drilling emphasizes hip movement and posture breaks, crucial for MMA where space is tight.

Step-by-Step Breakdown:

• Start in Position: Lie on your back with legs in closed guard around an imaginary opponent's waist. Feet locked, knees pinching their hips.


• Break Their Posture: Extend your legs to push their torso forward. Use your hands to control their sleeves or collar, pulling down while framing their neck.


• Isolate the Arm: Swing one leg over their shoulder (the arm you want), trapping their head and arm between your thighs. Your knee should hug their head.


• Hip Escape and Finish: Bridge your hips explosively upward while squeezing your legs. Extend the trapped arm straight and pull it toward your chest for the tap. In solo mode, rep the hip swivel 10-20 times per side.

• Common Mistake: Leaving space for them to stack—keep elbows tight.


• Variation: Open guard armbar for no-gi MMA, using underhooks.


• Drill Progression: Add a heavy bag or dummy to simulate resistance.

2. Triangle Choke from Guard: Stranglehold Mastery

The triangle choke leverages long legs to trap the neck and arm, cutting off blood flow. It's a staple in BJJ and MMA, especially from bottom against aggressive top players. Home practice hones the angle and lock without needing a partner.

Step-by-Step Breakdown:

• Base Setup: Closed guard with opponent postured up. Control their wrists or posture with grips on sleeves/collar.


• Leg Swing: Lift your hips, swing one leg high over their shoulder, shin across their neck. The other knee goes inside for the figure-four lock.


• Secure the Figure-Four: Pull your knee to your chest, shin tight on neck. Free foot hooks behind the knee of the locking leg.


• Posture and Squeeze: Lie back flat, pull their head down, and extend hips upward. In solo drills, focus on the shin-to-neck pressure and hip elevation.

• Common Mistake: Loose figure-four—ensure toes point up for max squeeze.


• Variation: High guard triangle for taller opponents or wrestling entries.


• Drill Progression: Shadow the motion 15 reps, then use wall pressure for realism.

3. Guillotine Choke from Guard: Opportunistic Front Headlock

The guillotine excels in transitions, catching opponents diving in. From guard, it controls posture and threatens chokes or sweeps. Ideal for MMA no-gi, where it sets up ground-and-pound escapes.

Step-by-Step Breakdown:

• Initiate Grip: As they posture, snake one arm under their chin, grabbing your own wrist behind their neck. Other hand cups their shoulder or tricep.


• Leg Assistance: Shrimp hips out slightly, place one shin on their hip, other foot on biceps to off-balance.


• Close the Guard: Lock feet, pull their posture down into your elbows.


• Finish the Squeeze: Arch back, elbows to ribs, squeeze forearms. For solo, mimic the pull and hip thrust.

• Variation: Rolling guillotine for turtle positions in wrestling-heavy MMA.


• Drill Progression: Use a pillow between elbows to practice squeeze on 20 reps.

4. Omoplata from Guard: Shoulder Lock Surprise

The omoplata attacks the shoulder with a rotational lock, less common but devastating. From guard, it punishes poor posture. Great for BJJ purists and MMA shoulder control.

Step-by-Step Breakdown:n- Arm Isolation: Similar to armbar start—posture break, isolate sleeve.

• Leg Over Shoulder: Kick leg over shoulder, but roll to your side instead of bridging. Grip their belt or pants at hip.


• Figure-Four Leg Lock: Other leg figures over for control, foot behind their back.


• Finish Rotation: Hip up and turn belly to mat, extending their arm across your body. Solo: Flow the roll and extension smoothly.

• Common Mistake: Rushing the roll—stay controlled.


• Variation: No-gi omoplata with wrist control for wrestling.


• Drill Progression: 10 rolls per side on mat, adding dummy arm resistance.

Building a Home Training Routine

Combine these into circuits: 5 mins each technique, 20-30 reps. Track progress weekly. Gear up with Hyperfly gis for grip training or Sanabul shorts for no-gi. Warm-up with shrimping, hip escapes. Cool down with mobility. For MMA crossover, drill vs. strikes—visualize defending punches into guard pulls.

Consistency beats intensity. These techniques boost your bottom game across BJJ, submission grappling, and MMA. Grab your gear from Apollo MMA and start today—your next roll will show the gains.

---