Must-Know BJJ Moves for Women
By Coach David Sutton
Cross Collar Choke
One of the first chokes you will learn, the cross collar choke is a powerful weapon to have in your self-defense arsenal. Fairly simple to execute, with practice, anyone can do it. Regardless of the position, this choke constricts the blood supply to the head. It also stimulates the vagal nerve, which slows down the heart and creates a double effect of cutting oxygen supply to the brain.
Breaking it down:
- From closed guard, sink your right hand deep into the opponent’s left collar and firmly grab it
- Slide your left hand under your right arm, deep into opponent’s collar and grab the right collar
- Tuck your elbows in and slowly pull down
Level: Beginner
Kimura
Named after Masahiko Kimura, who used the move to defeat Helio Gracie, a Kimura is a double joint armlock with painful pressure applied to the opponent’s shoulder. Failing to submit can result in a broken arm, torn rotator cuff, or dislocated shoulder.
Breaking it down:
- Control the opponent’s arm, mirror hand
- Grab wrist firmly, come over the shoulder to grab your own wrist
- Maintain control and twist your body as you rotate opponent’s arm by the shoulder
Level: Intermediate
Mount Escape
Both in BJJ and in real life, mount is one of the most dangerous positions you can find yourself trapped in. For that reason, you need to know how to escape it. With good mount escape techniques you can survive and turn the table.
Breaking it down:
- Get on your side and push opponent’s leg through yours
- Shrimp out to opposite side
- Get up on your elbow and climb up to opponent’s back
- Escape mount and take opponent’s back
Level: Beginner
Shrimp
A fundamental movement that you must learn how to execute properly is to “shrimp” or “hip escape”. It is called “shrimp” because of the shape the body makes during the move. The objective is simple: create space with and for the hips to improve your position. And if you want to learn BJJ, you will find yourself shrimping ad nauseam. Just ask the higher belts, during their years of training, it’s likely their shrimping has covered thousands of miles.
Breaking it down:
- Lie on your back with one leg bent, foot close to your butt and elbows in
- Push off the bent leg, propelling your hips out and chest toward knees, shifting your weight to the side, specifically to your shoulder and your foot
- Straighten your body out again and resume lying on your back
Level: Beginner
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Attack the Legs 
Omoplata from Closed Guard 
Gift Wrap Choke 
Easy Guard Passes 
Father Time is Undefeated 
The Jiujiteira Sisterhood 
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ADGS Rome: Jiujiteiras Shine in the Land of the Colosseum 