Base is your stability: the ability to stay upright and in control while your partner pushes, pulls and sweeps. A grappler with good base is hard to move; one without it gets swept by small people.
- In BJJ: base is talked about mostly for the top player in guard, where every sweep is an attack on it, and for the standing player in grip exchanges.
- Opposite: kuzushi, the judo word for breaking an opponent's balance, is the attack that base defends against.
- Shape: wide knees, hips low, head above hips, weight spread over both legs and ready to post.
What base is made of
Base has three parts. The first is your stance: how wide your feet or knees are and how low your hips sit. The second is your posture: head up, back straight, so your weight stays over your hips instead of leaning onto your partner. The third is your reaction: the ability to post a hand or a foot in the direction you are being pushed, before you fall.
Good base is quiet. The player with the best base in the room is often the one who looks like they are doing nothing while everyone else bounces off them.
How to build base
- In closed guard, kneel with your knees wider than your hips and your toes dug into the mat. Sit on your heels with your back straight and your head up.
- Keep your weight centred. If you feel yourself leaning forward onto your partner, sit back; if you feel pulled forward, post a hand on their hip.
- Learn to post. When pushed sideways, put a hand or a foot out on that side immediately. The post stops the sweep.
- Keep your elbows in. Arms away from your body are handles for sweeps.
- Drill sweeps as the bottom player's partner and resist only with base, never with your hands pushing them away. Feel which direction each sweep attacks.
- Standing, keep a staggered stance with knees bent, and move your feet instead of leaning.
The most common mistake is leaning forward to put pressure on the bottom player. Pressure without base means your weight is on them, and a small hip movement sends you over the top.
Base work is mostly solo and partner drilling, and it is hard on the knees. Our BJJ training gear is rash guards and spats for rounds with and without the gi.
Related terms
Posture (shisei), Off-balancing (kuzushi), Sweep, Pressure, Guard passing.