The technical stand-up is how grapplers rise from sitting to standing without turning their back: post a hand, plant the other foot, swing the hips back.
- In BJJ: used to stand up from open guard, to disengage after a sweep, and to recover when a takedown attempt fails.
- Also in: wrestling and MMA, where getting up safely from the ground is a core skill.
- Shape: at every moment one hand or one foot is between you and your partner, so you are never flat and never exposed.
What does the technical stand-up do?
Standing up from the ground sounds trivial until someone is trying to stop you. If you simply push up with both hands, your head drops forward and your legs straighten, which is an invitation for a snap down or a double leg. The technical stand-up keeps your weight back, your head up and one leg ready to kick or post, so your partner never gets a free entry.
It is also the fastest way to turn a guard-pull stalemate back into a standing exchange, which is why judo players coming to BJJ pick it up quickly.
How do you do the technical stand-up?
- Start seated, facing your partner. Post one hand on the mat behind you, fingers pointing away.
- Plant the opposite foot flat on the mat, knee bent. The other leg stays extended towards your partner, ready to frame or kick.
- Keep the free hand up, in front of your face, as a guard against grips and strikes.
- Lift your hips off the mat by pushing through the posted hand and the planted foot.
- Swing the extended leg back through the gap under your hips and plant it behind you, so you end in a staggered stance.
- Stand up and square off, hands up, before the first grip exchange.
The most common mistake is dropping the free hand to the mat to help push up. It feels faster and it is, but for that moment you are bent over with no guard, and that is when the takedown comes.
Drill it ten times each side at the end of your warm-up, slowly at first. Our BJJ training gear is rash guards and spats for rounds with and without the gi.
When is standing up a foul in BJJ?
The IBJJF Rules Book makes it a serious foul to stand up from the ground to escape combat and not return to it.
Sources
- IBJJF Rules Book, IBJJF
Related terms
Shrimp / hip escape (ebi), Bridge (upa), Guard pull, Snap down, Base.