---
title: What is grappling?
date: 2026-07-03T16:17:00+02:00
author: "henk@noregt.com"
canonical_url: "https://www.renzogracietilburg.nl/en/news/what-is-grappling"
section: Nieuws
---
# What is grappling?

 

 

 

 *03 July 2026* | [Lees dit in het Nederlands](https://www.renzogracietilburg.nl/nieuws/wat-is-grappling)

 ![Jairo](/afbeeldingen/nieuws/Fight-Club/_groot/16019/Jairo.avif) 

At our gym you can train both BJJ and grappling. So what's the actual difference? The short answer: grappling is wrestling without a Gi, but with more freedom to apply submissions like heel hooks. The character is also more athletic, since escaping positions is easier when your opponent can't hold on to a gi.

 

 

 

 

  ![Schermafbeelding 2022 02 15 om 11 15 19](/afbeeldingen/nieuws/_klein/6653/Claudio.avif) 

### Grappling in short

Grappling is the umbrella term for combat sports where you grab, control and take your opponent to the ground, instead of striking. BJJ, wrestling, judo, sambo and catch wrestling all fall under it. At [Renzo Gracie Tilburg](https://www.renzogracietilburg.nl/en/) we train submission grappling.

When people ask on their trial class what the difference is with BJJ, our short answer is usually: grappling is BJJ without a Gi, but with more freedom of movement. Further down in this article we explain exactly what that means. Want to feel it for yourself? [Join for 30 days for 30 euros](https://www.renzogracietilburg.nl/en/proefles).

[30 days for 30 Euros](https://www.renzogracietilburg.nl/en/proefles)

 

 

 

  ### What exactly is grappling?

Grappling literally means 'to grab hold'. In martial arts terms, it's about techniques built around clinching, takedowns, control positions and submissions. Where boxers and kickboxers work from a distance, a grappler actively closes the gap. In MMA that means fighting through the first line of defense by parrying strikes and kicks to reach the clinch.

You take your opponent to the ground, get into a dominant position and try to finish with a choke or by locking a joint. You win by making your opponent tap before something breaks or they go unconscious. This format is called submission grappling and is exactly what we describe on our [grappling page](https://www.renzogracietilburg.nl/en/grappling-tilburg).

What makes grappling unique is that brute strength only gets you so far. Beyond a certain point it's pure technique, timing and position. That's why a small but skilled grappler can quickly put a larger beginner in trouble.

 

### Grappling techniques

**Takedowns** get your opponent from standing to the ground. Single legs, double legs, hip throws, sweeps from the clinch. No takedowns, no ground game.

**Positional control** decides who's in charge once you're both on the mat. Mount, side control, back control, and the guard. Each position has its own point value in competition and its own set of attacks and defenses.

**Guard retention** means preventing your opponent from getting past your legs or arms while you're on the bottom. Grapplers like Levi Jones-Leary and Lachlan Giles have turned this into an art form. At our gym, it's often the over-30s who become good at this, because it lets them avoid the takedown by sitting down themselves.

**Sweeps.** When you're working from a bottom position (seated guard, for example), the trick is to flip your opponent and score a 'sweep'. That way you take a top position without needing a takedown.

**Submissions** end the match. Chokes, joint locks, manipulating arms and legs. Whoever taps first loses.

**Escapes and transitions** connect everything. Grappling is rarely static. A good grappler works out of bad positions and into dominant ones.

 

 

 

   ![BJJ RGH 8401 web](/afbeeldingen/_klein/234/BJJ-RGH-8401-web.avif) 

### BJJ without a Gi, with more freedom

This is how we usually explain it at the gym. Grappling is technically more than just BJJ without a Gi (No-Gi), but for most beginners that's what it comes down to in practice.

Two things make it really different from classic [BJJ](https://www.renzogracietilburg.nl/en/bjj-tilburg):

**No gi, so less grip.** Without sleeves and a collar to grab, everything becomes slippery. The pace goes up, positions change faster, and you need to build your control from body positions rather than from fabric. For beginners that takes some getting used to. For advanced players, it's exactly why no-gi is so exciting.

**More submissions allowed.** In traditional BJJ (especially at lower belts and in IBJJF competition) many techniques from wrestling and sambo are banned. In submission grappling most of them are fair game. That changes the whole dynamic, because your leg defense has to be just as sharp as your arm and neck defense.

 

 

 

  ### What's allowed in grappling but not in BJJ?

**Heel hook:** Twisting the knee via the heel. One of the fastest submissions out there.

**Kneebar:** Hyperextending the knee against its natural bend, similar to an armbar but for the leg. Allowed in BJJ from brown belt.

**Toe hold:** Twisting the foot by holding the toes. A kind of kimura for the foot, putting pressure on the knee or ankle. Allowed in BJJ from brown belt.

**Calf slicer:** Compressing the calf between two hard points by folding the leg over your own shin, extremely painful (hard to describe on paper). Recently also allowed in BJJ.

**Bicep slicer:** Same principle, but on the biceps.

**Twister:** Spinal torque from a specific control, originally from wrestling.

**Neck cranks:** Not fun to be on the receiving end of, usually a quick tap. Your head gets twisted in directions it wasn't designed for.

These techniques are known for how quickly they work. Heel hooks in particular can damage knees without warning, which is why BJJ kept them out of the game for so long.

Because there's no gi, the focus shifts to different submissions than you'd see in BJJ. Even submissions that are allowed in BJJ get more attention here. Guillotines and D'Arce chokes are especially popular, since without a gi you control a partner's neck much faster.

 

### What doesn't work in grappling (because it's gi-specific)

**Cross collar choke:** A choke by gripping the inside of the collar.

**Loop choke:** Wrap your arms around the neck by holding the collar.

**Lapel guard:** Uses the jacket to restrict someone's movement.

**Spider guard:** Relies on grips on the sleeves.

**Lasso guard:** Loops your partner's arm around your leg by holding the sleeve.

In short: anything that leans on fabric disappears the moment you take your gi off. What you get in return is speed, and the freedom to see the entire body as a submission target.

 

 

 

   ![Pepijn schup wins mma pro debut with an armbar](/afbeeldingen/nieuws/_klein/970/pepijn-schup-wint-mma-pro-debuut-armbar.avif) 

### Why grappling works so well for MMA and self-defense

Watch any series of UFC fights and count how often the fight ends up on the ground. It happens regularly, and the main reason it doesn't happen every time is that everyone trains anti-takedown techniques.

This is also the standard eye-opener for newcomers during our MMA classes. Before you know it, you're flat on the ground taking a 'ground and pound'. People often start with [MMA](https://www.renzogracietilburg.nl/en/mma-tilburg) and quickly realize that grappling is an absolute requirement as base training.

For self-defense, grappling gives you something striking doesn't: you can control someone without knocking them out. A skilled grappler can hold an aggressor in place without throwing a single strike. Legally and morally, that's a completely different story from putting someone to sleep.

 

 

 

  ### The other styles of grappling

Alongside submission grappling and BJJ, there are a few more disciplines that fall under the grappling umbrella. Briefly, because this isn't what most beginners are focused on.

**Wrestling** (freestyle and Greco-Roman) is the oldest. Olympic, ancient, and the foundation of nearly every good takedown. Wrestlers have no submissions in their rulebook, but once you've learned how to put people on the ground against their will, you're a dangerous grappler in the making.

**Judo** comes from Japan and is essentially the foundation of BJJ (Kosen judo). Big throws, then working on the ground with chokes and armlocks. Many BJJ instructors have a judo background, because the throws translate almost one-to-one.

**Sambo** is Russian and aggressive. A combination of wrestling and judo, with a heavy focus on leg locks. Sambo fighters like to go straight for the legs, something you see more and more in modern no-gi grappling.

**Catch** wrestling is the British and American forerunner of modern grappling. Built around painful locks and submissions. Many MMA fighters borrow techniques from catch.

 

### Grappling vs wrestling

Wrestling focuses on takedowns and pins. No submissions, no ground work like in BJJ. Grappling takes wrestling's takedowns and picks up where wrestling stops. That's also why an ex-wrestler who starts training grappling becomes dangerous incredibly fast: they already had the control on the mat, they just needed the submissions on top.

 

 

 

  ### Who is grappling suitable for?

Anyone willing to learn. On our mats you'll find men and women, twenty-somethings and fifty-somethings, people still working on their cardio and people who've been fighting for years. Grappling is more accessible than striking for beginners because you don't take shots to the head from day one. And for advanced practitioners, you're never done learning.

What you do need is a slightly smaller ego. Grappling humbles everyone, because you will tap. Everyone taps in the beginning. You learn from it, and that's a big part of why the sport is so addictive.

 

### Training grappling in Tilburg

A grappling class with us usually looks like this: warm-up, technique of the day, drills where you repeat that technique with a partner, and then rolling. Live sparring with rotating partners, usually a few rounds of five minutes.

Our instructors have a habit of deliberately matching beginners with experienced members. That sounds scary, but experienced people know exactly how hard to go to teach you something without scaring you off. It's one of the things we're proudest of.

Want to drop by? [Come take a look](https://www.renzogracietilburg.nl/en/contact) or check the [class schedule](https://www.renzogracietilburg.nl/en/lesrooster).

 

 

 

  ## Frequently asked questions about grappling

 

#### **What gear do I need for grappling?**

For your first class: shorts and a T-shirt or rashguard. Mouthguard recommended. That's it. Once you get serious, you'll want grappling shorts (no pockets, no zippers) and a good rashguard to prevent mat burn.

#### **Is grappling dangerous?**

Less than most people think. The submissions sound dangerous, but you can tap at any moment before something breaks or you pass out, which is a huge difference from striking. During normal training you don't take strikes to the head. Injuries do happen, usually to fingers, toes, elbows and sometimes the knee. With good mat etiquette they're the exception.

#### **Do I need to be in shape to start?**

No, and that's actually the wrong order. You start grappling to get in shape. An hour of rolling easily burns 600 to 800 calories and works muscles you'd never find in the gym.

#### **Can I still start in my 40s or 50s?**

Yes. We have plenty of members who started after 45. You decide how hard you roll and with whom. Many older practitioners find grappling better on their joints than running, because the load is distributed differently. Be honest about previous injuries and the rest takes care of itself.

#### **Can a smaller person control a larger opponent with grappling?**

In principle, yes, with some caveats. Technique beats strength up to a certain gap. Royce Gracie showed in the early UFC days that a skilled grappler could put people 40 kilos heavier flat on their backs. If a newcomer has no idea what they're doing, the strength difference has to be huge for them not to end up on the bottom. Leg locks in particular are a great equalizer. Between two grapplers of equal skill, the bigger one usually wins. Don't expect magic, but do expect a fair fight.

#### **What is a trial class and how does it work?**

We offer 30 days of unlimited training for 30 euros. That means you can try multiple disciplines within a month, come to several classes per week, and take your time deciding if grappling is for you. Sign up via the [trial class page](https://www.renzogracietilburg.nl/en/proefles).

#### **What is the difference between grappling and BJJ?**

BJJ is a style within grappling. In practice, when people say 'grappling' they usually mean no-gi: no judo uniform, more submissions allowed, higher pace. BJJ is usually with a gi, with specific techniques that use the fabric.

 

 

 

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