Blog/White Belt Blueprint
The foundations of every roll
Every technique in BJJ is built on top of a small set of movements your body needs to know before your brain does. When a match gets chaotic and it will, you do not think your way out of danger. Your body finds the exit because it has been there before.
This series covers the ten movements that sit underneath everything Ale teaches. The more athletically you apply yourself to these movements, the more effective they become. The movements stop feeling like exercises and start feeling like instincts. That connection between athletic movement and applied technique is what separates students who collect knowledge from students who can actually use it when the match gets hard.
Forward roll
Intro
Getting dumped or swept forward is not the end of the position, it is the beginning of a new one. The forward roll removes the fear of falling forward and builds the rotational body memory that feeds directly into two of the most important movements in the sport: the granby roll on defence and the rolling back take on attack. Master this and you stop arriving in bad positions and start arriving in opportunities.
Backward roll
Intro
The backward roll teaches your body how to distribute weight across the shoulders rather than the neck, which is the exact skill you will call on the moment an opponent stacks you in a triangle or an inverted position. Most students discover stacking the hard way. This movement is how you prepare for it before it happens.
Sideways roll, left shoulder
Intro
When your guard is being folded and a frontal defence is not working, inversion is your answer. The sideways roll is the mechanical foundation of that inversion. It is what allows you to turn into the mat, expose the opponents back, and enter either a guard recovery or a berimbolo. One of the most important movement patterns in the modern game, starting right here.
Sideways roll, right shoulder
Intro
Everything in Post 3, now on the other side. Most kids only drill one shoulder and opponents learn to exploit it fast. A guard passer who sees you only invert one way will attack the other side every single time. Cleaning up both shoulders removes that read entirely. At White Belt level, bilateral mechanics is a genuine competitive advantage that compounds with every technique you add.
Shrimping
Intro
You are pinned, the opponent is heavy, and your arms cannot push them off. Shrimping is not about pushing them, it is about moving yourself. The frame holds a fixed point while your hips create the distance. The moment a student understands that difference, every bottom position escape starts to make sense. This is the single most used movement in the entire ground game.
Reverse shrimping
Intro
Shrimping creates distance. Reverse shrimping closes it. When an opponent is passing, circling, or escaping, this is the movement that keeps you connected to them. Paired together, shrimping and reverse shrimping give you full lateral control of the distance in any ground exchange. You are no longer reacting to where they go. You are controlling it.
Bridging
Intro
Someone is mounted and settling their weight. Bridging is the explosive answer and it is not a strength move, it is a timing and mechanics move. A student who bridges correctly moves a heavier opponent. A student who just lifts with their arms moves nobody. This movement teaches explosive hip engagement that feeds into mount escapes, takedowns, and guard retention all at once.
Technical stand-up
Intro
This is not only a defensive movement. Many open guard sweeps including X guard and De La Riva finish exactly here. The quality of your technical stand-up directly determines whether a completed sweep becomes a dominant position or a scramble your opponent survives. Drill it on both sides. Sweeps do not always finish on your preferred side.
Penetration step
Intro
Every takedown at White Belt level begins with a level change. The penetration step is how you do it without telegraphing the attack, losing posture, or getting sprawled on. A student who cannot change levels cleanly might as well announce their takedown before it arrives. Get this right and the double leg, single leg, and clinch all become realistic options in a live match.
Sprawl
Intro
Your opponent shoots and you need an answer right now. The sprawl denies the legs, kills the momentum, and puts you in a dominant position to either disengage or transition directly to back control. A student who can sprawl correctly is genuinely difficult to take down. This movement is the bridge between the fundamental movements series and the standing, back control, and turtle sections waiting in the next belt blueprints.
The whole White Belt Blueprint is free
Every post includes the full technique breakdown, match situation analysis,
and the exact takeaways to carry into your next roll.
Next belts are in the works. See the courses