When I came up through judo, the stand-up was the centre of everything. Judo is a standing art. You learn to grip, move, and throw before anything else. Hours are spent drilling entries and footwork, and you fall over and over until it no longer feels unnatural. That foundation shapes every other part of your game.
Walking into a BJJ academy years later was a shock. The focus had shifted almost entirely to the ground. Students were eager to sit down the moment a round began. Some had never practised a safe fall, let alone drilled a throw. It felt like stepping into a parallel world, one grown from the same roots as judo but with a completely different emphasis.
That contrast made an impression on me. Judo gave me posture, balance, and an instinct for grip fighting. BJJ gave me the depth of the ground game. Both are valuable. But ignore the stand-up, and you ignore half the fight.
The gap in modern BJJ
BJJ is rightly praised for its technical depth on the mat. Guard systems, sweeps, and submissions are taught in detail. Entire classes pass without anyone taking a step in a standing position. For some this is enough. They compete, pull guard, and work where they are comfortable.
But this creates a gap. Matches and real-life encounters start on the feet. If you have no confidence in that phase, you hand over control from the very beginning. In competition, that means conceding points before the ground fight even starts. In a self-defence situation, it can mean being put down hard with no ability to protect yourself.
The avoidance of stand-up is rarely about tactics alone. It comes from discomfort. People stick to what they know, and many find learning to throw in adulthood awkward and intimidating. Without guidance and structure, they avoid it. Over time that avoidance becomes habit, then culture.
What stand-up really teaches
The obvious reward of stand-up training is the takedown itself. Two points in a tournament or the ability to dictate where a confrontation goes. Yet the deeper value lies in the habits it builds.
You learn to fight for grips and dominate the small battles before the throw. You develop posture that resists breaking and balance that carries into every guard pass and sweep. You stop being easy to move. Even when you do not throw, the threat of a throw changes how your opponent reacts.
Training stand-up also changes your composure. You become calmer when a round begins. You are less flustered when someone snaps your collar or drives for a body lock. You carry yourself with the quiet confidence that comes from knowing you can stay upright or put the fight where you want it.
Judo, wrestling, and the middle ground
There is no need to choose between judo and wrestling. Both offer skills that blend beautifully into BJJ. Wrestling gives you strong shots, relentless pressure, and the ability to chain attempts together until one works. Judo gives you posture, grip fighting, and throws that can finish a match in seconds.
The smart path is to take what fits. You do not need an encyclopaedia of techniques. A good double leg, a single leg with solid finishes, and the ability to sprawl will cover wrestling. From judo, an inside trip, a solid sumi gaeshi, and a foot sweep will serve you for years. Add grip fighting and movement drills, and you already have more than most.
The real art is in linking them to your ground game. If you like half guard, pick takedowns that lead you there. If your best work comes from side control, favour throws that deliver you in that position. Make the transitions seamless rather than separate.
Training safely
Many BJJ students shy away from stand-up because of injury fears. They are not wrong. Hard landings on mats never designed for throwing can cause problems. That is why judoka spend so much time on ukemi. Falling well is not optional. It is the foundation that makes everything safe.
If you are new to stand-up, begin there. Drill your breakfalls. Learn to land without panic. From there, train entries and off-balancing with control. Use crash mats when available. Increase the intensity slowly, and remember that the majority of stand-up can be practised without ever completing the throw. Grip fighting and movement at pace are safe, high-value ways to build the skill set.
Stand-up does not have to mean hard slams in every class. It can be posture work, grip battles, and footwork drills that sharpen your awareness and timing. Those elements feed directly into every phase of grappling.
The culture shift
What BJJ needs is not more techniques. It needs a culture shift. Students must see stand-up as part of the art rather than a side topic. Coaches must carve out regular time for it, even if it is only short drills at the start of class.
There should also be more respect for the expertise that already exists. Judo and wrestling coaches are everywhere in the UK. Many would gladly share knowledge if BJJ practitioners walked through the door. Too often we build walls between arts that are, at their core, doing the same thing. Grappling is grappling.
The early BJJ pioneers trained throws and takedowns. They understood that control starts on the feet. If we ignore that, we drift away from the martial roots that made Jiu Jitsu effective.
How to begin
If you want to add stand-up to your training, keep it consistent and manageable. You do not need to overhaul your schedule. Small regular habits work best. Start every class with a few minutes of grip fighting. Add one dedicated takedown session each week, even if the pace is light. Drill entries far more than finishes. If your academy does not teach stand-up, supplement it with a local judo or wrestling class.
Keep your technique list short. Master a handful of takedowns and use them until they are reliable. One or two from wrestling, one or two from judo. That is enough to make you dangerous.
Closing thoughts
I have seen trends come and go. There were years when throws dominated the mat, years when guard pulling took over, and now a swing back toward wrestling. The fashions change, but the principle never does. Grappling begins on the feet.
Stand-up is not an extra. It is a vital part of Jiu Jitsu. Train it and your balance, confidence, and control will grow across every part of your game. You will stop giving up points easily. You will begin matches on your terms. And you will carry yourself with the quiet assurance that comes from being complete.
So the next time you slap hands and think about sitting down straight away, pause for a moment. The fight begins before the guard. Do not skip the first half.
About the author
Terry Sutherland is a long-time grappler with a black belt in judo and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Having spent decades on the mats, he writes about the value of strong stand-up skills and the lessons learned from a lifetime of training.
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