7 September 2026
BJJ Position Control: From Kesa-Gatame to Gift-Wrap Attacks
BJJ Position Control: From Kesa-Gatame to Gift-Wrap Attacks
Control is what opens the next attack. In these gi clips from Modern Warrior Academy in New Westminster, a coach ranks Brazilian jiu-jitsu positions from rear mount down, then shows two separate examples of that idea: a Kimura from kesa-gatame, and gift-wrap control that can go to an armbar or the back.
Checked transcript
So the hierarchy of positions in Jiu-Jitsu, from the best position to the worst position, would have to start with rear mount for myself. Having proper control of the back, you have so much access to the rear naked choke, arm bars, and many transitions, even going back to mount.
That’s my second favorite position. For street self-defense, you’re dominant. You can land a lot of punches. You’re not taking any punches yourself. And you can transition to a lot of submissions like mounted triangle, head chokes, and arm bars.
Next dominant position is side mount. Again, really dominant position. Easy to hold the opponent down, staying on top, and not taking strikes from the opponent.
Then after that I would say half guard of some variation, whether even top or bottom. You’re still not in as much control as you could be, but you’re still able to land strikes or get someone out of danger. But you always have the guy attacking you from the bottom in the guard.
Then I would say the guard is kind of this neutral position where you’re still in danger, especially if there’s striking. A lot of submissions they can throw off the bottom. If there’s striking involved, I would say guard is still a pretty neutral position, but say you have a bit more of an advantage.
Then obviously the worst positions would be being on your back in any way, shape or form, if someone’s mounting you or taking your back. You definitely want to get out of that position as soon as possible and try to transition to a top position.
Transcript checked against the coaching audio and the burned-in captions. A few connecting words were cleaned for readability; the ranking and examples are the coach’s.
How the Coach Explains Position Hierarchy
This is the ranking he teaches in the clip, from the position he likes most to the ones he wants to leave. The on-screen list matches the talk. It is not a competition point table, and this article does not add positions he does not name.
- Rear mount. He starts here. With the back, he says you have the rear naked choke, armbars, and transitions that can still go back to mount.
- Full mount. His second favorite. He talks about street self-defense from here: you can land punches without taking them, and you can still hunt submissions he names as mounted triangle, head chokes, and armbars.
- Side mount. Next. He calls it another dominant top position: easier to hold the opponent down and stay on top without taking strikes.
- Half guard, top or bottom. Less control than the positions above. He still sees strikes or a path out of danger, with the reminder that the person on bottom in guard is attacking you.
- Full guard. He treats this as more of a neutral spot. You are still in danger, especially if striking is in the mix, because a lot of submissions come from the bottom. He still gives the guard player a bit more of an advantage than the worst spots.
- Being mounted — or, as he says it, being on your back if someone is mounting you or taking your back. Get out. Try to get to a top position.
The point of the ranking is the same one the technique clips keep returning to: the position you hold decides which attacks are even available.
Kimura from Kesa-Gatame
Checked transcript
The partner is having a really tough time with this arm. The coach pulls just enough space to bring his hips through and switches to kesa-gatame.
The controlling arm goes around the head. He wraps toward the inner thigh, slides down, and keeps his head down.
Right elbow back. The other arm comes underneath the elbow and the hands meet — a gable grip.
From there he lifts the elbow to finish the Kimura.
Checked against the coaching audio and on-screen captions.
This clip is its own example. It is gi work, and it does not show a gift-wrap. The coach is in kesa-gatame — scarf hold — sitting on the hip, perpendicular to the partner, with the head wrapped up and the near arm trapped.
The partner is fighting that arm. The coach takes just enough space to bring his hips through, stays in kesa-gatame, and sends the controlling arm around the head. The cues on the mat are practical: slide down, keep the head down, put the right elbow back, thread the other arm under the elbow, and join the hands in a gable grip. The finish he shows is lifting the elbow.
Gift-Wrap Control: The Armbar Option
Checked transcript
So I’m going for that far-side under. When the partner starts to shoot the arm across the body, the coach sees it coming and reaches up on the shoulder.
He slides his knees up and establishes the gift-wrap position: around the head, grab the wrist.
Foot over the hip. He falls, brings the leg over the head, keeps the hips back, and holds the arm until he is ready for the armbar.
Then he lifts the hips to get the arm.
Checked against the coaching audio and on-screen captions.
Treat this as a second example of control opening an attack, not as the next move after the Kimura. The partner starts to shoot an arm across the body. The coach goes for the far-side under, reaches the shoulder, and slides his knees up.
That is the gift wrap: around the head, grab the wrist, so the partner’s own arm is trapped across the neck. From there the armbar he shows is a series of small jobs — foot over the hip, fall, leg over the head, hips back, hold the arm to the chest — and then lift the hips to finish.
Gift-Wrap Control: The Back-Take Option
Checked transcript
He sets the wrap the same way as the armbar clip: around the head, grab the wrist. When the partner reaches the arm across, it gives him a new situation.
He pulls the partner up and sits back, reaching the arm around the neck.
He controls the biceps and the back of the head, then squeezes.
Checked against the coaching audio and on-screen captions.
The coach says this starts like the armbar. He is still hunting the wrap — around the head, grab the wrist — when the partner reaches across and gives him a different situation. Instead of falling to the arm, he pulls the partner up, sits back, puts an arm around the neck, and squeezes with control on the biceps and the back of the head.
That is as far as the footage compares the two gift-wrap clips: same wrap, two choices. One sits you on the armbar. The other sits you onto the back. Neither clip is shown as a continuation of the kesa-gatame Kimura.
Two Questions the Footage Answers
Which BJJ position does the coach put first?
Rear mount. In this lesson that is the top of his list because of the choke, the armbars, and the chance to move back to mount.
Is the Kimura clip the start of the gift-wrap attacks?
No. The Kimura is from kesa-gatame. The gift-wrap armbar and back take are a separate pair of examples from the same wrap.
Train Position Control in New Westminster
Clips help you see the idea. The ranking only holds up if you can keep the position when someone is moving. Adult jiu-jitsu at Modern Warrior is where that work happens, with Coach Cody Osborn leading the grappling room.
For standing entries that start before these ground positions, see double-leg takedowns and the earlier underhook attacks series. For how the academy talks about grappling as a whole, read the ground and grappling overview, then check the current schedule.
