Finding your way through the maze of chokes and joint locks is a lot easier when you have a bjj submission chart taped to your gym bag or saved on your phone. If you've ever spent a round stuck in side control, finally managed to transition to mount, and then realized you have absolutely no clue what to do next, you're not alone. We've all been there. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is basically physical chess, but it's hard to play when you haven't even memorized how the pieces move.
A submission chart acts like a GPS for your grappling. It's not about memorizing a thousand different ways to twist a toe; it's about understanding the logic of the sport. It helps you visualize where you are, where you want to go, and exactly how to finish the fight once you get there.
Organizing the Chaos of the Mats
When you first start training, BJJ feels like a blur of heavy breathing, laundry detergent smells, and confusing limbs. Your coach shows a move, you try it three times, and then by the time live rolling starts, it's completely gone from your brain. That's where a bjj submission chart comes in handy. It takes that chaotic mess and puts it into a structured format.
Instead of seeing BJJ as 500 random moves, a good chart breaks things down by position. You see the "Closed Guard" section and realize you have three primary options: the armbar, the triangle, and the omoplata. Suddenly, the game feels manageable. You aren't looking for everything at once; you're looking for the specific pathways that actually exist from where you're currently sitting.
It's about reducing the cognitive load. When you're tired and someone is trying to crush your ribs, you don't have the mental energy to invent a new move. You need a pre-set menu of options. Having a visual map helps your brain categorize these techniques during your off-time so that they're easier to "download" when you're on the mats.
Why Visual Learners Thrive with a Map
Most of us learn better when we can see the connection between points A and B. A bjj submission chart creates a "if this, then that" logic chain. If the opponent hides their arm, you go for the neck. If they protect their neck, you attack the arm.
Seeing these connections on paper—or a screen—reinforces the "dilemma" principle in Jiu-Jitsu. The best grapplers in the world don't just hunt for one submission; they hunt for two or three at the same time. They create situations where the opponent has to choose which way they want to lose.
For example, a chart might show the link between a failed armbar and a successful triangle choke. When you see that line connecting the two moves, it clicks. You stop seeing a failed armbar as a "mistake" and start seeing it as the necessary setup for the next attack. This shift in mindset is huge for your development.
Identifying High Percentage Moves
Let's be honest: there are some moves that look cool on Instagram but almost never work in a real roll against someone who knows what they're doing. A solid bjj submission chart usually prioritizes the high-percentage stuff—the "bread and butter" moves that have worked for decades.
You'll notice that the Rear Naked Choke (RNC), the Armbar, and the Guillotine take center stage. There's a reason for that. They work at every level, from white belt to the ADCC finals. By focusing your attention on these high-percentage finishes, you avoid the trap of becoming a "collection of moves" without a real system.
It's easy to get distracted by flashy "submission of the week" videos. But if you look at your chart and see that the Kimura is a gateway to five other positions and three other submissions, you realize it's worth spending six months mastering that one move rather than learning ten different "flying" attacks that you'll likely never pull off.
Building Your Own Personal System
While you can find plenty of great templates online, the real magic happens when you start customizing your own bjj submission chart. Every body type is different. A 140-pound guard player is going to have a very different "finish map" than a 250-pound top-pressure specialist.
Maybe you have short legs, so the traditional closed-guard triangle isn't your best friend. Your chart might lean more toward the Darce choke or the North-South choke. By mapping out what actually works for you, you start to develop a "game."
A personal chart helps you spot the holes in your game, too. You might realize, "Hey, I have five submissions from the back, but zero from side control." That realization is gold. It tells you exactly what you need to work on during your next several weeks of training. You don't need to guess anymore; the data is right there in front of you.
Don't Just Look at It, Drill It
A bjj submission chart is a tool, not a magic wand. You can't just stare at it and expect to become a black belt by osmosis. The real value comes when you take that chart into the gym and use it to guide your drilling sessions.
Try "positional sparring" based on your map. Start in the mount and tell yourself you're only allowed to hunt for the two submissions you've highlighted on your chart. This forces you to find the setups and transitions required to make those specific moves work.
It's also a great way to study film. When you're watching professional matches, keep your chart nearby. Every time a high-level athlete hits a submission, see where it fits on your map. Did they use a transition you didn't know existed? Draw a new line on your chart. This turns passive watching into active learning.
The Psychological Edge of Having a Plan
There's a specific kind of panic that happens in BJJ when you don't know what to do. Your heart rate spikes, you start burning unnecessary energy, and you usually end up making a mistake that gets you swept or tapped.
Having a mental (or physical) bjj submission chart gives you a sense of calm. Even if you're in a bad spot, you know the route back to safety and eventually to an attack. It gives you an objective. Instead of just "trying to survive," you're "trying to get to the Kimura trap."
That shift from reactive to proactive is what separates the people who plateau from the people who keep getting better. When you have a plan, you move with purpose. Even if the plan fails, you've learned something specific about why it failed, which you can then use to update your strategy.
Wrapping It Up
At the end of the day, Jiu-Jitsu is a lifelong journey of solving puzzles. A bjj submission chart is just a way to keep track of the pieces you've already found. It's a living document that grows as you do.
Don't feel like you need to have every single move in the world on your chart. Start small. Map out your favorite position and your two favorite ways to finish from there. Once those feel like muscle memory, add another branch to the tree. Before you know it, you won't just be "doing moves"—you'll be playing the game with a level of clarity that makes everything feel a whole lot lighter.
So, go grab a piece of paper or open a blank doc. Start drawing those lines and see where they lead you. Your game will thank you for it next time you step on the mats.