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Explainer · Grip

Grip Types for BJJ.

What your hands are actually doing in gi and no-gi — and how to train the grip system properly.

GripGi No-GiHand FightingIron Grip
Download Iron Grip ↓ Read Grip Strength for BJJ Hand grippers are one tiny piece — understand the grip types first.

Every exchange starts with contact

Before the pass, the sweep, the takedown — there's a grip.

BJJ isn't just about strong hands. It's knowing what kind of grip you're using, what it's meant to do, and whether your body can support it. A good grip connects your hand to the rest of your body; a bad one burns your forearms and disappears the moment your opponent hand-fights.

Key takeaway

Don't just squeeze harder. Connect better, control better, and use your whole body behind the grip.

"Buy grippers and squeeze them" is one tiny piece. Most BJJ grips fall into two families — and the thumb is a help in some, a weak link in others.

Two families

Hand-to-hand, or hand-to-opponent.

Hand-to-Hand

Hands connect

Your hands link to each other — body locks, front headlocks, submissions, back control, wrestling positions.

GableS-gripButterflyBall-and-socketFigure-fourSeatbelt

Strength comes from arms, back & trunk — not just fingers.

Hand-to-Opponent

Control them

Your hand controls the opponent's body, limbs, posture or clothing directly.

Wrist controlCollar tieUnderhookCollar / sleeveLapel / pantsBelt

No-gi grips the person; gi grips the person and the uniform.

Thumb-over vs thumb-under. A gable grip is usually stronger thumbs-out — tuck them in and it's easier to split. Fabric grips (pistol, collar, sleeve) often use the thumb to anchor. The rule isn't "thumb bad" — use the thumb when it improves the grip, remove it when it becomes the weak link.

The common grips

Each has a job.

Hand-to-hand

Gable Grip

Palm-to-palm, thumbs out — body locks, front headlocks, passing finishes. One of the strongest.

Med-ball squeeze · carries · heavy rows
Hand-to-hand

S-Grip

Fingers hooked — extra reach when palms can't meet. Useful, not as strong as gable.

Finger flexors · dead hangs · towel hangs
Submission

Figure-Four

Kimura, americana, armbar control — a lever system needing wrist, elbow, shoulder & trunk.

Rows · hammer curls · rotational trunk
Back control

Seatbelt

Over-shoulder + under-armpit clamp — back & turtle control, RNC entries.

Pulling strength · grip endurance · carries
No-gi

Collar Tie / Wrist Control

Head & posture control; the wrist is the steering wheel for the arm.

Rows · pron/supination · grip endurance
Gi

Collar / Sleeve

Posture breaking, chokes, guard control, arm control — fabric handles, but body still anchors.

Towel rows · gi pull-up holds · wrist work
Gi

Pistol / Pocket

Bunched fabric on sleeve or lapel — strong handle, hard on fingers/wrist.

Towel holds · finger & wrist curls · pinches
Gi

Lapel / Pants / Belt

Long levers to torso, legs and hips — guards, passing, back & turtle control.

Gi rows · carries · isometric holds · bracing

Grip is a system

Your hands connect. Your body anchors.

Your fingers are only the contact point. Grip with the hand alone and you burn out; grip with the whole chain and you become much harder to break.

ContactFingers
→
Holds positionWrist
→
Transfers forceElbow
→
StabilisesShoulder
→
AnchorsUpper Back
→
Holds postureTrunk
A strong BJJ grip needs wrist position, elbow angle, shoulder stability, upper-back strength, trunk control, posture and breathing — not just hand grippers. That's why grip training has to include more than squeezing.

Gi vs no-gi

Fabric handles, or body handles.

Gi

Fabric
Collar · sleeveLapel · pants · beltHigh grip-endurance demand

The uniform gives handles — but it makes people lazy. Death-grip everything and your forearms blow up.

No-Gi

Structures
Wrists · ties · hooksBody locksMore slipping & regripping

No fabric to rely on — grips die fast if your body is disconnected.

Strength and endurance both matter. Heavy carries, holds and pinches build the force to break grips and finish body locks; timed hangs, longer carries and repeated towel rows build the endurance to keep gripping across long gi rounds. Strong hands that gas out in 30 seconds aren't enough — and neither is endless endurance with weak grips.

How to train it

Match the work to the grip — at the end of sessions.

Most grapplers can train grip directly 2–3×/week at the end of lifting. Start small; reduce it if you train gi a lot or your elbows get irritated.

Hand-to-hand

Whole-body connection: med-ball squeeze, rows, carries, pull-ups, trunk bracing, body-lock holds.

Gi grips

Towel rows, gi pull-up holds, dead hangs, wrist curls/extensions, plate pinches — a little goes a long way.

No-gi hand fighting

Wrist strength, hammer curls, carries, rows, pinches, pron/supination, grip endurance.
Don't put towels on everything. If grip is the goal, towel work is great — on rows, hangs, carries and finishers. If the purpose is back, leg or heavy pulling strength and the towel makes grip fail first, you're ruining the main lift. Specificity is good; fake specificity is just bad programming with a gi sleeve.
Want the full protocol

Iron Grip is the free grip-strength resource; Grip Strength for Jiu-Jitsu covers the whole system.

Download Iron Grip ↓Grip Strength for BJJ

Common mistakes

Six ways grip training goes wrong.

1

Only using grippers

They train crushing grip — BJJ needs support, wrist, isometric and endurance too.

2

Death-gripping every round

A technique & pacing issue. Better grapplers hold, adjust, release and regrip.

3

Ignoring wrist position

A weak wrist makes the grip easy to break. Train the wrist.

4

Too much towel work

Useful, easy to overdo — your elbows will tell you.

5

Grip before main lifts

Cook your grip first and the main lifts suffer. Put direct grip work at the end.

6

Forgetting the trunk & back

A grip without body connection is weak. Train rows, carries, trunk and posture.

The BJJ Strong approach

Your hands are the connection. Your body is the anchor.

Train only your fingers and you're missing the system. You need grip strength, wrist strength, elbow tolerance, shoulder stability, upper-back strength, trunk control — and the skill to use the right grip at the right time. That's why grip belongs inside a proper strength plan, not as a random forearm finisher.

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FAQ

Quick answers.

What are the main grip types in BJJ +
They group into hand-to-hand and hand-to-opponent grips — gable, S-grip, collar tie, wrist control, collar, sleeve, lapel, figure-four and more.
What's the strongest grip for BJJ +
Depends on position — but the gable grip is one of the strongest hand-to-hand grips because it removes the thumb as a weak link.
Are gi grips different from no-gi grips +
Yes. Gi grips use collars, sleeves, lapels, pants and belts; no-gi relies on wrists, ties, underhooks, overhooks, body locks and hand fighting.
Are hand grippers good for BJJ +
They help but aren't enough — they mostly train crushing grip. BJJ also needs support grip, wrist strength, endurance, carries, hangs and whole-body connection.
Should I put towels on every exercise +
No. Use towel grips when grip is the goal. If they ruin a lift's main purpose, use normal handles and train grip separately.
How often should I train grip +
2–3×/week at the end of lifting sessions. Reduce if you train gi a lot or your elbows get irritated.
Why do my forearms gas out in BJJ +
Usually poor grip endurance, death-gripping, inefficient technique or bad pacing. Grip training helps — but knowing when to release and regrip matters too.
What should I download first +
Start with Iron Grip if grip is your main weak point.

Connect better — don't just squeeze harder.

BJJ has many grip types: hand-to-hand and hand-to-opponent, gi and no-gi, thumb-over and thumb-under. Each has a job. Train carries, hangs and wrist strength, use towels and gi grips intelligently, build strength and endurance — and stop pretending hand grippers are a complete program.

Download Iron Grip ↓ Read Grip Strength for BJJ