Free self-defence guide
The 4 Steps That Decide Every Fight
A free beginner's guide to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu self-defence, the same four principles we teach every new student on day one.
Most people think a fight is won by whoever is bigger or stronger.
They're wrong. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was built on the opposite idea: a smaller, weaker person can beat a larger attacker, if they know the right principles.
This guide gives you four of them, in order, from the moment danger appears to controlling the situation on your terms.
What's inside
- Distance Management: the Red Zone and the two Green Zones, and why most fights are decided before the first punch is thrown.
- The Takedown: how to close the gap and take the fight to the ground on your terms, using your legs rather than your arms.
- Ground Control: the Mount. Why the person on top burns no energy and the person underneath burns all of it.
- The Submission: the Americana. A shoulder lock that works on strength differences, not despite them.
Every step links to a video timestamp, so you can watch the technique rather than guess at it from a diagram.
Who wrote it
Ben Tippen is a Black Belt and head instructor at Watford Gracie Jiu-Jitsu. Everything in this guide is taught on the mat at our academy in Watford, with a partner, at your own pace, no experience required.
"You don't need to be a fighter. You just need to start."
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