What Is Base?

Base is how you use your body to stay balanced and hard to move.

Have you ever stood with your feet really close together while someone gently pushed you?

It is hard to stay balanced.

But if you stand with your feet a little wider, bend your knees, and keep your body strong, it is much easier to stay up.

That is base.

In jiu jitsu, base can come from your feet, knees, hands, or how your weight is placed.

Good base helps you stay strong.

Bad base makes you easier to move.

If your base is good, your partner may have a harder time pushing you, pulling you, sweeping you, or knocking you over.

If your base is bad, your partner may be able to move you more easily.

Sometimes bad base happens when you lean too far.

Sometimes it happens when you reach too much.

Sometimes it happens when your feet or knees are too close together.

Sometimes it happens when too much of your weight is on one side.

Base can be hard to learn because you have to notice what your body is doing.

You have to feel when you are balanced.

You have to feel when you are leaning.

You have to feel when your partner is starting to move you.

That takes practice.

In jiu jitsu, you are learning about your base and your partner’s base.

You want to keep your own base strong.

You also want to notice when your partner’s base is weak.

If your partner is leaning, reaching, or putting too much weight in one direction, that

might be your chance to sweep, escape, or move to a better position.

Just like frames help protect your space, base helps protect your balance.

A good frame helps you make room.

A good base helps you stay strong.

And when your partner’s base is weak, that might be your chance to move.

Try This in Class

This week, listen for the word base.

When your coach says it, ask yourself:

Am I balanced?

Am I leaning too far?

Can my partner move me easily?

Then ask:

Is my partner balanced?

Are they leaning?

Are they reaching?

Can I use that to sweep, escape, or move to a better position?

You do not have to notice everything at once.

Start with your own base.

Then start looking for your partner’s base too.

Words We Use in Class

Base: The way you use your body to stay balanced and hard to move.

Balance: Being able to stay in control without falling over.

Post: Using your hand, foot, knee, or another part of your body to stop yourself from falling.

Sweep: A move that takes your partner from the top position to the bottom position.

Weight: How your body pressure is placed on the mat or on your partner.

Lean: When your body tilts too far in one direction.

Position: Where your body is compared to your partner’s body.

Parent Note

Base is one of the ways kids learn body awareness in jiu jitsu. They are learning where their weight is, when they are balanced, when they are leaning, and how small changes in body position can make them easier or harder to move.

This can be difficult at first. Kids often want to move quickly, reach too far, or use strength before they understand balance. That is normal.

With practice, kids learn that good movement starts with good position. Before they can move someone else, they often have to understand how to control their own body first.