Become Fighter
The shrimp: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guide
The hip escape: the movement that makes space on your back and underlies almost every escape.
The shrimp, or hip escape, is the most useful movement in jiu-jitsu. When someone is heavy on you, you cannot push them away, but you can move your hips away from them. That is where space comes from.
Drill it alone every day. It teaches the foot-to-hip drive that every guard retention and escape in this course depends on.
Key points
- Lie on your back, knees bent and feet flat. Hands up in front of your chest as frames.
- Plant your feet and push your hips up and slightly off the floor.
- Turn onto your shoulder and slide your hips away from your head.
- Your shoulders barely move. The hips travel.
- Return to your back with your knees bent, ready to go again on the other side.
Step by step
- Set the frames. Lie on your back, knees bent, heels near your hips. Hold your forearms up in front of you as if you were stopping someone from coming onto your chest.
- Push and turn. Drive off your feet to lift your hips a little. Turn onto the shoulder on the side you are moving towards.
- Slide the hips. Let your hips travel back along the floor, away from your head, by about a hip width. Pull your knees up slightly as you go.
- Come back and switch. Return flat onto your back, then shrimp the other way. Travel along the room in a line, then come back.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Crawling with the shoulders. Keep your head and shoulders where they are. The push comes from the feet.
- Staying flat on the back. Turn onto the shoulder every rep. Without the turn there is nowhere for the hips to go.
- Frames collapsing. Keep your forearms up and your elbows close to your ribs, as if someone were above you.
- Frantic, tiny movements. Slow down. One big, clean shrimp is worth ten small scrambles.
Drill: Shrimp rounds
4 rounds of 45 seconds, with 30 seconds of rest. Safe to practise alone.
- Slow shrimps down the room, then back on the other side. Make every turn complete.
- Alternate sides on the call. Frames up the whole time.
- Pick up the pace but keep the hips light. Chin tucked, breathe out as you push.
- Fast but clean. Stop and reset if your form falls apart.
Combinations that use it
- bjj-bridge-shrimp: Bridge, Hip escape
- bjj-shrimp-shrimp: Hip escape, Hip escape
- bjj-frame-shrimp: Guard frame, Hip escape
- bjj-shrimp-shrimp-stand: Hip escape, Hip escape, Technical stand-up
- bjj-bridge-shrimp-stand: Bridge, Hip escape, Technical stand-up
- bjj-shrimp-granby: Hip escape, Granby roll
Related techniques
Train it in the app
In Become Fighter this lesson comes with a short video, a timed drill with the coach calling the shots, and a quick quiz to check you've got it.
Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play.
More from How jiu-jitsu works
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Combat sports training is hard on the body. Warm up, stay within your limits and check with a doctor first if you have a health condition. Practise in a clear space and stop if you feel pain or dizziness. Learn partner work only under a qualified coach.