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# A Systematic Approach to Hand Fighting for Jiu Jitsu Beginners
- URL: https://www.jordanlaster.com/a-systematic-approach-to-hand-fighting-for-jiu-jitsu-beginners/
- Published: 2025-06-02T11:30:01.000Z
- Updated: 2025-08-23T03:08:41.000Z
- Description: Hand fighting is the hardest concept in wrestling to teach to beginners. But it's essential to go from good to great!
- Author: Jordan Laster
- Tags: Grappling

> *Hand fighting can feel chaotic for beginners — but it doesn't have to. Here’s a structured system for learning how to grip, move, and attack with purpose.*

🎥 **Watch the full breakdown here:**  
YouTube: [My Step by Step Hand Fighting System (Perfect for Jiu Jitsu Beginners)](https://youtu.be/uo-z4sVMd1g?ref=jordanlaster.com)

## Why Hand Fighting is the Hardest—and Most Important—Skill to Build

I remember my first hand fighting experience. I was 70 lbs, in a middle school singlet, getting my head bounced off the mat and walking off bloodied with a tampon in my nose. 

Not my best moment — but it’s the moment that made me realize: **hand fighting matters.**

If you're serious about your standup game in jiu jitsu, this is where it starts.

It’s awkward at first. It’s not intuitive. 

But it’s the difference between reacting and **controlling**.

## What Is Hand Fighting?

Hand fighting is the strategic battle for grips, space, and control. It’s how you:

- Clear your opponent’s tie
- Establish your own
- Create attacks through movement and pressure

At its core, it's a four-step loop:

1. Initiate contact or clear their tie
2. Get your preferred tie-up
3. Set up your takedown or guard entry
4. Execute

The most important ingredient? **Intention.**

Beginners often flail and slap — and that’s okay at first. But we want to turn that chaos into craft.

## Why Hand Fighting Matters in Jiu Jitsu

- Determines who controls the standup
- Helps you grip before they do
- Sets up clean takedowns or guard pulls
- Keeps your opponent out of position
- Builds spatial awareness and timing

Most importantly:

**Hand fighting makes you proactive, not reactive.**

## My Approach: Depth Over Breadth

> *It’s better to have 100 setups for one attack than a bunch of attacks with barely any setups. –* [*Seth Gross*](https://www.instagram.com/godswrestler133/?ref=jordanlaster.com)

Instead of learning 10 random techniques, you’ll learn to:

- Master **3 key ties** that suit your game
- Clear the most common grip positions
- Drill **2–3 setups** into a single or double leg

That’s it. But the reps will make you dangerous.

## How I Teach: The Technique-to-Game Flow

Every session I run follows a simple progression:

1. **Teach the technique** (in under 10 minutes)
2. **Drill at progressive resistance** (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%)
3. **Apply in live constraint-based games**  
→ These are scenarios that force you to use what you learned under pressure

This approach is one I'm still tinkering with, but have found success with so far.

## What You’ll Learn in This Series

My full hand fighting system follows this path:

1. **Master stance and initial contact**
2. **Learn the 6 essential tie-ups + how to clear them**
3. **Connect it all to your single + double leg**
4. **Develop your personal flow + style**

## Track Your Improvements

Download the free [Hand Fighting Checklist for Jiu Jitsu Beginners](https://shop.jordanlaster.com/b/handfighting-checklist?ref=jordanlaster.com) to track your hand fighting progression.