If you are training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you will tap. Those people that can’t get past this point, never get anywhere in BJJ. Those that accept it, though end up with a “safe word” type of thing that will get them out of anything safely, albeit at the cost of “defeat”. This dualism of safety at the price of a loss makes people adopt different ways to tap in BJJ. Just recently, Meerkatsu decided to compile a list of 12 different ways people tap.
12 Ways People Tap In BJJ
Following are 12 different ways in which people get the attention of their training partner when they decide they’ve had enough of something in Jiu-Jitsu. The list is pretty thorough, offering essentially all the ways in which someone can tap in BJJ.
The Regular
This is what most people do, tapping out several times on the surface of the body of their training partner. it is a great way to ensure the training partner is aware that you’re tapping, since they won’t be able to ignore the sensation of someone tapping a body part of theirs.
The Floor Slapper
This one is inspired by Judokas and involves slapping the ground hard, similar to when you’re performing break falls. One of the most common ways to tap in BJJ, along with the Regular.
The Vocalist
This one is supposed to be used when all your extremities are too tied up to tap the Regular or Floor Slapping / Stomping way, but some decide to use it as their primary means of tapping. it is when you verbally tell people that you tap, concede, ask them to stop or just outright yell in agony.
The Premature Tapper
One of the more annoying ways to tap in BJJ, premature tappers are those that tap ina panic anytime you come in the vicinity of a dangerous situation. they annoy training partners because they do not allow people to even try and finish techniques, giving up way too early and away to unrealistically.
The Floor Stomper
The hyped version of the Floor Slapper, a floor stomper uses their feet to vigorously stomp the mats, letting their partner know they’re done
The ‘Left It Too Late”
These are the people that usually go to sleep, even though they think they tapped. With chokes, people lose the ability to move limbs for a good few seconds before losing consciousness, which makes those caught thinking they tapped when they actually did nothing. With joint locks, this is one way to tap in BJJ that does not allow people to stay in the sport long. It also often requires crutches and slings in the aftermath.
The Hoverer
A.k.a. the “Brazilian tap” this is another way to annoy your partners and get punished. It involves raising a hand as if you would tap using any of the other methods, but just hovering there and not taping, often taking advantage of the attackers’ goodwill to explosively try and get out. Along with the “Left it Too Late” one of the most inefficient ways to tap in BJJ.
The Anti-Tapper
The ultimate inefficient way to tap out in Jiu-Jitsu. They do not tap at all, resulting in partners not wanting to train with them, because the attacker knew they could break a limb off, but decided to be the bigger person and let go.
The Encourager
The person that once they realize they’re caught deep in a submission, they start coaching and encouraging you to go further with the sub, as if they are allowing you to tap them out. This one is very frowned upon in the BJJ world.
The “It Wasn’t A tap”
The worst way to tap in BJJ, is claiming you didn’t. Even other tappers like The Hoverer, The Premature, or the Encourager are not as hated as this type of tapper.
The Machine Gun
This one is fun and works both verbally and via a physical tap on either the mats or the training partner’s body. it involves people yelling “tap, tap, tap, tap” at the firing speed of a getting gun. The physical version of this way to tap in BJJ reminds of metal band drummers.
The Butt Slapper
Finally, we have a very disrespectful way to tap, when done intentionally. Tapping on the surface of your partner’s body is the optimal way to tap, and sometimes it involves tapping awkward areas. However, when people do ti intentionally it puts makes their partners uncomfortable and quickly gets them branded in a negative way.
Which One Are You?
WHile most people have likely used more than one of the methods above, we ll still have a favorite go-to way to tap in BJJ. Which one of the twelve best describes you?
