A good No Gi round moves quickly. Grips disappear, opponents scramble harder, and positions can change before you have time to think. The best no gi drills give you reliable reactions for those fast moments, building the timing, posture and connection needed to stay effective without relying on the gi.
For beginners, drilling creates a safe pathway from learning a movement to using it in live training. For experienced grapplers, it is where small details become automatic under pressure. The aim is not to collect dozens of techniques. It is to repeat the highest-value movements with intent, good partners and clear goals.
What makes a No Gi drill worth your time?
No Gi drilling should reflect the problems you will actually face in sparring: controlling slippery limbs, winning inside position, recovering guard, standing up safely and holding position while someone is determined to escape. A useful drill has a repeatable starting point, enough resistance to make it honest, and a simple success measure.
Start slowly enough to maintain clean mechanics. Then add realistic movement, resistance and decision-making. Going flat out before you understand the sequence usually creates messy repetitions, not better grappling. Quality first, pace second.
8 best No Gi drills to build your game
1. Hand-fighting to an underhook
In No Gi, hand-fighting is not a pause before grappling. It is grappling. A strong underhook helps you control distance, create takedown entries, stand from bottom positions and prevent your opponent from settling their weight.
Begin chest-to-chest in a standing clinch or from seated guard. Both partners pummel for inside position, keeping elbows close and heads in good position. The goal is to secure an underhook with your shoulder connected under their armpit, then use it to turn their posture or move to a body lock.
Do not reach wildly for the underhook. Keep your forehead positioned safely, maintain a solid stance and use your feet to create the angle. Drill it for short rounds with a partner who gives intelligent resistance. You will quickly learn that inside control comes from posture and movement, not arm strength.
2. Snap-down to front headlock movement
The snap-down is a high-percentage way to break posture and create attacking opportunities without needing a jacket grip. Start from collar-tie range. One partner establishes head-and-arm control, snaps the opponent’s head towards the mat, and circles to keep their posture broken.
The key is not yanking the neck. Use your legs, level change and bodyweight to direct their head down while maintaining connection. From there, practise circling behind, moving to a front headlock, or resetting when your partner recovers their stance.
This drill helps develop a common No Gi skill: attacking while your opponent is defending the takedown. It also teaches the defender to keep their hips back, hands ready and posture organised rather than panicking underneath the pressure.
3. Sprawl, crossface and go-behind
A sprawl only works if it stops the shot and gives you a path to a better position. Start with your partner entering on a controlled double-leg or single-leg attempt. Defend by throwing your legs back, dropping your hips into them and keeping your chest heavy over their upper back.
Once the shot is stalled, add a crossface or secure head-and-arm control, then circle behind to establish top control. The person shooting should practise keeping good posture and recovering to a safe position rather than staying extended on the legs.
Avoid drilling sprawling by smashing your partner into the mat. Both training partners need to work at a level they can absorb safely. The purpose is to develop a fast, balanced defensive reaction, not to prove who has the hardest hips in the room.
4. Technical stand-up under pressure
The technical stand-up is one of the most practical movements in Jiu-Jitsu. It helps you return to your feet while protecting yourself, maintaining distance and avoiding a careless turn away from your training partner.
Start seated with one hand posted behind you and the opposite foot planted. Keep the other leg between you and your partner as a frame. Lift your hips, bring your posted leg underneath you and stand into a balanced stance with your hands ready.
To make the drill more useful, have your partner approach from different angles. They can offer light pressure to the shin, attempt to control an ankle or move around your guard. Your job is to frame, create space and stand without exposing your back. This is especially valuable for self-defence awareness as well as competition grappling.
5. Seated guard retention to shin-to-shin
No Gi guard retention is less about hanging on and more about keeping your knees, feet and frames in the right places. From seated guard, let your partner work around your legs at a controlled pace. Use your hands to manage their shoulders or biceps, keep your knees pointed towards them, and recover your feet inside when they attempt to pass.
Once you have regained alignment, connect shin-to-shin and establish an underhook. From there, practise entering into a single-leg, coming up to a wrestle-up, or returning safely to seated guard if the opportunity is not there.
This is a great drill because it joins defence and offence. Rather than treating guard retention as simply surviving, you learn to use the recovery moment to create your own attack. It depends on your body type and preferred guard, but the principle remains the same: reconnect before your opponent can settle their weight.
6. Hip escape to elbow-knee recovery
A hip escape is often taught early, but it remains a core movement at every level. The real test is whether you can use it to recover a meaningful defensive structure when someone is trying to hold side control or mount.
Start under side control with your partner applying steady, appropriate pressure. Frame at their neck and hip, bridge to make space, then hip escape until you can bring your bottom knee inside. Continue until you recover an elbow-knee connection, half guard or full guard.
The detail that matters most is timing. If you push with straight arms or move before making space, your partner can follow you easily. Make the bridge create the opening, then use the hip escape to claim it. Increase resistance gradually so the escape remains technical rather than becoming a strength contest.
7. Half guard underhook to dogfight
Half guard is one of the most common No Gi positions because scrambles happen constantly. The underhook is your route to getting off your back. Begin in bottom half guard with your partner applying a crossface or upper-body pressure. Frame, create enough space to pummel for the underhook, then come onto your side and build to your elbow and hand.
From the dogfight position, practise driving forward to take the back, running the pipe on a single leg, or returning your partner to the mat. Your partner should learn the matching defensive habits: a strong whizzer, hip pressure and smart head position.
This drill rewards patience. Sometimes the underhook is available immediately; sometimes you must first defend the crossface and improve your angle. Learning when to build up and when to reset is as valuable as the finish itself.
8. Mount escape to guard recovery
Mount can feel exhausting, particularly in No Gi where a skilled top player can stay tight and mobile. A dependable escape sequence starts with protecting your neck and keeping your elbows connected to your body. Bridge to disrupt their base, then use an elbow escape to bring a knee through and recover half guard or full guard.
Drill from different mount variations. A low mount asks for stronger hip movement and elbow positioning, while a high mount demands earlier hand fighting to keep your arms safe. The top player should work to follow the escape with good balance, not simply sit still and wait to be moved.
Set a clear objective for each round: the bottom player recovers a guard, while the top player maintains mount for a set time. This turns a familiar technique into a practical positional battle.
How to turn drills into better sparring
Choose two or three drills that fit your current needs and revisit them for several weeks. If you are getting taken down too easily, prioritise hand-fighting, sprawls and technical stand-ups. If you are regularly pinned underneath, invest in hip escapes, half guard underhooks and mount recovery.
Use positional sparring after drilling. Start in the exact position you practised, with one person trying to complete the movement and the other trying to stop it. This is the bridge between cooperative repetition and open rolling. You will notice where your timing breaks down, then return to the drill with a more specific question.
At ONE Jiu-Jitsu Academy, the strongest progress comes from consistent training with partners who help each other improve. Bring one of these drills into your next session, focus on clean repetitions, and give yourself permission to build the skill one round at a time.