3rd Degree Black Belt · Chris "Bones" Burns
Takedown Building Blocks
Make your takedowns simple, safe and effective.
with Chris "Bones" Burns
$147.00 USD
Get instant access →One-time payment · Lifetime access · 30-day guarantee
130+ lessons across 13 modules, taught by 3rd degree black belt Chris "Bones" Burns.
🛡️ 30 days. Train it, and if it hasn't changed how you feel standing up, email us for every cent back.
Chris "Bones" Burns teaches the standing game as principles, not a technique list. 13 modules covering breakfalling, the push-pull dynamic, gi throws and grips, the no-gi clinch, over-under and double unders, and the counters that complete the system — built on structure and timing rather than strength or speed.
Why the stand-up feels so dangerous
You know how to grapple. You have the positions. You understand the ground game.
But the moment someone grips up and the stand-up starts, you go blank. You pull guard. You survive.
Or worse — you try a takedown, get sprawled on, and end up somewhere far worse than where you started. You could have just stayed on the feet.
You watch good competitors and they look relaxed up there. Controlled. Like the grip fight is just another position to work from.
The problem isn't takedowns. It's that nobody taught you the principles of standing first.
What's actually going on
Problem 01
“Why do takedowns feel so unnatural when everything else clicks?”
On the ground you have a system. Standing, you have a handful of techniques you half-remember and no idea which one this moment calls for.
The fix
Learn the principles that govern every standing engagement first — base, connection, distance, energy — and the techniques stop being a list and start being choices.
Problem 02
“How do I take someone down without blowing my knees or face-planting?”
Most takedown instruction starts with the takedown. So the first thing you learn is how to fall badly, at speed, under someone else's weight.
The fix
Start with the Art of Ukemi. Ten lessons on breakfalling before a single throw, so you can drill the rest without fear of the landing.
Problem 03
“Is it even worth learning takedowns at my age?”
Every takedown highlight reel is a twenty-two-year-old wrestler exploding through a double leg. It's easy to conclude the standing game closed for you a decade ago.
The fix
These are structural takedowns, not explosive ones. They run on leverage, timing and where your weight is — none of which get slower with age.
Master the standing game
Thirteen modules, built in the order you were meant to learn them. Fall safely, understand the principles, then apply them in the gi and in no-gi.
- 01
Art of Ukemi — learn to land first
Before you learn to take someone down, you learn how to fall. Most schools skip this entirely, which is exactly why so many people never drill takedowns hard enough to get good at them.
- 02
Foundations — base, connection, distance
The principles underneath every takedown in the course. Without them, techniques are just moves you forget. With them, the whole standing game becomes one system.
- 03
Water & Stone — the push-pull dynamic
Rickson's principle applied standing. Read where your partner's energy is going and guide it instead of fighting it, so their own force is what takes them down.
- 04
Gi — clinch, grips and structural throws
Entry, grip fighting and a core library of throws that work on leverage rather than athleticism. Win the grip battle before a takedown is even attempted.
- 05
No-Gi — clinch, over-under and counters
The front clinch, the over-under, double unders, and the counters for when they shoot first. This is where the no-gi stand-up is decided.
What's inside
13 modules. The complete standing game, gi and no-gi.
- Art of Ukemi— Breakfalling first — so you can train takedowns without fear of the landing.10 lessons
- Foundations— Base, connection, distance and energy: the principles under every takedown here.5 lessons
- Water & Stone— The push-pull dynamic that governs every standing engagement.13 lessons
- Gi Clinch Entry— How to get into the clinch in the gi without giving anything away on the way in.2 lessons
- Gi Engagement— Grip fighting and posture — dominating the battle before a throw is attempted.14 lessons
- Gi Throws— Structural throws built on leverage and timing, not explosive athleticism.12 lessons
- Sweep System— Takedowns that land you on top and in control, ready to pass.9 lessons
- Gi Grip Attacks— Attacking from the grip fight itself to off-balance them before they read it.4 lessons
- No-Gi Front Clinch— Your home position in no-gi: getting there, holding it, working from it.6 lessons
- No-Gi Clinch— The full clinch system — entries, control and attacks.8 lessons
- No-Gi Over Under— The biggest module in the course. Every angle, attack and counter from the over-under.35 lessons
- No-Gi Double Unders— Getting the double underhook, keeping it, and finishing from it.9 lessons
- No-Gi Counters— What to do when they shoot, grab or attack first — so nothing standing catches you cold.14 lessons
- Total141 lessons
Every module streams on phone, tablet or laptop, and stays yours for life.
See it in action
Two lessons from inside the course.
Preview lesson
Win the push-pull battle
Water & Stone applied standing: reading where their force is going, and using it instead of meeting it.
Preview lesson
The body fold takedown
Structure over strength. A takedown that works on position and leverage rather than speed.
Your instructor
Chris "Bones" Burns
3rd Degree BJJ Black Belt · Owner & Head Instructor, Zero Point Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Sydney
Instead of learning 1000 things, you need to learn 1 thing 1000 ways.
A private student of Rickson Gracie and an instructor trained by the Gracie family themselves, Chris has spent two decades distilling what Rickson called Invisible Jiu-Jitsu — the connection, weight distribution and timing you have to feel to understand.
Over 28,000 students have trained with The BJJ Project on the idea that principles come before techniques.
Takedown Building Blocks is that same method applied standing up. Not fifty throws to memorise, but a framework for the standing game that doesn't ask you to be young, fast or strong.
What students say about Chris
These are about Chris's teaching rather than this course specifically — the method is the same one you'll meet standing up.
“So you think you know jiu-jitsu? Chris will ask you to do a move on him and you'll go 'Ha, I've got this!'. Then he stops it right in its tracks with a simple adjustment... in one sentence he will share a detail that turns out not just to be a detail but an essential part of the technique.”
“Mind blown every time! Whether I'm training with Chris in person or watching his instructionals online... his knowledge, attention to detail and quick effective solutions to the problems I'm having.”
“As a long time student of Chris Burns I can attest to his unrivalled knowledge of Rickson Gracie's Jiu-Jitsu system. Chris is the foremost teacher of this methodology — looked to by other black belts of the Gracie system to further our understanding.”
Stop avoiding the stand-up
The goal was never fifty techniques to memorise. It's a standing game you can actually use — one that holds up when you're tired, when they're bigger, and when you're ten years older than you are now.
- Takedowns that work at any age — built on structure, not strength or speed
- Learn to fall safely before you learn to take anyone down (Art of Ukemi)
- 130+ lessons across gi, no-gi, clinch, throws and counters
- Taught by Chris "Bones" Burns, 3rd degree black belt under Rickson Gracie
- Includes a 30-day Golden Goat membership trial — free, cancel anytime
30-day money-back guarantee
Train it for 30 days. If it hasn't changed how you feel when the stand-up starts, email support@thebjjproject.com and we'll refund every cent. No questions asked.
Here's what you get
Everything below is included today.
Takedown Building Blocks
One-time payment · lifetime access
- Takedowns that work at any age — built on structure, not strength or speed
- Learn to fall safely before you learn to take anyone down (Art of Ukemi)
- 130+ lessons across gi, no-gi, clinch, throws and counters
- Taught by Chris "Bones" Burns, 3rd degree black belt under Rickson Gracie
- Includes a 30-day Golden Goat membership trial — free, cancel anytime
Takedown Building Blocks — $147
130+ lessons across 13 modules. Gi, no-gi, clinch, throws and counters. Lifetime access.
Golden Goat Takedown Challenge
Bones and Chris Haueter team up to rebuild your takedowns across 30 days.
Guard Passing Kickstarter — $97
Once the takedown lands, you're on top and passing. This is where that starts.
Golden Goat 30-day trial — $97
Full membership access to the whole library. Cancel anytime, no charge during the trial.
Three bonuses included today: the Takedown Challenge, the Guard Passing Kickstarter, and 30 days inside the Golden Goat.
Today
$147.00 USD
One-time payment · Lifetime access · 30-day guarantee
🛡️ 30 days. Train it, and if it hasn't changed how you feel standing up, email us for every cent back.
Chris "Bones" Burns is a 3rd Degree BJJ Black Belt and a private student of Rickson Gracie, teaching at Zero Point Gracie Jiu-Jitsu in Sydney.
Questions
- What's actually covered?
- The complete standing game: breakfalling, the principles of base, connection and distance, gi clinch and throws, the no-gi clinch, over-under and double unders, and the counters for when they attack first. 130+ lessons across 13 modules, all built on the same Rickson Gracie principles that underpin everything The BJJ Project teaches.
- I'm over 40. Is this for me?
- That's exactly who it was built for. The whole approach runs on principles rather than athleticism — base, connection, distance management — so you don't need to be fast or strong, you need to understand the mechanics. And the Art of Ukemi module means you learn to fall safely before anything else, which is the part that usually ends people's interest in takedowns.
- How does the Golden Goat trial work?
- If you opt in at checkout, you get 30 days free access to our Golden Goat community and entire library of over 1,000 lessons. Cancel any time before your 30 days are up and you won't be charged — we'll remind you before you're billed. If you stay on, it's $97/month, cancel anytime.
- How long do I have access?
- Forever. One payment and the course is yours, including every future update. Lessons stream on phone, tablet or laptop.
- What if it's not for me?
- Email support@thebjjproject.com within 30 days and we'll refund every cent. No questions asked.
Stop pulling guard by default
130+ lessons across 13 modules for a one-time payment of $147, including every future update — plus the Takedown Challenge, the Guard Passing Kickstarter and 30 days inside the Golden Goat.
Or spend another year starting every roll on your back because the first thirty seconds are the part nobody taught you.
Get instant access →🛡️ 30 days. Train it, and if it hasn't changed how you feel standing up, email us for every cent back.
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