BJJ PARTNER DRILLS

BJJ Partner Drills

Like Solo drills and Line drills, Partnered drills can be an integral part of a BJJ students progress. They can be utilised as a pre-technique to help students with the technique taught in class but can also be used in strength and conditioning aspect of a class.

Below are a list of Partnered drills with both written explanations and video references that can be referred to.

Internal Guard Lifts

Video: Internal Guard Lifts

Internal Guard Lifts

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner resting on their knees in front of you. They should be “out” of their base (not resting on their feet) in order to make the drill easier.

Start in a butterfly guard position (both feet on the inside of your partner’s knees with your knees on the outside of theirs).

Swim both of your hands underneath your partner’s arms and grab hold on the back of their belt/pants.

Using your feet, scoot your bottom in close to your partner in order to get underneath them and then rock backwards onto your back.

Using the strength in your legs, elevate your partner off the ground until your legs are almost straight (it is important that you keep them bent for later techniques).

Lower your partner back to the ground and use your feet to push your bottom back to regain your original position.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Fast Switch

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner in the bottom of your side control with their elbows tucked in.

As your partner bridges and pushes into you, they should extend their far side arm underneath your armpit.

Circle underneath it with your closest hand to their hip (as if you were doing a whizzer) and move around their head to their opposite side.

Retake cross-face side control.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Claps Hands Sprawl and Shoot

Video: Clap, Sprawl and Shoot

Claps Hands Sprawl and Shoot

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner standing upright in front of you. Stand upright facing your partner.

Clap both hands with your partner before placing them flat on your ground to one side. Your partner should place their hands on the floor to the opposite side as well.

Once your hands are on the floor, take your body weight in your arms and kick your legs straight back, pushing your hips into the mats as you raise your chest towards the ceiling.

After a moment, pop your hips back up and jump to your feet.

Once on your feet, step your left foot close to your partner’s feet. Make sure it is in the middle of them so that you form a rough triangle.

Place your head on the right as you make contact with your shoulder and lightly clap your partner behind the knees.

On the next repetition, follow the above motion, except drive your leading knee to the floor as you keep a straight back.

You should knock your partner back a few paces.

Step your trailing leg forwards before standing up again.

Repeat the exercise for x amount of repetitions.

Clap hands and sprawl

Clap Hands and Sprawls

Clap hands and sprawl

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner standing upright in front of you. Stand upright facing your partner.

Clap both hands with your partner before placing them flat on your ground to one side. Your partner should place their hands on the floor to the opposite side as well.

Once your hands are on the floor, take your body weight in your arms and kick your legs straight back, pushing your hips into the mats as you raise your chest towards the ceiling.

After a moment, pop your hips back up and jump to your feet.

Repeat the exercise for x amount of repetitions.

Breaking grips

Breaking Grips

Breaking grips

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner standing upright facing you.

They are going to grab your collar.

Grip their sleave in a pocket grip with both hands.

Don’t put your hands on the inside of the sleave as this is illegal in BJJ rules and it causes you to run the risk of breaking your fingers if your partner circles their arm around yours.

Using the strength in both of your arms, push forwards and to the side to break the grip.

Alternate sides and repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Balance Drill

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner standing in front of you. Stand facing your partner.

Give your partner one of your feet to hold out in front of you.

They should then proceed to move around the mat space while you hop and follow them to maintain your balance.

After x amount of time, switch legs.

Around the World

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner on their knees in front of you with a good posture and base. Their hands should be resting on their knees or thighs.

Have your legs spread into a wide ‘V’ with one foot on either side of your partner.

Reach out and touch your partner with one hand while you place your other on the floor next to you.

Travel in the opposite direction to whichever hand you placed on the mats.

Using your legs and hands, move in a circle around your partner, maintaining contact with them.

Once you reach your original position, change sides and travel in the opposite direction.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Alternative Around the World (Advanced)

Have your partner standing upright with their arms held out – like a scarecrow. Make sure they have a straight back with their feet shoulder width apart and their knees slightly bent.

Jump guard on your partner except keep your head and shoulders level with theirs.

Alternate your grips as needed as you start to crawl around your partner to their back.

Make sure that you don’t start to drop towards the mats – maintain an even level.

Continue to crawl around your partner until you reach your original position.

Arm lock rotation

Arm Lock Rotations

Arm lock rotation

Teaching Tips and Terminology

To begin this exercise, place your partner in your closed guard. They should have good posture with both hands resting lightly on your chest/ribs.

Grip the sleaves of both of your partner’s wrists with pocket grips (pinch and roll the fabric into your fingers, leaving your thumbs free – you should make ‘pockets’ to stick your fingers in).

Using your abs, do a slight crunch towards your partner so that your shoulders and head are off the mats.

Place your left foot on your partner’s hip and use the strength in your leg to raise your hips off the floor. At the same time, grate your other leg up your partner’s back until it rests squarely across their back, just underneath the armpit.

At the same time as this leg motion, pivot your body so that you are almost side on to your partner.

Finish the arm-lock by taking your left foot off your partner’s hip and placing it over the back of their neck, with your toes pushing gently towards the floor. DO NOT CROSS YOUR FEET, as this will encourage poor habits.

Take your left leg off the back of your partner’s neck and straighten it.

Keeping your back bent into a stomach crunch, swing your left leg around, down and then back up your partner’s back. At the same time, use the momentum generated to alter your position into the mirror of where you just were.

Raise your right leg over your partner’s head and complete the arm-lock.

Repeat the above motion to once more change sides.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Arm Drags

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Start facing your opponent with your feet shoulder width apart. You may stand in either staggered (wrestlers/fighting) or square base. Bend at the knees slightly and have your bottom sticking out with your back slightly bent. Have you elbows tucked into your body, with your hands out in front of you – like a T-rex.

To begin, grab your partner’s right wrist with your left wrist (you should always grab with the same side hand).

Pull your partner’s hand forwards, slightly down and towards the centre of your body.

At the same time, reach through the gap created with your right hand and cup behind your partner’s elbow/lower triceps.

Drag your opponent’s arm diagonally across your body, forcing them to step forwards.

At the same time, take a step of your own so that you are now behind your partner.

Reach around their waist and grip onto your own arm (like you’re giving them a bear hug). The grip may be either monkey-paw (thumbless grip over your wrist) or an s-lock grip (thumbless grip with your fingers curled into each other).

NOTE – The s-lock grip is the preferred finishing grip. This is because it gives your opponent less leverage and is more difficult to break.

Leg drag and pass

Leg Drag and Pass

Leg drag and pass

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner lying flat on their back with their feet resting lightly on your hips.

Grab hold of your partner’s right leg with your left hand and push it forwards slightly so that it’s off your hip.

Transition your partner’s foot into your right hand.

Turn your hips and move around your partner’s side as you pull their leg straight back and away from you.

You should never cross your feet as you transition to the side. Always bring your back foot to the lead and then move the lead leg.

Once around the side, shuffle back to your original position and repeat the drill on the opposite side.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Knee on the Belly Changes

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner lying flat on their back. Place them in your short base side control (have their closest arm cleared, hold them around the head and have your other arm controlling their opposite hip).

Push off your toes to put your weight into your hands.

As you do so, hop up to your feet and place the leg that is closest to your partner’s hips across them.

Place your other foot flat on the floor parallel to your partner with your toes pointing forwards (not to the side).

Lastly, take your hands off the floor and lightly touch your partner’s lapel and hip.

Your partner will now shrimp away from you.

As they do so, switch your grip on their lapel and hips to the opposite sides.

After this, change your riding legs (turn your outer leg in as you take your inner leg off your partner’s hips – you should end up facing away from your partner.)

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Kimura Sit Ups

Teaching Tips and Terminology

To begin this exercise, place your partner in your closed guard. They should have good posture with both hands resting lightly on your chest/ribs.

Form your hands into “ice-cream scoops” (curl your fingers slightly) and cup your partner’s wrists and pull your partner’s hands to either side of your body until they hit they floor.

Open your guard and pinch your knees together (this is to cause your partner to think that you still have your guard closed).

Wave your arms above your head as if you were at a rock concert – this generates momentum.

Pick a side of your partner to sit up against and as your hands rock towards that side, use the momentum to come up onto your elbow that’s closest to the ground. At the same time, latch over your partner’s arm with your free hand.

Release your partner’s arm and lie back down.

As you lie down, continue the arm wave momentum and sit up on the other side.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Judo Grip Battle

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner standing in front of you with their feet shoulder width apart. Mirror your partner.

Slap your partner’s hand and then fist bump (slap and tap).

The goal of this drill is to simulate fighting for grips in a competition setting.

As you move around your partner, start grabbing for lapels and sleaves as you try to prevent them from getting grips of their own.

Once one or both partners get both grips, stop and reset.

Repeat for x amount of time.

In and Out Double Leg

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner standing upright facing you with their feet shoulder width apart and their hands held out in front of them, as if they were waiting for a double high five.

Stand facing your partner in a combat base (with your left or right foot ¾ of a step forwards).

Slap your partner’s hands and immediately step forwards into a double leg tackle, stopping short of driving forward and placing your front knee on the ground.

Give a little lift (just barely enough to take your partner’s heals off the mats) and then back out to your original position.

Slap your partner’s hands again and enter on the opposite side.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Human Deadlift

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner lying flat on their back with their feet to either side of your hips. Stand in front of them with your back straight and your lefts slightly wider than shoulder width apart.

Swim your hands underneath your partner’s hips and grab hold of their belt or pants.

Keeping your back straight, use the power in your legs and back to lift your partner’s hips off the floor as you drag them towards you.

Continue to lift until only your partner’s shoulder are touching the mats. Once at this point, push forwards with your hands to force them into a backwards roll.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Hip Bump Sit Ups

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner resting in their base inside your closed guard. Their hands should be resting on your chest/belly.

Scoop your partner’s hands off your chest onto the floor.

Open your guard and place your feet on the floor, keeping your knees pinched.

At the same time, wave your hands above your head as if you were at a rock concert – this generates momentum.

Pick a side of your partner to sit up against and as your hands rock towards that side, use the momentum to come up onto your elbow that’s closest to the ground and then onto that same hand. At the same time, latch over your partner’s arm with your free hand.

Push off the floor with your feet to push your hips into your partner’s body and you perform a slight twisting motion with your upper body.

Sit back down and repeat the drill on the opposite side (don’t bother to reclose your guard each time you sit back down).

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Half Guard Side Switch

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner resting on their knees in front of you. They should be “out” of their base (not resting on their feet) in order to make the drill easier.

Start in a butterfly guard position (both feet on the inside of your partner’s knees with your knees on the outside of theirs).

Swim underneath one of your partner’s arms as you use your feet and hands to shift your bottom to that same side.

As you transition, take one foot out from between your partner’s legs and shoot the other in to hook their closest leg. Ideally, you want your hand all the way around your partner’s waist to their opposite hip. You also want your hips not just off to one side, but shifted around your partner so that you are more in line with their side than front.

Lastly, lie on your side as you shoot your free arm underneath their unhooked leg and bury your face into their hip.

Rock backwards as you bring your partner’s weight on top of you.

Regain your original position by following the above steps in reverse and then repeat the drill on the opposite side.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Double Leg Lifts

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner standing upright facing you with their feet shoulder width apart and their hands resting on your shoulders.

Stand facing your partner in a combat base (with your left or right foot ¾ of a step forwards).

Lift your partner’s hands off your shoulders. Have your elbows tucked in and push from underneath up to accomplish this.

Immediately after this, step forwards into a double leg tackle, except instead of driving forward and placing your front knee on the ground, keep a straight back and legs.

Squat down and grasp your partner behind the knees.

Keeping your back straight, use the strength in your legs to lift your partner off the floor.

Place your partner down and step back into your original position.

Have your partner take a turn at the drill before repeating the exercise.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Competitive Pummelling

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner facing you in an upright position with their feet shoulder width apart.

To pummerl, step your right foot forward into a wrestler’s base (your partner should mirror you) and wrap your right arm underneath your partner’s left arm pit and around their back.

At the same time, wrap your left arm over their right. With this arm you should grab behind their triceps and nip your elbow to your body. To begin with, place your head over your partner’s right shoulder (over your left arm).

Lengthen away from your partner to create space and swim your left arm on the inside of your partner’s right and shoot it underneath their armpit with the intent of wrapping it around their back.

Your partner should mirror your actions.

As your partner swims their left arm in, grab hold of their triceps with your right hand and nip your elbow in to your body.

Crash your chest into theirs to reclose the space.

As this is happening, switch your stance (if your right leg was forward, step your left leg forward etc).

You will find that, if done correctly, this pummerl motion will switch your sides (your left arm will be wrapped around their back while your right arm will overwrap their left).

Now that your sides have switched, place your head over your partner’s left shoulder (over your right arm).

Following on from this, competitive pummerling is simply pummerling where you move around the mat space as you pummerl. You should apply a bit more pressure and shove and pull your partner around a little bit.

NOTE – This is not a roll and thus should not become too competitive.

Closed Guard Standing

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner place you in their closed guard (their legs should be wrapped around you with their feet crossed as they lay on the floor).

You should be resting on your knees with both feet tucked under your bottom. Your feet should be flat and your knees should be spread wide apart. Place both hands on your partner’s stomach, just below their rib cage and keep your back straight.

Shift all of your weight onto your right side to ensure that you can freely move your left leg.

Place your left foot flat on the floor with your toes and knee angled 45 degrees from your partner’s body.

Drive off of your right side to now shift the weight into your left leg. This will allow you to place your right foot flat on the mats in a mirror of your left.

Stick your bottom out and keep your back straight and your knees slightly bent. Maintain contact with your hands.

To sit down again, follow the above steps in reverse.

Take your weight in your left leg as you tuck your right behind you again.

Place your now tucked right leg on the mats and then retake your weight through your right leg.

Tuck your left leg in and sit back down to regain your original position.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Leg Jam Sit Up

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner standing upright with their feet shoulder width apart.

Lie down on your back in front of them with your feet on their hips.

Take your feet off your partner’s hips. Kick one of them through your partner’s legs whilst you place the other to the outside of your partner’s legs.

Kick your legs out and use the momentum generated to sit up.

Wrap your inside leg around your partner’s leg, curling your other leg away from you so that you form an “S”.

If you sat up, curling your legs around your partner’s right leg, reach through their legs with your left arm and grab around their left leg.

Lastly, push your hips into your partner’s leg slightly to simulate the beginning of the sweep.

Let go of everything and lie back down, bringing your legs back to your partner’s hips.

Sit up on the other side.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Mad Hoppers

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner standing upright facing you. Stand upright facing your partner.

Give your partner your right foot, and take their right foot in return. You should remain standing as you do this.

Begin hopping backwards and forwards as you take it in turns to move, pull, and push your partner around the mat space.

The objective to practice balancing on one foot when someone is moving you around.

Continue for x amount of time before switching legs.

Osvaldo Alves passing drills

Basic Footwork

Bull Riding

Drag and Move

Duck and Move

Hand and Plant

Leg Drag and Move

Side Switch

Side Switch and Change

Single Leg Throw and Move

Osvaldo Alves passing drills

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner lying on their back with their knees in the air and their heels tucked in towards their bottom.

Stand in front of them and place both hands on the top of their knees with your legs and back slightly bent.

Pick a side to move around.

It is important to never cross your feet or jump with this drill.

In order to move, take your weight in your hands and sweep your legs to one side.

If you move to the right, bring your left leg to your right, and then sweep your right around your partner’s body.

Sweep your legs back around to regain your original position.

Repeat the exercise, sweep around to the opposite side.

Repeat the exercise for x amount of repetitions.

Partner Squats

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner standing in front of you with their feet shoulder width apart in a relaxed stance.

Reach forward with your right hand and grab hold behind their left elbow/triceps.

Pull their arm up to clear it as you step forward with your left foot and reach your left arm between their legs.

It’s important to keep a straight back here. Pull your partner over your shoulders and drive upwards into a standing position.

Once more keeping a straight back, start to squat.

Squat for x amount of repetitions.

Pummelling

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner facing you in an upright position with their feet shoulder width apart.

To pummerl, step your right foot forward into a wrestler’s base (your partner should mirror you) and wrap your right arm underneath your partner’s left arm pit and around their back.

At the same time, wrap your left arm over their right. With this arm you should grab behind their triceps and nip your elbow to your body. To begin with, place your head over your partner’s right shoulder (over your left arm).

Lengthen away from your partner to create space and swim your left arm on the inside of your partner’s right and shoot it underneath their armpit with the intent of wrapping it around their back.

Your partner should mirror your actions.

As your partner swims their left arm in, grab hold of their triceps with your right hand and nip your elbow in to your body.

Crash your chest into theirs to reclose the space.

As this is happening, switch your stance (if your right leg was forward, step your left leg forward etc).

You will find that, if done correctly, this pummerl motion will switch your sides (your left arm will be wrapped around their back while your right arm will overwrap their left).

Now that your sides have switched, place your head over your partner’s left shoulder (over your right arm).

S-Guard Sit Up

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner standing upright with their feet shoulder width apart.

Lie down on your back in front of them with your feet on their hips.

Take your feet off your partner’s hips. Kick one of them through your partner’s legs whilst you place the other to the outside of your partner’s legs.

Kick your legs out and use the momentum generated to sit up.

The trick to this sit up is to ‘get around the corner’ of your partner – you don’t want to end up in front of them as much as beside them (almost looking in the same direction as they are). Use your feet and free hand to transition yourself around the corner.

Wrap your inside leg around your partner’s leg, curling your other leg away from you so that you form an “S”.

With the closest hand to their body, wrap around their leg that you sat up on, as if you were trying to rear-naked choke it.

Reverse the motion until you end up in your original position once more and repeat the exercise on the opposite side.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Single Leg Entrance

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner standing upright in front of you with their feet shoulder width apart in a relaxed stance.

Bend at the knees slightly and stick your bottom out and have your elbows tucked in and your hands up – you should resemble a T-rex.

Shuffle around the side of your partner in a semi-circle.

With your outside hand, snake around their closest leg. Pull it up and clasp your hands together.

Your head should be on your partner’s chest at all times for this drill. This is important because if your head is on the outside, you practice putting yourself into a guillotine choke.

Drop your partner’s leg and circle around to the other side, repeating the pick-up motion.

Repeat the exercise for x amount of repetitions.

Single Leg Lifts

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner standing upright in front of you with their feet shoulder width apart in a relaxed stance.

Bend at the knees slightly and stick your bottom out and have your elbows tucked in and your hands up – you should resemble a T-rex.

Shuffle around the side of your partner in a semi-circle.

With your outside hand, snake around their closest leg. Pull it up and clasp your hands together.

Straighten your back and push your hips in as you lift your partner off the ground.

Lower them gently and back away into your original position.

Let your partner have a turn at lifting you before repeating the exercise.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Spider Count

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner standing in front of you in an upright position with their feet shoulder width apart.

Lie down in front of them and place your feet on their hips.

They should now bend slightly at the hips and reach forward with their hands in order to let you grab a hold of their sleeves.

Start your spider count.

Place one foot in one of their biceps, followed by the other.

Then place one foot back on their hips, followed by the other.

Then place one foot behind one of their knees, followed by the other.

Finally place your one foot once again on their hip, followed by the other.

Pull your partner forward and lift them into the air when your feet are on their hips again.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

IMPORTANT – DO NOT take two feet off your partner at the same time. ALWAYS maintain contact. It’s a good way to have your guard passed if you don’t.

Sprawl and Go Behind

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner turtle in front of you.

Start standing in front of them.

With your feet wide apart, place both hands on their shoulders and kick your feet straight back, driving your hips into the floor and placing your chest on top of your partner.

Using active toes (take your weight in your toes) and freeing your hands, circle around to your partner’s back.

Once you get there, circle back around in the direction that you just came from until you reach the front again.

Circle around on the opposite side.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Stance Change Pummerling

Stance Change Pummelling

Stance Change Pummerling

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner facing you in an upright position with their feet shoulder width apart.

To pummerl, step your right foot forward into a wrestler’s base (your partner should mirror you) and wrap your right arm underneath your partner’s left arm pit and around their back.

At the same time, wrap your left arm over their right. With this arm you should grab behind their triceps and nip your elbow to your body. To begin with, place your head over your partner’s right shoulder (over your left arm).

Lengthen away from your partner to create space and swim your left arm on the inside of your partner’s right and shoot it underneath their armpit with the intent of wrapping it around their back.

Your partner should mirror your actions.

As your partner swims their left arm in, grab hold of their triceps with your right hand and nip your elbow in to your body.

Crash your chest into theirs to reclose the space.

As this is happening, switch your stance (if your right leg was forward, step your left leg forward and your right leg back etc).

You will find that, if done correctly, this pummerl motion will switch your sides (your left arm will be wrapped around their back while your right arm will overwrap their left).

Now that your sides have switched, place your head over your partner’s left shoulder (over your right arm).

Throw Uchikomi

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner standing in an upright position in front of you with their feet shoulder width apart.

Mirror your partner.

With your right hand, grab a hold of their left lapel near their collar bone. With your other hand, grab a hold of their Gi just behind their right triceps.

Step forward and across on the diagonal with your right foot.

At the same time, open their right arm out (like you’re looking at a watch on your left hand) and place your right elbow underneath their armpit. As you step forwards, you should also pull them up and onto you. (It is imperative for judo throws that you break your opponent’s balance).

Lastly, step your trailing leg across on the opposite diagonal. If you do the uchikomi right, your partner should be on their toes, and you should be side on to them.

ALTERNATE MOVEMENTS

When entering, you may wrap the hand that is on their collar bone around your partner’s shoulders, underneath their right arm, or around their back (underneath their left arm).

Triangle Ups

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner resting on their knees inside your closed guard. Both of their hands should be on your chest.

Your partner will take open of their hands and place it in the gap in your guard behind you.

As they do so, use your ab muscles to shoot your legs up and over their shoulders until you land ‘in the mix’.

Take your legs of your partner’s shoulders and re-guard.

Your partner should now switch hands.

Repeat the drill for x amount of repetitions.

Walking the Clock

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner lying flat on their back with their feet tucked in towards their bottom and their knees up, facing the ceiling. Ideally, their hands should be by their sides.

Enter into a roll control side control.

Take your weight in your toes and clear your hands to make the movement easier.

Begin to shuffle in a circular motion around your partner until you reach their opposite side.

Always shuffle over their head, unless you fancy being re-guarded.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Leap Frog to Mount

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner lying flat on their back as if they were in the bottom of mount.

Stand in front of them with your bottom stuck out slightly.

Place both hands on their knees and hop forward, clamping their legs together with your own.

After this, slide down their legs like a slide into mount.

Consolidate the mount position by putting your chest low and your hands out wide.

Repeat for x amount of repetitions.

Bridge Examination

Teaching Tips and Terminology

Have your partner lying flat on their back with their feet tucked in towards their bottom and their knees pointing towards the ceiling.

Have them perform a bridge.

The bridge should be high enough for you and someone else to roll a medium sized foam ball underneath them.

Have your partner maintain their bridge for x amount of time.