Controlling your opponent in BJJ

Controlling your opponent in BJJ

Controlling your opponent in BJJ is a necessary skill for any good grappler. Here is the thing about control.. the fundamental goal of good Jiu-Jitsu is always control that leads to submission. In addition, a good indicator of the degree of control you have is HOW MUCH SPEED AND EXPLOSIVE STRENGTH DO YOU HAVE TO USE IN ORDER TO SUCCESSFULLY APPLY YOUR SUBMISSION HOLD. As a general rule, if you can only get opponents to tap by exploding into submissions at maximum speed and strength, you are not really controlling your opponent and you are using speed as a substitute for control. This will inevitably lead to a high failure rate in the log run and you will leave a string of many injured training partners in your path. Then, nobody will want to train with you. When you can use submission holds to RESTRAIN MOVEMENT and apply them in SLOW MOTION with the same devastating effects as you do at maximum speed and power,  then you know you are on the path to mastering CONTROL. Here, our student Franklyn Rodriguez, shows his ability to lock down a very powerful opponent as he immobilizes him with a powerful side control w head control and tired his opponent. Finally, this lead to the mount position and an armlock finish. Make CONTROL your goal and you can choose how you apply your submission holds and run the full range of gentle to devastating applications of submission depending upon your circumstances. If you learned something from this blog, check back again here at www.njbjj.com for more tips on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.