Connections in BJJ

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Connections in BJJ

Connections in BJJ are very important. Connections: a general rule in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is that when defending we look to create space, and when attacking we look to remove space and create pressure. Nowhere is this more true than when you’re working to control a scrambling partner. Out of a scramble from the turtle position, you want to connect yourself as quickly as possible to your partner, who is looking to separate themselves from you. Here Our student Cait is at the beginning of a scramble. You can see a few tools to use in these situations: locked hands, chest-to-back and head height. A couple others not yet established are lower body control, elbow position and head placement (ear-to-ear). Control in Jiu-Jitsu or any form of grappling happens by degrees. Finding ways to form a solid connection between yourself and your partner is a great starting point. Here at Savarese BJJ Academy (www.bergencountybjj.com), we stress this. The more you control you have over your opponent, the easier it is to submit them. That is what separates our art from other grappling arts.

Chokes are the ultimate weapon in BJJ/MMA

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Chokes are the ultimate weapon in BJJ/MMA

Chokes are the ultimate weapon in BJJ/MMA. The choke is the ultimate weapon in Jiu-Jitsu because you can’t just power out of it. The great Grandmaster Helio Gracie once said “for the choke, there are no tough guys. With an arm lock, he can be tough and resist the pain. But with the choke, he will just pass out and go to sleep”. Jiu-Jitsu is the art and science of control that leads to submission. Within the realm of submissions you have two main choices, joint locks and chokes. Both are essential knowledge, both are extremely effective,  but if you are ever given a choice,  go with the choke. Chokes take the element of choice out of submission. Whenever you attack a joint, your opponent has a choice of whether to submit or not. The higher the stakes, the more likely the choice will be “no, I will not submit”, and the match will continue. With chokes, their choice becomes irrelevant. If the choice is to submit, the match is over. If they choose not to submit,  they pass out and the match is over. The choice has no effect on the outcome. In a truly tough match with an opponent who is prepared to reckless with their physical health and safety, the choke is truly the grapplers equivalent of a striker’s knock out punch, while the joint lock is perhaps closer to the notion of a body blow, it causes damage that degrades your opponents ability to fight and thus takes you closer to victory but will not always provide a decisive finish. learn your chokes! In your toughest matches, they will be your most trustworthy weapon.

Gi vs No-Gi Chokes in BJJ

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Gi vs No-Gi Chokes in BJJ

Gi vs No-Gi Chokes in BJJ has some similarities and some differences. Gi and no gi – the choking course of action: When it’s time to choke someone with your upper body (chokes with the legs are quite different) there are options. In no-gi grappling, it will generally be your arms, in particular the biceps on one side and wrist/forearm on the other with the wrist/forearm side doing most of the work. In gi grappling, the preferred method will be with the opponents collar (there are other methods that are very effective). The collar has a thin edge to it that is harder and thinner than the forearm/wrist and thus does a better job of penetrating under the jaw to get to the carotid arteries. The collar mimics very well the superior strangling properties of a strong rope or sash that is the best means of a choke that you can ever use. But which of course is not an option in a Jiu-Jitsu match. There are a few cases where one can use rear naked choke in a gi match, but in the vast majority of cases, the collar will provide a much better choking medium than the arm/wrist. When there are limits of a arm/wrist to penetrate under the jaw in a match or fight,   sometimes you can or will have to perform a mandible strangle over the jaw. Now this is less efficient but still very effective, especially if you are and larger and stronger human being. A gi collar would allow much easier penetration under the jaw in circumstances like this due to its blade like edge. Learning to use the edge of the collar will make you choke with even greater power and precision than you do with the arms. this is something it takes years and a lot of mat time to develop, but when you do, it is really effective. For more BJJ tips, check back tomorrow in the news section of  www.njbjj.com 

Power of elbow control in BJJ

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Power of elbow control in BJJ

The power of elbow control is a huge part of success in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Elbow control comes from posture, and a big part of good posture in Jiu-Jitsu is concerned with keeping your elbows close to your hips and torso. In addition, the more you can do this, the more difficult it will be for an opponent to control you and open you up to attacks. It stands to reason then, if you flip that thinking around, the power of elbow control in BJJ also shows that taking your opponents elbows out of position and away from the hip and torso, is an excellent way to undermine his game. It makes it easier to apply your own. This is particularly important when employing chest to chest pinning attacks, especially from the mount position, but it’s also a valuable idea when passing half-guard. Using double underhooks is a great way to  undermine your opponents elbow position and thus make defense from half- guard bottom very difficult. Note that head position also becomes important in this context. Here at Savarese BJJ Academy, (www.njbjj.com), we really love to attack this way from the mount. Also, the basis of defense in Jiu-Jitsu is elbow position. There is a reason why the old masters call them elbow escapes,  knock that domino over first and all the others will soon fall. Defense is the most important aspect of jiu-jitsu, if you can’t be finished, there is no way to lose, right?

Taking risks in BJJ

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Taking risks in BJJ

When starting our BJJ journey, we learn a lot about taking risks in BJJ. Risk, fear and worry: these are three different things and it helps your jiu-jitsu game to keep them separated. Risk is all around. There is a counter to everything you’re trying to do, and a potential downside if things don’t land perfectly. And there is a counter to that. Furthermore, there is a counter to that counter. Taking passing for example, whenever I approach my partner to pass, I risk getting tangled in their legs. This can lead to a triangle choke or possibly an armbar like in the picture above. In addition, from the standing position, any time I shoot for the single leg, I risk getting sprawled on and ending up in a front headlock and/or guillotined. Fear is a reaction to risk. While the risk itself is real, the fear is in our mind. It’s created by “what ifâ€, wondering where we’ll end up if things don’t work out. Will I get guillotined from the front headlock? Will I get choked from the back? Worry is the work we try to do to mitigate fear. Imagining all the ways we can avoid a negative outcome. If risk always means fear, and fear means worry, you’ll get exhausted long before you get better. But if you can see them all as separate, that you can have risk without tremendous fear or worry, you’ll be able to do your best work and improve slowly and efficiently. For more BJJ tips, make sure you visit the news section of Savarese BJJ (www.njbjj.com) for more helpful tips.

Open guard tips in BJJ

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Open guard tips in BJJ

Here are some open guard tips in BJJ. When working from open guard, – constantly seek to off balance your opponent forward so that their hands go to the mat. Any opponent taken out of balance is an easy target. In addition, a huge part of your ability to develop a strong attacking game from open guard comes down to your ability to off balance your opponent. Also, one of the clearest signs that you have been successful in doing this is your opponents hands being snapped down to the mat. Remember, if their hands are on the mat and they aren’t on you, and if their body on you, they can not pass your guard or stymie your attacks. Gordon Ryan and Felipe Costa, who has since retired from competition, seem to be 2 masters of this and getting their opponents hands to the mat as a way to prevent him interfering with the ashi garami they seem to lock up. Here at Savarese BJJ Academy (bergencountybjj.com), we stress this concept to all of our students when attacking open guard. Another effective open guards are is De La Riva guard, named after the great Ricardo de La Riva from the Carlson Gracie team. And butterfly guard, which is more of a BJJ tournament style guard than MMA effective, but became popular in early 90s when the CBJJ was established in Brazil. Renzo Gracie and Jean Jaques Machado was 2 of the most popular users on the guard in that era Then in the 2000s, the grappler that really showed the possibilities of butterfly guard was Marcelo Garcia (pictured executing this theory on Bernardo Faria). He amazed spectators dominating larger opponents with his butterfly guard.

 

BJJ: Breaking a turtle down versus riding

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BJJ: Breaking a turtle down versus riding

BJJ: Breaking a turtle down versus riding, that is the question. When it’s time to attack an opponents turtle position, I teach my students to start by breaking an opponent down to a hip. This immediately reduces their athletic potential and makes them much more controllable so that you can focus on applying your attacks. However, there are going to be times you cannot do this on a tough opponent. At that point, you will have to get hooks in and ride the opponents turtle while they are still on their knees. Here, our Savarese BJJ Academy (www.bergencountybjj.com) student Cait faces this dilemma in a training session with Mariana. This is where the breaking a turtle down versus riding situation comes into play. Be sure to maintain a tight chest to back connection at control both sides of the body, otherwise you can slip off and end up underneath your opponent. Interestingly, the more your opponent resists being off balanced and broken down to a hip, the more he will have to widen his base and open himself up to your hooks and riding. In addition, the more he tightens up to resist the insertion of your hooks and riding, the easier he will be to off balance and break down to a hip. So the two modes of attacking turtle work very well as a dilemma.

Your response to mistakes

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Your response to mistakes

What is your response to mistakes? Lets face it, everyone makes mistakes. Your response to these mistakes goes a long way towards determining who you are and who you can and will be as a person. Mistakes don’t have to always be a bad thing. Win or learn! that is a phrase our Grandmaster Carlos Gracie said and we preach here at Savarese BJJ Academy (www.njbjj.com). You should be determined to grow and always learn from your mistakes. We should always move forward and not let our past skeletons haunt us. In addition, we must always bounce back from mistakes. If all we do is think about them, then they will hinder everything in our daily lives, damaging our personal growth. The map of life works like this “No matter how lost you get, always take one step in the right direction. Sometimes you have to get a little lost to find your way.” I’ve made many mistakes. Maybe different types of mistakes than yours but with each mistake, the clearer that message stands out. Bad experiences, mistakes, regrets all can be our greatest teachers. They allows us to grow, become better people and make better choices. Because that’s where we find success. On the far side of failure.

Tunnel vision in BJJ

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Tunnel vision in BJJ

Tunnel vision in BJJ can be harmful. One of the biggest detractors from performance improvement in grappling is tunnel vision. We all have a tendency to get fixated on one course of action and become blind to other possibilities that are right there in front of us. But as in life, if you can recognize possibility, you can ACT on it. Taking action is critical to success on and off the mats. This one important sense in which combat sports are a mental game. Every action begins as an idea/possibility in the mind. When that is absent, no physical action will be taken. Make sure in all your major attacking positions you have three or four major options that you work with on a regular basis so that you don’t become overly in love of one and fall into a one track mind. We must work both out attacks and escapes in series of combinations. Now, this may take time for you as a BJJ Practitioner to develop, but when it does, like we previously said, must be put into action. This photo is our Savarese BJJ (www.bergencountybjj.com) students doing their drills to gain muscle memory of some of the most important aspects of the foundations of BJJ.

Keep going to BJJ class

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Keep going to BJJ class

Keep going to BJJ class is what we are always told by our Jiu-Jitsu Instructors. Here is some BJJ advice regarding “Keep Going To Class” advice today (especially from white through purple)
So many times the instructors and upperbelts will tell everyone to “just keep coming to class” and that isn’t good enough, everyone thinks, “there has to more to it”, why am I not getting better? Well, more of the time, it is just that, you are not listening and trying to instruct yourself. You are so focused on trying to find that ‘hidden info” that you aren’t focusing on the good info right in front of you. Its the little details you miss the 1st 100 times you are shown the technique. then, one day…bam!…you catch that detail that you’ve been missing that makes everything fall into place. The detail was there all along but your focus wasn’t. “Just keep going to class” is legit great advice…follow it. The more you go to class, the more it sinks into you. You are so focused on trying to find that ‘hidden info” that you aren’t focusing on the good info right in front of you. Its the little details you miss the 1st 100 times you are shown the technique. then, one day…bam!…you catch that detail that you’ve been missing that makes everything fall into place. The detail was there all along but your focus wasn’t. “Just keep going to class” is legit great advice…follow it. And then the more repetitions of what is taught in class will help your physical skills as well as your muscle memory. Now you are on your way to that coveted blackbelt! The more you go to class, the more it sinks into you. Check back later at www.njbjj.com for more BJJ tips.