Stay tight and smash in BJJ
Stay tight and smash in BJJ
Stay tight and smash in BJJ! Stay compact! Probably one of the biggest problems beginners in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu face is that of extending their bodies at times that make them very vulnerable to attack. Most of the fundamental postures of BJJ, particularly the defensive ones, involve contraction of the body. Your spine rounded, elbows and knees tucked in tight. Learning to trust in this contraction as the best means of slipping your limbs inside your opponent’s limbs as the most high percentage route to escape and evasion is a big step for the beginner in Jiu-Jitsu. As you progress, the problem will change from that of getting to a safe contracted posture to that of maintaining this strong posture throughout the course of a long tough match against a skilled opponent who is doing everything he can to subvert that posture. Either way, learning and fighting to keep your limbs in tight at the appropriate time will be a constant theme of your training. Just as a good boxer constantly keeps his chin tucked, shoulders high and rounded to protect his jaw and elbows in tight to protect his torso when in danger, so a good BJJ practitioner/competitor puts his or her primary effort into sound defensive structure before anything else. From the guard, often your opponent can presents you with a wall of knees and elbows that prevents you exploiting the angle you have gained. Their well rounded spine will give him the mobility they needs to quickly recover their legs and square up to you so that they can immediately shift from a defensive cycle to an offensive one. Posture before all, and in defense, when in doubt, contract and pull everything in tight.
