Taking risks in BJJ

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.