101 Tips & Tricks Every BJJ Player Should Know PDF
101 Tips & Tricks Every BJJ Player Should Know PDF
101 Tips & Tricks Every BJJ Player Should Know PDF
Although there are is no substitute for a good coach and time on the
mat, the next best thing is quality information.
Thats one of the things I love about jiu jitsu - how a tiny piece of
knowledge can change everything. A seemingly-insignificant detail
can be a huge leverage point, both literally and figuratively.
Ive spent almost 20 years on mats around the world training and
teaching, and Ive been privileged enough to pick up a bunch of these
little details along the way. Some have come from my instructors and
training partners, but most I learned the hard way, through trial and
error.
Heres a collection of 101 of the best BJJ tips and tricks Ive found so
far. Its my hope that they will help you get the most out of your jiu
jitsu adventure.
Nic Gregoriades
Founder & Head Instructor
Jiu JItsu Brotherhood
1
# 1- Learn Foot & Leg-Locks
Theres a reason why guys like Gary Tonon are tearing up the
competition circuit with lower-body submissions - because they work.
Yes, the more advanced attacks are illegal until brown belt, but that
doesnt stop you from learning them early, or from mastering the
basic and allowed straight foot-lock.
Becoming familiar with them early will mean you wont have to
scramble to play catch up when you hit the brown belt.
2
# 2 - Watch Choke
Choke is hugely inspiring and represents the levels of health and self-
actualisation that can be attained through the jiu jitsu lifestyle. You
can find the documentary on YouTube here.
3
# 3 - Consistency is Key
Its far better to consistently engage in 2-4 sessions per week year-
round than it is train 10 times per week for a month and burn yourself
out. And dont worry about hitting plateaus when you feel like you
arent progressing. Thats just the way it works with jiu jitsu - you
might spend weeks or even months without feeling like youre getting
better. But you are, trust me.
4
# 4 - Keep Your Knees Off the Ground
With a few notable exceptions, the Mount position being one of them,
when fighting from the top its better to have your knees off the
ground.
When both of your knees are on the floor its dramatically decreases
the percentage of your weight that your opponent is carrying and
also reduces the engagement of your feet with the mat, which in turn
decreases traction and leverage.
5
# 5 - Redirect His Hips
6
# 6 - Center of Gravity
7
# 7 - Use Waypoints
Note - its ideal if this waypoint is a place that you feel safe and stable.
You can then use it to take a brief rest and gather yourself before
moving to your final destination.
8
# 8 - Movements Before Moves
Brazilian judo legend Flavio Canto once said that movements are
more important that techniques. This is true in jiu jitsu too. Especially
for beginners.
9
# 9 - Remove the Slack
When youre trying to control your opponent from any position, think
of the structure of his body as similar to a piece of string or rope. The
more slack there is in the rope, the more it can move.
The more your opponent can move the more momentum he can
generate the more space he can create the more likely he is to
escape.
Stop this chain of events from happening by removing the slack from
his structure as soon as you have a control position.
10
# 10 - Be Unpredictable
After a few years of training, the average jiu jitsu player develops an
instinct for these and can usually sense when they are coming by
using the subtle visual and pressure cues his opponent will give him.
Hell use these to prepare counters.
Very often, just doing the opposite of what he expects will result in a
positive outcome, because it will confuse him and create an opening
for you.
11
# 11 - The Law of Recruitment
Ive heard it said that Jiu jitsu is about using a strong part of your
body against a weaker part of his.
If youre just pulling or pushing with your arms, you are not recruiting
much, but if youre generating the power by employing larger,
stronger parts of your body like your hips, glutes and lower-back, youll
be able to maximise your leverage.
12
# 12 - Grip Near Joints
Its been my experience that most of the time the closer to your
opponents joints you grip, the move leverage youll be able to
generate, and the more easily youll be able to manipulate his body.
13
# 13 - There Are No Absolutes
No matter what your coach, this guide, or any other resource tells you
about techniques, concepts or any other aspects of training, keep in
mind that when it comes to jiu jitsu there are no absolutes.
Yes, there are things which might hold true almost all of the time,
but the more I train the more I see that every rule has an exception.
So if someone tells you never put your hand on the ground in closed
guard, keep in mind that at some point in the future youll probably
need to do exactly that.
14
# 14 - Strong Shape VS Weak Shape
The Weak Shape - You want to avoid being in this shape at all costs,
whilst trying to force your opponent into it as much as possible.
15
# 15 - Do Pull Ups
Make sure you hit as many variations as you can - my favorite is the gi
over the bar version which maximises jiu jitsu-specific grip strength.
16
# 16 - Wrist Blades
When you choke or strangle someone in bjj, most of the time you
apply pressure to his trachea or carotid arteries using his own collar or
your wrists.
Using the correct part of your wrist will often make the difference
between a successful and failed attack on your opponents neck. You
should be using the relatively thin, sharp blade like surfaces of the
radius and ulna bones, instead of the broad, flat parts.
17
# 17 - The Best Foot-lock Defense
Its impossible to complete some foot-locks with only one hand, and
really difficult to complete most of the others, so peeling off one of his
hands from the foot hes trying to manipulate will almost always get
you out of trouble.
18
# 18 - Record Yourself
Its never been easier to do this and it always surprises me why more
players dont make use of it. Just get a buddy to film some of your
sparring matches at the academy and watch them after - youll be
surprised what insights you pick-up about your jiu jitsu.
Itll work even better if you can get a higher grade to watch it with you
and give you some extra feedback.
19
# 19 - Minimise Inflammation
As with other intense physical activities, jiu jitsu training can cause
inflammation in the body. This inflammation plays a large role in how
quickly you recover - the more you have the longer it will take.
20
# 20 - Develop a Standing Strategy
Sure, most jiu jitsu matches end on the ground, but guess what - they
ALL start standing.
You should have at least a basic strategy for when the fight starts
on the feet. This doesnt mean you need to know dozens of throws
or takedowns, but you will need at least a couple of effective
combinations.
21
# 21 - Control his Knee in Half-Guard
22
# 22 - Open-Guard Plan
The open guard is a versatile attacking position that offers far more
sweep opportunities than the closed guard, but it comes with a huge
disadvantage - its much easier to pass.
An excellent black belt gave me a very good tip once. He said I never
open my guard unless I have a plan.
Open guard is one of the few areas you dont just want to riff - you
should have a specific objective in mind before you use this position.
23
# 23 - Take Up a 2nd Martial Art
One thing Ive noticed about the martial arts is that wherever there
is truth there is overlap. The core principles found in one of the
functional arts almost always have application in the others.
If you take up wrestling or judo your jiu jitsu will certainly improve.
Thats why judo players and wrestlers get good at bjj so quickly. But
training in boxing or muay thai will also greatly improve your jits
because of the additional types of balance, rhythm and attributes it
will impart.
24
# 24 - Use Angles
Just as with other functional martial arts, in jiu jitsu its very difficult to
generate leverage against your opponent when you are square on to
him.
25
# 25 - The Superman Grip
26
# 26 - Use Unilateral Exercises
In jiu jitsu, as with almost all other sports, youre seldom pushing,
pulling or balancing equally with both feet or hands.
27
# 27 - Learn to Flow Roll
Most people have only one speed when rolling - flat-out. The best
grapplers are able to shift gears according to the situation that is
presented. They can roll light when their opponent rolls light and
amp it up if he pushes the pace.
28
# 28 - Take Notes in Class
Over the years, Ive seen a few students taking notes during seminars
and classes that Ive taught, and very often they seem to absorb the
lessons faster than others. You might be one of the people for whom
this is a game-changer - give it a try.
29
# 29 - Be Aware of Ezekiel Opportunities
Over the last couple of years the Ezekiel choke has become one of my
favourite submissions, and its largely due to this little detail:
Remember that whenever both of your arms are above both of your
opponents arms, there is almost always an Ezekiel opportunity,
because it will be very hard for him to use his hands to protect his
neck.
You can use this in side mount, back mount, mount, from your guard
and even from inside his guard!
30
# 30 - Control Your Breathing
Lets use the analogy of your jiu jitsu game as being like a house
that youre building. The ability to control your breathing during the
pressures of sparring should be considered as the foundation of that
house.
Its absolutely vital that you learn to keep your breathing smooth and
even, and preferably at a slower place than your opponents. This will
prevent you from gassing-out prematurely and also make sure your
movements are smooth.
31
# 31 - Engage Your Feet
The basic premise is this: Keep your active and feet engaged with
either the floor or your opponent as much of the time as possible. The
corollary is: Try to disengage your opponents feet from both the floor
and yourself as much as possible.
32
# 32 - Get Proper Sleep
Heres an article that gives some great tips on how to maximise your
sleep for improved jiu jitsu performance.
33
# 33 - Be the B.O.S.S.
Heres a great little tip for the side-mount and half-guard that I got
from Asian MMA star and black belt Adam Kayoom. When fighting
from these positions you always want to be the B.O.S.S which stands
for Back Or Side & Shoulder.
When youre on the top, you be the boss by keeping your opponents
Back on the mat as much as possible (just like a pin in wrestling), and
when youre on the bottom, you be the boss by getting off your back
by being on your Side and a single Shoulder
34
# 34 - Learn to Pass to Both Sides
90 percent of BJJ players pass to the left. This means that guys
naturally become very good at defending the pass on that side. But
this also means that they usually have underdeveloped defense and
poor muscle memory for stopping passes on the opposite side.
35
# 35 - Push / Pull
I learned this when I was 8 years old from my first judo teacher and I
still use it a lot in my jiu jitsu.
36
# 36 - Practice with Eyes Closed
This is one of the fastest ways to gain big improvements in your jiu
jitsu. When you spar with your eyes closed, you learn how to feel jiu
jitsu.
37
# 37 - Stay Hydrated
38
# 38 - Compete at Least Once
39
# 39 - Use Flow Diagrams
Back when I was a purple belt, I started creating flow charts to help
me get a better grasp of the multitude of techniques I was being
shown. After using them for a couple of months, I noticed a dramatic
increase in my overall jiu jitsu game. If you take the time to make
some of your own, Im sure you will too.
40
# 40 - Visit Japan
If you have the time and means, I strongly recommend you visit Japan.
There is also a huge group of fantastic guard players out there - a few
weeks with them will improve your sweeps for sure. And training with
the highly skilled judo masters there will do wonders for your stand-
up game.
You will also learn a lot about the roots of jiu jitsu and the true essence
of martial arts.
41
# 41 - Use Different Gis
Back when I started training, you were lucky to even find a real BJJ
gi if you lived outside of Brazil. Most of the time you had to make do
with a judo gi or a hand-me-down from an experienced player.
For example, the thinner weave competition gis will allow you to
move easily, but also provide better gripping opportunities for your
opponent.
42
# 42 - Practice Yoga
Not only will regular yoga address this, but itll also improve ALL the
other attributes required for great jiu jitsu, and help keep you healthy
and on the mat well into old age.
43
# 43 - Fingers & Thumbs Together
Thumb and finger injuries are some of the most common (and most
painful) in jiu jitsu. You can greatly minimise your chance of getting
one of them by using this little tip.
Whenever your hands are not engaged (gripping) with your opponent,
keep all of your fingers and thumb tucked against each other. This
will stop individual digits from being accidentally jammed or bent
backwards and reduce the chance of injury.
44
# 44 - Use Juicing
Ensuring that you get enough quality nutrition is absolutely vital if you
want to become the best grappler you can be.
Juicing (no, not that kind!) is a relatively easy way to get quality
calories and many of the important nutrients youll need for optimal
performance on the mat.
45
# 45 - Visual Misdirection
When youre hunting for a grip, dont look towards the area youre
wanting to grab onto. Instead, look at another part of your opponents
anatomy.
Misdirecting him away from what youre trying to latch onto by using
your eyes will confuse him him for a split second and often allow you
to get the grip you want without being blocked by his defence.
This works best from the standing and the knee-start positions. Use it
sparingly though!
46
# 46 - Know Your Limits
Despite what you might have heard, more mat-time isnt always
better for your jiu jitsu.
Training too hard for too long is a sure-fire recipe for burnout, boredom
and injury.
The best indicators are your own body and mind. If both feel fresh at
the end of the training week, increase the volume / intensity a little
the following week. If either feels tired, decrease it a little. Sooner or
later youll find a balance.
47
# 47 - Triangle Choke Tightness
48
# 48 - Know the Rules
If youre going to compete, make sure you learn the rulesets of the
organisation that runs the tournament youre entering. Check out this
article which features a video that explains all the rules of the major
competition bodies.
49
# 49 - Strengthen Your Neck
Take care of your neck, youve only got one. was one of the first things
a grappling instructor ever said to me.
Last year I hurt my neck and it kept me out of training for almost
two months. The incident made me realise that even though I was
in pretty good shape, I had been neglecting neck-conditioning in
my training regime. It was a powerful reminder that in jiu jitsu your
physical chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
50
# 50 - Use Kettlebells
I really believe that you dont need much in the way of equipment to
get in fantastic shape for grappling, but there are a few items that can
definitely make a difference to the conditioning component of your
training. The kettlebell is one of them.
Check out our in-depth article on using kettlebells for your jiu jitsu
here.
51
# 51 - Go Rock Climbing
Try doing it for an hour or two each week - I promise it will make your
BJJ better very quickly.
52
# 52 - Tap To Learn
53
# 53 - Live Hips in Guard
Your hips power pretty much all of your jiu jitsu and nowhere is this
more true than in the guard position.
By keeping your hip movements dynamic when playing off your back
you make it much harder for your opponent to clamp down on your
pelvis and start his pass.
Also, by having live hips, your guard becomes much more dangerous
- you will create many more angles and more opportunities to sweep
and submit. Practising without using your hands for several hours is a
sure-fire way to get your hips moving.
54
# 54 - Set Your Grips First
55
# 55 - Protect Your Neck
Your neck is almost always vulnerable in jiu jitsu, because of the large
number of choking opportunities your collar (and opponents sleeves)
present.
In No-Gi grappling you can quite often leave your neck exposed in
certain areas such as the side mount and get away with it. In BJJ thats
almost certainly going to get you submitted. Always be conscious of
your neck and try to keep at least one hand near it when you are in
defensive positions like mount or back-mount.
56
# 56 - Elbows Off the Ground
This is a great one for improving your control from side-mount and
mount.
In these positions, the defensive player usually wants to get off his
back and to do this he needs to place one of his elbows on the ground
so that he can create a structure.
When youre the offensive player in one of these positions, you can
make life hell for your partner by lifting whichever elbow he bases
on off the ground. This will make it much, much harder for him to
escape.
57
# 57 - Isolate Joints
This is a neat little trick to use when youre trying to submit your
opponent with a joint-lock.
Lets use the arm-lock for example. The joint being attacked is the
elbow. The joints directly below and above are the wrist and shoulder.
So while Im applying the armlock, Im controlling his shoulder by
squeezing my knees together, and stopping his wrist from moving
using my hands.
58
# 58 - Use Wrist-Locks
Theyre still not that widely taught or used in BJJ, so getting good at
them will give you a big advantage.
You can find many wrist-lock resources online. The main point to
remember is that whenever your opponent puts his hand anywhere
on your torso, that there might be an opportunity for this submission.
59
# 59 - Maximise Body Awareness
The hallmark of all great athletes, and especially great jiu jitsu players,
is their level of body awareness. They are very in tune with their bodies
and have highly developed balance and coordination.
Even if you dont have naturally good body awareness, you can still
increase it through training.
Practising jiu jitsu will naturally improve it to a large degree, but you
can maximise it by doing things like gymnastics, yoga, surfing, and
rock climbing. Even stuff like juggling will help.
60
# 60 - Dont Chase Belts
I was guilty of this during the early days of my training for sure. But
now as a 2nd degree black belt, I look back at the times when I was a
lower grade and remember that they were the most fun. Nothing was
expected of me and I was much hungrier to grow and learn.
Now I wish I had savoured that stage of the journey more and not
constantly put so much emphasis on my next belt.
Jiu jitsu is a journey, not a destination. Make sure you enjoy the ride!
61
# 61 - Consider Supplements
There are, however, a few clinically-tested and effective ones that can
really make a difference to your performance and recovery. The main
ones I recommend are: Fish oil, Vitamin D3, Creatine Monohydrate
and Magnesium.
62
# 62 - Use Visualization
Its a fantastic tool to use for jiu jitsu, because it allows you to practise
even when youre not on the mat. By drilling moves in your mind,
any dead time (waiting in queues for example) can be used as a mini
training session.
63
# 63 - Practise Without Hands
For a good grappler the legs and feet are as nimble as another set of
arms and hands, and he employs them to push, pull, lift and pin his
opponent. You can train this ability by sparring with only one or no
hands - simply hold your belt with the hand(s) you dont want to use.
64
# 64 - Teach
Teaching others helps develop your own skills, because you are forced
to look at things from a completely different perspective.
Once you have achieved a level of competence (blue belt), you should
consider helping out beginners at your academy. Im not saying you
need to give them full-blown lessons, but helping them out for a few
minutes before / after class or at the end of sparring match is not only
a cool thing to do, it will also improve your jits.
65
# 65 - Hips Back in Butterfly Guard
Even a lot of really good guard players dont know about this.
When youre using butterfly guard, one of the ways your opponent
can take away your leverage is by putting your back on the ground.
You can make it really difficult for him to do this by scooting your hips
as far back and your chest as far forward as possible.
66
# 66 - Meditate
Jiu jitsu is as much a game played with the mind as it is one played
with the body, so it makes sense to work on both these aspects
of yourself if you want to become the best fighter you can be.
Conditioning training, sparring and drilling are great for the body part
of the equation, and meditation is great for the mind part.
Check out this article I wrote a few years ago about meditation for
more info.
67
# 67 - The Center-Line
When using several different kinds of guards (the closed and butterfly
variations come to mind) imagine that your opponent has an invisible
line running down the center of his body.
If you can get one of his arms (including his hand and wrist) across
this line, you will greatly improve your chances of hitting a bunch of
different sweeps, submissions and back-takes.
68
# 68 - Balance First
Whenever you are fighting from any top position (inside any guards,
side-mount, mount etc.), you are usually vulnerable to being swept or
reversed. The better your opponent is the more likely either of these is
to happen.
One of the best ways to negate this danger is to always ask the
question Do I have good balance? before you decide to move or
execute a technique from top positions. If the answer is yes, then
go ahead, but if the answer is no then you need to first gain good
balance before continuing.
69
# 69 - Neck or Elbows
You can exploit this whenever you are in either of these positions by
constantly cycling between chokes and armlocks - when he protects
his neck, attack the armlock and when he protects his arms attack his
neck.
70
# 70 - Practice Breakfalls
It always astounds me how few jiu jitsu students know how to breakfall
properly. This is a hugely important part of not just jiu jitsu but all
grappling martial arts - youll never have the confidence to commit to
throws unless you know youll be able to survive the counter-throws.
This is where breakfalls come in.
Judo has the best and most structured breakfall system Ive found
so far, and theyll be the first things youre taught in a judo class. A
couple of months of judo training and youll have them down.
71
# 71 - Use Your Head
The quickest way to learn how to use this reflexively is to put your
hands behind your back when trying to hold a training partner in the
mount position.
72
# 72 - Warm Up Properly
Its absolutely vital that you make sure your body is warm before you
do jiu jitsu. A great deal of the injuries that happen in jiu jitsu are a
result of improperly preparing your body before training.
This is usually the responsibility of your coach, but only you can tell if
you feel ready for the intensity of jits after your regular class warm-up.
If not, then arrive at class a few minutes early to do whatever it takes
to get yourself limber and prepared.
73
# 73 - Take a Private Lesson
Private lessons can be expensive (mine are ridiculous!), but there are
few faster ways of improving your jits.
Heres a secret - if youre a white belt and you want a private lesson,
consider having one with a purple belt. Not only will it be cheaper,
but youll most likely get just as much out of it.
74
# 74 - Direct Your Knee
A good guard player will try to use positions like the de la Riva guard
to point your knee in a specific direction.
Letting this happen is not good because it will not only allow him
to create an angle on you, but it will also limit your movement in a
specific direction (your body has to move in the direction your knee is
pointing).
75
# 75 - Use Resistance Bands
Because theres always tension on the band, they much more closely
approximate the resistance encountered from a grappling opponent
than free weights or kettlebells. They also allow you to strengthen in
wider ranges of motion, which will keep your joints safer in tough
situations like submission attempts
They are also ideal for exercising any time, at home or on the road.
Plus theyre super cheap.
76
# 76 - Dont Tape Your Knuckles
If youre training hard sooner or later your knuckles are going to start
looking like youve been running them over a cheese grater.
77
# 77 - Set Achievable Goals
If youre anything like I was when I began training, then your goal is to
be the jiu jitsu world absolute gold medalist or ADCC world champion.
78
# 78 - Understand Base
The jiu jitsu concept of base is about more than just balance.
Any effort you put into becoming a player with a strong base will
improve almost all other aspects of your game.
79
# 79 - Be Mentally Flexible
Every jiu jitsu instructor has his or her own approach to not only
specific techniques but training as a whole. To be a true martial artist
and become the best BJJ player you can be, its important that you
follow their teachings but do not become bound by them.
Stay mentally flexible, creative and open. If things youve been taught
(like the stuff in this guide) dont work for you, dont be afraid to ditch
them and try something new.
80
# 80 - Dont Be That Guy
Because of the close physical contact and the potential for injury
and ego subjugation, jiu jitsu is an activity that requires the ultimate
respect be given to your training partners. These are the people who
are helping you grow and develop through controlled combat. Give
them the consideration they deserve.
Nobody likes that guy who goes flat out all the time and tries to heel-
hook white belts. Dont use dangerous submissions unless you are an
experienced player, and even then, apply them slowly and carefully.
And nobody likes the smelly guy. Make sure your breath is fresh and
that youve showered recently. And wear a clean gi.
81
# 81 - Train Outside the Academy
Your jiu jitsu education doesnt stop when youre not in the academy.
Sure, youll progress just by showing up to class, but your growth will
accelerate radically when you start to train outside of the academy.
82
# 82 - Basics First
There are so many cool moves and flashy techniques in jiu jitsu that it
can be easy to lose sight of the importance of the basics. I see a lot of
beginners fall into this trap - they just want to learn all the latest stuff
they see on YouTube.
Check out my BJJ Building Blocks Program for a good course on the
basics of BJJ.
83
# 83 - Dont Hero Worship
Jiu jitsu instructors and champions are only human, and like everyone
else they are flawed. Dont have unrealistic expectations or place
them on pedestals.
Id been told that one of my jiu jitsu idols lived an almost monastic
life, only to later learn that he had a pretty serious coke habit. I was
pretty devastated. But it wasnt finding out that stuff about him that
upset me as we all have vices. It was realising that the image of him
which I had been sold, that of a clean-living martial artist, was such a
disconnect from the truth.
Dont look to your jiu jitsu instructors to lead you to any kind of
salvation, or assume that the way they live their lives is the way you
should live yours. Nobody can save you but yourself.
84
# 84 - Monitor Your Heart Rate
Many sports scientists that I have spent time with have recommended
that BJJ athletes monitor their heart rate to assess how to regulate
their training.
Apparently your heart rate can sometimes let you know whether
its a good day to train or not. It can identify if youre becoming ill or
beginning to become overtrained and need to back slow down on
the sparring and just keep it light.
I check my heart rate every day and believe that the heart rate is
a good early warning system for athletes to use to see if they are
pushing themselves too hard.
85
# 85 - Eat Clean
If you want to get the most out of your training, it is wise to try and
eat food that has undergone little or no processing. An apple is far
superior to apple fruit roll-up. Freshly squeezed orange juice is better
than the pasteurized, bottled version, and a whole orange is better yet.
Avoid anything with chemical names on the label. These substances
are toxic to the body and will hold you back as a jiu jitsu player.
86
# 86 - Ask the Right Questions
When I started training I really struggled with the armbar from closed
guard. I tried to figure it out on my own because I was too nervous
to ask my instructor. One day he saw me doing it improperly and
came over and corrected my form. Ive been wanting to know how to
do that for months I said. Then why didnt you ask me? he replied.
From then on I always asked when I needed clarity on a technique or
a position.
Your instructor is one of the best resources you have on your jiu jitsu
journey. If hes a good coach, he wont mind you asking him questions,
so make the most of it.
The key is to ask specific questions. Asking things like How do I pass
the guard is probably not going to get you the answer you want
and will frustrate your coach too. But something like my right knee
gets trapped in his half-guard when I pass to the left will get you
actionable information.
87
# 87 - Stand To Pass
Thats why whenever I find myself trapped inside a closed guard I look
to stand up as quickly as possible. By doing so, I gain two things:
88
# 88 - Drill!
A training partner of mine always says Drillers are Killers and hes
right.
Keep in mind that theres no reason to rush when you are practicing
stuff. As the marines say Slow is Smooth and Smooth is Fast. Just
focus on performing the techniques as accurately as possible - as you
gain the coordination and balance the speed will come naturally.
89
# 89- Tuck Your Feet in Mount
When you have the full mount on your opponent, make sure your feet
are constantly tucking in and under his body. Any space you leave
between his body just increases his ability to shrimp his hips out and
put you into guard or half-guard.
This is one of the few times I advocate having ballerina feet whilst
training jiu jitsu - most of the time you should have your feet active
(plantar-flexed) instead.
90
# 90 - Limb-Center Separation
In a jiu-jitsu situation this is especially evident. Not only are your legs
and arms much more vulnerable to joint attacks when away from
your center, but their strength is greatly diminished as well.
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# 91 - Pin His Arms / Legs
If you can pin one of your opponents limbs close to his center (the
torso and pelvic regions) and keep it there, you effectively neutralise it.
Another place I use this in the mount - I just grab one of his arms and
pin it to his torso - that arm is then out of the game until I release it.
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# 92 - Learn the Shoulder Roll
The Shoulder Roll (or Granby Roll as its known in wrestling) is one of
those movements that you absolutely have to master to unlock your
full potential as a jiu jitsu player.
Being able to use the shoulder roll will make you a better defensive
player. Not only will it allow you move safely over your upper back and
protect your neck, but it will make it easier for you to reclaim your
guard from awkward positions like the turtle.
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# 93 - Sit Tall in Closed Guard
But sometimes this is difficult to do because you might not yet have
your base yet, and / or your opponent is constantly pulling you off
balance.
Having good posture like this keeps most of the vulnerable stuff (like
your neck) away from your opponent and stops him from getting
dangerous over and underhooks.
Note - dont lean too far back or youll be vulnerable to being swept
backwards
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# 94 - Get Massage
The body takes a lot of strain from jiu jitsu training and massage is one
of the things that will help you recover from tough training sessions
and the accumulated damage to your muscles.
One of my coaches used to insist that any of his students who were
training hard for competition get at least one massage per week.
I often visit Thailand where quality massage is dirt cheap ($3-5 per
hour) and I try to get one every day. After a couple of weeks of that I
notice a big change in how I move on the mat and how fast I recover.
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# 95 - Three-Knuckle Grip
A grip with just the first row of knuckles engaged is relatively weak,
but one that is rolled up all the way to the third set of knuckles will be
very, very strong.
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# 96 - Vary Sparring Partners
When you only spar with the same few guys all the time it can be easy
to fall into rigid patterns and for your game to become stale.
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# 97 - Train Both Gi and No Gi
Training in each of them will help the other and keep both experiences
fresh.
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# 98 - Protect Your Legs in Open Guard
You need your legs and feet to not only sweep and attack but also to
stop him from passing your guard. If you let him latch onto them and
manipulate them your guard is going to be next to useless. If he gets
a hold of one of them youre in trouble - if he gets both youre dead.
Make sure you are constantly aware of this danger and avoid it by
breaking any grips he gets on your feet immediately - and preferably
dont let him get them in the first place.
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# 99 - Control His Head
The head is attached to the top of the spinal column, and can
therefore be used as a lever to steer the entire torso of an opponent
in a desired direction, or stop movement in another.
By twisting the head you cause your opponent great discomfort, and
severely compromise the mobility of his spine. Also, as the head is the
center of a persons physical awareness because it contains the brain
and many of the major sense organs, it is very easy to distract and
upset the rhythm of an opponent by interfering with it.
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# 100 Post-Training Recovery Drink
I have a a few buddies who work in sport science and they all consider
post exercise nutrition to be the most significant dietary intervention
for BJJ.
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# 101- Have FUN!
To me, jiu jitsu, just like life, is about having fun. When we start taking
it too seriously it starts to lose some of its magic. For whatever reason
you train, whether its to make new friends, compete or stay in shape,
if it begins to turn into a chore or starts to feel like a job you know
youre heading off track.
Dont take this to mean that Im saying you shouldnt train hard and
be disciplined. Those things are definitely important and when done
properly are fun in their own way. Just maintain a healthy balance
keep and remember that at the end of the day its just a game played
in pyjamas!
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About the Author
He is also the founder and head instructor of the Jiu Jitsu Brotherhood.
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