Mark's Notes on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu =================================== Some things I've learned and a testament to the fact that I have a lot more to learn. 'Nother good page: http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/5389/ General Guidelines and Info --------------------------- Important Concepts & Philosophies ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - Use Technique: Finesse moves count for more than just about anything. This relates to timing, and knowledge of how to apply maneuvers, especially submissions. For experts, this is a lifestyle, not just a guideline. - Use Leverage: Avoid brute strength: more efficient, conserves fatigue, necessary in mismatches (there's always someone stronger than you...) If you have to use brute strength, try to create a mismatch in your favor. "2 on 1" is a saying often heard to describe using two of your limbs (usually hands) to combat one opponent's limb. - Slow, incremental progress: It's like a Chess game. Don't reach for things, it's high risk. Have a strategy, be deliberate. Progress is made by using effective technique instead of speed or surprise. Sometimes you make moves that will set up others, either via misdirection or advancement toward a deeper move. Timing is key, wait for the right moment. (I use "->" to denote "progressing toward".) - Conserve Energy: This follows as a natural course from the previous points re: technique, leverage, incremental progress. Example: Guard is very efficient (you're lying down). You reduce your fatigue through conservation of movement, patience, etc. Submissions are cheaper than knockouts. - Space: If you're under, create it; if you're on top take it away from opponent. The phrase "create space" is often heard to describe what a person in an inferior position needs to do before they can begin to improve their situation. - Weight: Weight can be emulated by posturing: moving, spreading, arching back, and otherwise limiting movement (XXX: I need to learn these techniques) - Control Opponent's Hips: "whoever controls the hips controls the fight". An effective Guard pass usually includes controlling your opponent's hips (but not all the time). - Depth: BJJ is much deeper than wrestling, largely because there are fewer rules. There are countless combinations. Early on, the general guidelines can help reduce global complexity, but there is no substitute for knowing the techniques. - Efficiency: John F. Gibley, eminent martial arts author, said that if a technique has more than two or three distinct movements mark it down as nonfunctional. (source: http://bjj.org/lewis/wally.html) BJJ tries to emphasize stuff that works quick and gives you options if it doesn't. - Natural: As Bruce Lee said: "Many a martial artist likes something more, something different, not realizing the truth and the way is exhibited in the simple everyday movements." BJJ tries to teach which instinctive moves work (i.e. using your legs in a guard to ward off an oponent) and which instincts will betray you (i.e. too much reaching and exposing arms) Advantages of BJJ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - Effective even when opponents are mismatched. An outgrowth of leverage rather than brute force and conservation of fatigue (thus small / big mismatches are normalized). Also, sensetivity and timing are attributes you can continue to develop even when youthful strength fades (thus old / young mismatches are normalized). - Practical. Style was developed through years of NHB competitions; they use what works. Has become less formalized over years in favor of utility. (De-formalization also reflects Latino culture.) Grappling Techniques Less Emphasized in BJJ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Stand-up grappling maneuvers are touched on occasionally but not a large part of the cirriculum (at least, from what I've seen). - Shooting (or "closing the gap") - Shootfighting emphasizes this (right there in the name) - Clinch - (stand up, tight lock, prolly gonna go to the ground real quick) - Shootfighting and Wrestling really excell here. - Takedowns: Wrestling excells here. (Some attention is given to these in BJJ, but not much - Throwing / Falling: Judo, Aikido and traditional Jiu-Jitsu place a lot of emphasis on these. These are studied to some extent in BJJ, but not nearly as much. Techniques Not Touched in BJJ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - Stand-up fighting of any flavor is not emphasized. BJJ is pretty much groundfighting only. - Striking: punches, kicks, knees, elbows, head butts, etc. Boxing is good for learning punches, blocks, etc. Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) teaches many more striking techniques, including kicks, knees, elbows, (head butts?) Similar Styles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following fightings styles some similarities to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu: - Gene LeBell Grappling - Submission Wrestling / Submission Fighting (generic term) - Ko-sen Judo: a subsect of Kodokan Judo that emphasizes groundwork - Sambo: Russian style similar to wrestling and Judo, emphasises submissions - Shootfighting: hybrid style, teaches standup, groundwork and submissions - Luta Livre: a Brazilian style that combines striking and groundwork; while the striking isn't common between the two styles, much of the groundwork is Comparisons to Less Similar Styles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following styles have less in common with BJJ. As such, they would be good styles to cross-train in. - All Striking Styles: Striking is important, and tends to be the focus of most martial arts styles (the -te's, the -fu's, the -do's, so forth). However striking is less effective (or ineffective) once someone shoots into the clinch or takes you to the ground, and most real fights go to the ground (80% of street fights, 90% of police incidnets involving a skirmish; most UFC fighters train 30% striking, 70% grappling.) Knockouts are also "expensive" from a fatigue (to you) / damage (to your opponent) standpoint. - Traditional Judo / Jui-Jitsu Styles: These heavily emphasize stand-up grappling and throwing. Arm locks and chokes are taught but they tend to be from stand up; the most effective submissions are applied from the ground. Traditional Judo / Jui-Jitsu is respected amongst BJJ practitioners and moves are occasionally "borrowed" from those styles. - Wrestling: This is a very valuable skill. It teaches some mounts (depending on the particular flavor of wrestling), takedowns (less emphasized in BJJ), and balance (part of learning takedowns). However, Wrestling does not teach guard or submissions and tends to emphasize more strength moves rather than leverage moves. (That having all been said, cross-training in Wrestling wouldn't be a bad bet.) Progress -------- This was mentioned above but it is a topic worthy of further discussion. "Progress", insofar as ground fighting is concerned, can basically be defined as improving your situation from an inferior or submissive position to a superior or dominant position. Examples of an inferior position include: lieing underneath a mount, being trapped in a guard, or being locked in a submission hold (a choke or a joint lock). Examples of superior positions include: mounting your opponent, trapping someone in your guard, or using all your leverage and strength against a single limb of your opponent. Another way to view progress is from a "material advantage" perspective (to further the Chess analogy above). Because two able-bodied opponents are anatomically evenly-matched, making progress means using more of your body against less of your opponent's body to create a mismatch in your favor. Here's an example of "material" progression: - Two standing or kneeling opponents are evenly matched; no advantage to either side. - If fighter A has closed a Guard around fighter B, fighter A has the advantage because he can use his whole body against his opponent's upper-body, and fighter B has limited use of his own legs. - If fighter A has mounted fighter B, A has the advantage because he can use all of his body against fighter B's upper-body. (Unless fighter B happens to be Spaghetti...) - If fighter A has fighter B in an arm bar, fighter A has a large advantage because he can use his whole body against just fighter B's arm. Alternatively, if fighter A has fighter B in a choke with hooks in, he is using all of his body against just fighter B's neck. In short, progress means improving your position, and improving your material advantage. Position Ratings ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Wed Jun 20 15:50:34 MDT 2001) To help understand the idea of "progress" and "positional advantage", here's some lists of various positions, listed from best to worst from the perspective of the guy on the bottom: - Have opponent's back, hooks in (both of you are facing upward) - Have opponent's back, no hooks - Closed Guard - Open Guard (doubtless disputed) - Half Guard - Side - Four Corner (some would call this just a variant of 'Side') - Knee on Stomach - Mount - Side Mount - Back Mount (opponent doesn't have hooks in) - Back Mount (opponent has hooks in) For the best-to-worst listing from the perspective of the guy on top, read the list in reverse. Positions ========= Common situations of opponents, listed in order of progression. These are laid out real textbook-like. In practice, there are a variety of uncommon positions that occur, often durring a transition or following an escape. Said uncommon positions are not adressed here. Guard ----- Very basic, lot's of fights start here. One person on back using legs as defense, other person is kneeling or standing and either trapped in legs (closed guard) or being held at bay by floored person's feet (open guard). In Guard (on back on ground) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you're holding someone in a guard, you want to creep your legs up your opponent's body. This limits their movement and get's you close to some submissions. A Guard is like a reverse mount. Person in guard position (on back) is better off in several ways: - has more offensive maneuvers than trapped person (generally speaking). - is using less energy Note that in a match where striking is allowed, the trapped-in-guard fighter is in a very good position to strike at the fighter on the ground, which reduces the advantages of the guard position. If you're on your back holding someone in your guard, your first priority should be to grab one of your opponent's wrists with one of your hands and the back of his collar with your other. This puts you at a tremendous material advantage and gives you great control over your opponent's body. This position can lead to any of the following: - arm bar - low coil ("hammer") lock - triangle choke - cross choke - guillotine choke Sweeps are something else you can do from guard. It's a kind of throw that involves locking the opponent's leg/ankle and tripping / pulling / throwing them to the ground such that you end up on top. There are a large number of sweeps that can be done. (detailed list of sweeps...?) Do not let your oponnent trap a knee or hold it to the ground. Your guard is gone at that point. If you are using an open guard, it's a good idea to grab some other part of him (ankles work) to keep him there. Trapped In Opponent's Guard ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you're trapped in someone's guard, you really don't have a lot of working maneuvers; you need to get past. The only one I've heard that has a chance of working is the sleeve-choke, but don't count on this one, it can be defended pretty easily and you put yourself in a bad position getting there. Passing the guard is an important skill to develop. If escaping closed guard, you will have to break it first. You might also try to hold a knee to the floor, trap, lock or otherwise limit your opponent's leg movement. There are numerous ways to pass a guard that boil down to the following: - go through it (-> half mount) - go under it (-> side) - go around it (-> knee on stomach) - go over it (i.e. jump, cartwheel, etc.) (-> four corner / side) Side Control ------------ This is where you usually get to after you pass a guard. There are numerous side positions The advantage of being past a guard is that the guy on the bottom can no longer use his legs for defense. (Thus, you're ahead by "material", to use the Chess analogy.) The guy on the bottom can, however bridge (or "umpa") to throw you off balance. Side Positions: - Knee on Stomach: just one; advantage: top guy's head away from bottom guy's arms; top guy real close to arm bar; kneeling form of side mount - Four-Corner: like full mount, but guy on top is inverted (aka North-South) Guy On Top ~~~~~~~~~~ There's a lot of randomness when you're in the transition as you're passing the guard. This is because there's a lot of movement / reaching going on. There are some submission opportunities here. A useful class of maneuvers here if the guy is turtling is "arm coercion moves" that try to get the guy to relinquish an arm. Wrist locks are an example. If you're on top, you usually want to progress to some kind of mount. Guy on Bottom ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Basically you want to create space and escape. Other options are: turtle up, roll out, re-establish Guard. Just don't give the guy on top your back! Escapes. These are not mutually exclusive, but could be used in combinations. The biggest idea here is that you want to create space for yourself (while your opponent tries to take it away). Mount ----- Here, you are straddling the guy on the bottom somehow, usually sitting on his stomach or torso. Mount positions are very dominant. - Half Mount: diagonally across (guy on bottom is holding one of your legs in a half guard). Some would call this a "guard" position. You really need to get your leg untied. - Mount: straddling. Very dominant position. - Side Mount: guy on bottom is lying on his side and can use at most one arm to defend (from strikes or otherwise). Guy on top has an arm bar sitting there waiting for him as well as a variety of chokes. - Back Mount: straddling on back, often with hooks in. Heap Big Trouble for the guy being mounted. Guy On Top ~~~~~~~~~~ Wants to limit opponent's space, be heavy, move up body toward head, prevent down-guy from re-establishing guard, move toward a submission. Possible submissions from here: - Chokes: cross, cut-the-lights, sleve (Ezekiel), triangle (often involves rolling into guard) - Joint Locks: straigt arm bar, high coil, cross arm bar, wrist lock Guy on Bottom ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There's basically two escapes that you can use to get out of a mount: Elbow Escape and Umpa. These two are complementary: if one doesn't work, the other probably will. - double-leg lock + flip (only useful if opponent is sitting up a little) - open up opponent's legs and re-establish guard (half/full) - hip-twist (creates space) - oom-pah (arch) (creates space, unbalances opponent) - remember to use 2-on-1 if you're trying to push an opponent's thigh down / over and slip a leg through the mount. Submissions ----------- These are "terminal moves". It is possible for an opponent to escape from a submission, but very difficult, especially if the person applying it understands the technique / mechanics and knows how to apply the submission. Joint Locks ~~~~~~~~~~~ Some way of twisting or hyper-extending a joint in a way that God never intended. Very painful, can result in an injured / crippled limb. Terminology: - bar = straight lock on a hinge joint (elbow or knee) - lock = more general, often applied to writsts and ankles - crank - turning a swivel joint (such as the neck) or ball-in-socket joint (such as the shoulder) in an unnatural way The list: - Arm Bar: elbow, cross body; from guard, full mount, knee on stomach (there are a lot of variations on this) - Arm Bar: elbow, cross arm, from half / full mount - Arm Bar: elbow, from guard, head & knee trap wrist & shoulder, pull elbow (rare) - High Coil (Shoulder) Lock: shoulder, arm right-angle, hand above shoulder, from half / full mount. Also called "key lock" - Low Coil (Shoulder) Lock: shoulder, arm right-angle, hand below shoulder, forearm can be behind back or along side of body (police style); from guard. Also called "Kimura" - Wrist Lock: push hand downward; good if some guy's turtling. Not really a submission move on it's own, more like progress toward an arm bar. - Wrist Crank: police style, twisting thum inside and pinkie outside. Again, more of a "progression" move. - Knee Bar: hyperextend knee, lock up thigh with legs & ankle with hands, pull leg across body, difficult to execute, occasions seldom arise - Ankle Lock: Make a figure-four with your arms around the guy's ankle and pull his toes one direction or other. - Heel Hook: Trap heel in crook of elbow and twist. Puts extreme torque on knee joint. Be VERY CAREFUL with this one because it goes from painless to hospitilazation like that . Best to stay away from this one. - Neck Crank: it's not a choke, but it can lead into or be part of a choke. - Head Lock: this is not necessarily a submission, per se, but it limit's your opponent's movement and can lead to a choke. The way to escape from one of these is to make a frame against the opponent's neck and push away. You prevent arm bars by not reaching out, turtling, and keeping elbows bent and close to your own body. (Watch out for the coil locks, though.) You resist elbow bars by grabbing your own wrists. Escapes from arm bars involve getting the guy to un-arch his back, typically by rolling out (if possible), freeing your head and crawling through, or standing up and stacking the guy. (or some combination) Chokes ~~~~~~ Chokes applied to the front (such as a rear naked) cuts off air, chokes to the side (such as a triangle or cross-choke) cuts off blood flow; both cut off oxygen to the brain. Very effective, can render opponent unconcious. If an opponent is not wearing a gi or shirt, it eliminates ~60% of the chokes you can use. - Cross Choke: cuts off blood; grab tag on back of collar, pull other collar toward arm; executed from in guard, full/half mount (top or bottom) pretty much anywhere; prevent by putting hand near throat once opponent has collar; escape by uncrossing arms (you've gotta be past the guard to do this). - Guillotine Choke: cuts off airflow; trap opponent's head between forearms, pull opponent's head forward by arching own back. Analogous to RNC. - Rear Naked Choke: cuts off airflow; from behind; right arm around, grab own left bicep, push on back of opponent's head with left palm, arch own back - Triangle Choke: cuts off blood; from guard; trap & extend one of opponent's arms, loop right leg around opponent's neck, bring left back-of-knee over own right ankle, pull arm and squeeze legs. - Sleeve Choke: cuts of airflow; can be done while trapped in guard; trap opponent's neck between forearms and grab own sleeves on opposing arms. - Collar Choke: grab collar, pull around neck - Clock Choke: a collar choke that's done when you're back mounting, or just to the side of your opponent's back - Knuckle Choke: Put fist into guy's throat (kinda mean). Only works if the opponent can't slip away. - Forearm Choke: From mount, lay across guy's neck with your forearm. Kind of an annoyance move, not really a submission, but it can get you there... - Collar-grab + knee on back of neck choke: if your opponent gives you his back while on the ground, you can put this on him. - Scissor Choke: Like a guillotine, but from the front. - Single-Wing: Half-nelson + cross-throat gi-grab After you've got a choke on someone, arch your back and put some hooks in (wrap / lock your legs around opponent's body). Once you've got hooks in, it's very difficult to escape. To resist a choke, lower your chin and shrug your shoulders. If you can get one of your own hands or arms inside the choke, you can use it to resist or pull yourself out. More on chokes here: http://bjj.org/lewis/shime.html Advice to Wrestlers ------------------- I have a very modest wrestling background, but here are some tips for wrestlers that are looking at trying Jiu-Jitsu. - Where wrestlers excell: stand-up clinch, balance, takedowns, takedown defense (hip back, etc.), reversals, establishing / keeping a dominant position on the ground (i.e. mount). Jiu-Jitsu practitioners have a nasty tendency to flop onto their back into the guard position, and it doesn't always serve them well. Upshot: don't lose the _good_ habits that wrestling has taught you. - Strength vs leverage: I think wrestling tends to train a lot of "strength" moves, meaning you're trying to man-handle someone into a certain position. Jiu-Jitsu on the other hand tends to focus on "leverage", or using a "light touch" to roll or flip someone into a certain position (the whole "using their own strength against them" sort of thing). Aside: being the stronger guy is never a bad thing. - Positions that are often unfamilar / different for wrestlers: - Guard: If a guy's on his back in wrestling, it's a pin, so wrestlers don't go into the guard position. This is arguably the most important position in Jiu-Jitsu, so wrestlers really need to train here (on both sides of the guard position.) - Back mount: Typically, if you've back-mounted a guy in wrestling, you want to put on a half-nelson and turn him over for a pin. In Jiu-Jitsu, you want to sink in hooks, flatten the guy out, and put on a rear naked choke. - Submissions: This is really the thing that distinguishes Jiu-Jitsu from wrestling. Most wrestlers have never seen a triangle choke, key lock, or an arm bar before. There are some unfortunate habits built in wrestling that leave wrestlers suceptible to these submissions, the biggest of which is extending your arms when you're mounted or trapped in someone's guard. Wrestlers really need to train how to defend / escape from submissions and also how to apply them. There's really no substitute for mat time here, practicing the moves over and over. If I was to sum up a comparison of the two styles, I would say that Jiu-Jitsu has more "depth" (as mentioned earlier) than wrestling. One meaning for "depth" is that there are more positions that occur (guard, back mount, etc.). Another meaning for "depth" is that there are more ways the fight could end: with wrestling, it has to end in a pin; with Jiu-Jitsu, there are tons of different locks, chokes, and cranks, and tons of positions where those could occur. In saying this, I mean no disrespect to wrestlers, most wrestlers I saw that tried Jiu-Jitsu were very dominant on the mat.