10 ways to improve your grappling and jiu-jitsu game
As the UFC and other fighting events grow more popular, people are gravitating towards grappling martials arts, particularly brazilian jiu-jitsu. The biggest problem that new grapplers face is finding a good school and instructor. Most schools are run by a blue or purple belt, or just by some "guy" who’s done some training. If you’re looking to get the most out of training and dedicated to improving your grappling game, here are 10 tips you can apply and use. They apply whether you are a training at a professional BJJ school or a grappling club.1.) Grappling takes time.
I have been training ju-jitsu and grappling for over 10 years. Yet, I still consider myself a decent grappler. My path has beeb slightly different then a pure BJJ or submission grappling path, but still… if you are truly dedicated to becoming an amazing grappler, you need to invest your time into learning. Grappling isn’t just about knowing techniques. It’s about knowing when the apply them, how efficient you are at applying them and how to flow from one technique to another.
2.) Be a sponge.
Get you hands on anything that relates to grappling. Look on fightauthority.com (blatant plug) and other video sites for grappling technique videos. If you can afford it, buy grappling DVD videos and books. I tend to gravitate towards videos that relate to either the type of fighter I am, or the techniques I am working on. For example, I bought a Edward Telles Turtle Guard videos because I was working extensively on my turtle guard.
3.) Position before Submission.
Knowing a great deal of submissions is great. It gives you a variety of attacks to apply at any position. I have trained with a great grappler in CT, Kipp Kollar. Kipp is also the owner of NAGA. Kipp knows submissions from all angles and when you roll with him, you’re always in danger. But what seperates Kipp is that he knows the position he is in very well. He knows how to react and flow in and out of positions as well as utilize the position to apply the submissions. I remember watching Rickson Gracie in one of the old Japan MMA tournaments. Rickson’s fights very methodical. He took them down, transitioned into mount and ended the fight. He dominated every position and was able to finish with a submission every time. 4.) Jiu-Jitsu and Grappling is a "Feeling"
You need to be able to feel the techniques and fight. I sometimes catch myself closing my eyes to just focus on what is going on at that particular moment. Enchancing this "skill" allows you to be better at applying submissions, transitioning, sweeping, etc. I don’t recommend that you close your eyes everytime you roll, but give it a try sometimes with your partner.
5.) Drill, Drill, Drill and Drill again:
Repetition is king in grappling and jiu-jitsu. Don’t think you "know" a technique. If you think about your best technique, how many times can you do it in a raw flawlessly. Think about it. I bet the number isn’t that high. I can do the same technique over and over again. A technique that I have probably done 10,000s of times, yet I would bet that each time I do it, I could improve it. Drill your techniques over and over again. Don’t assume you know it and that you really don’t need to spend that much time with it anymore. Continue training.
6.) Grappling is like chess.
The hardest part of grappling is flowing from one technique to another seemlessly. It’s a reaction game. Whatever your opponent does you need to be able to react quickly. At first you need to think about and plan your reactions, but as you improve the reaction time will lessen and become seemless. Here’s a good game you can play to help enhance this - Jiu-Jitsu Chess Game.
7.) Improve your Guard
The guard is such a crucial part of the jiu-jitsu game. This is one of the positions I am always striving to improve. There are so many variations of the guard and ways to attack from guard. I have a post I am working on that involves the variations of the guard and some key tips. Till then, when you’re in guard, remember to keep active. Don’t wait to be passed, when you’re on the bottom you need to be thinking about control, submissions and sweeping. Whatever you opponent does, you need to counter. The problem everyone faces is actually getting passed. Here are some good drills for working on keeping your guard.
- Do simple dedicated sparring when you focus on not letting the top guy pass, and the top guy only trys to pass.
- Add a twist on that… don’t use your hands. Put your hands in your belt or just don’t use them. Let your opponent try to pass that way. It forces you to use your legs and feet much more, as well as having active movement.
I am taking private lessons from Luigi Mondelli, and one of the keep things Luiigi always says is use your feet like "monkey paws". Its not just about controlling your opponent with your hands, use your feet too. Push, grab, trap, etc.
8.) Learn Takedowns:
One of the most frustrating things I see at tournaments is people who don’t use takedowns. I understand a lot of BJJ grapplers like the guard and are very comfortable in it. But learning takedowns only improve your grappling game. They immediately put you in a dominant position and it tells your opponent that you can control them standing. Learn and drill wrestling takedowns and or some simple high percentage judo throws and trips. A great drill or sparring activity we do with our guys is just go for takedowns. Have a wresting match instead of a full on grappling match. You can also not allow guard pulling when sparring. Some basic takedowns I would try to learn are…
9.) Work your escapes and counters
Escaping and countering in jiu-jitsu is just as important as submissions. If you think about it, everything happens off of a counter. If you try passing the guard, your opponent may counter with a sweep, arm bar, triangle, omoplata, etc. If you go for a single leg takedown, your opponent may counter with an Uchi-Mata. Work these counters and escapes into a drill. For example…
- For for a double-leg takedown
- Your opponent pulls guard
- Opponent attacks with a kimura
- You defend by locking your hands
- Oppenent sweeps
- You work a mount escape (Knee to elbow escape is cool)
- You are in guard
- Attack with….
This is very similar to the jiu-jitsu chess game, but it’s good for drilling a series of techniques and gets your brain to think counter and escape.
10.) Roll
One of the best "teachers" in grappling and jiu-jitsu is actually sparring or rolling. This is the best way to learn how to apply your techniques. You must have some what of an understanding of what you are doing on trying to accomplish, if not you’re just going to be flailing around. If you are new to the grappling game, work with a senior student, they should help you point out what you are doing wrong, what you could be doing, and how to improve what you are doing. I also recommend that you fight a variety of people. Don’t just roll with the same guy(s) over and over again, eventually you just learn to fight those guys. Its good to experience other body types, strengths and skills. I love rolling with Luigi… he beats the shit out of me, but it is a great experience and I learn a lot every time. You should probably dedicate at least 1/3 of your training to rolling. It can only benefit you.
Eddie Bravo is not my hero, but he is an amazing grappler. I found this video highlights of him rolling and training at Legends Gym.
My name is Matt Bryers, I run this thing along with a few other sites, most notably