10 Things Every Grappler Should Know; Part 9

This week I'll discuss a very difficult topic for some people to grasp, that topic is sensitivity.

Because it is impossible to watch someone demonstrate sensitivity and "feel", it is very difficult to teach.

The only way to truly "learn" it, is through practice and awareness.

Let me begin by first describing what sensitivity is. Quite simply it is the ability to feel what your opponent is doing by physically reading the pressure they are applying through either pushing and pulling motions. On a more complex level it is not only physically reading your opponent but "sensing" what options they might be attempting and reacting to that through previous experience brought on by years of rolling.

If you find this more complex definition confusing, that's ok, it is a more advanced aspect of sensitivity that can only be learned through the experience of sparring against opponents repeatedly.

There are several ways to help develop this skill.

The simplest is to pay close attention to how things feel while doing repetitions of the techniques. Don't just try to memorize the technique, try to feel it.

Another is staying focused while sparring.

Early on in your training, you might find it frustrating while sparring with more advanced practitionners, but try to stay focused on what's happening. It will help you develop sensitivity if you focus on specific cues while your opponents apply techniques on you or while they transition from position to position. Basically you should be aware of what it feels like to have your opponents attempt these techniques, that way you learn to recognize what they are attempting and can possibly prevent it next time by learning the proper counter.

Another tip you can use early on in your training is to close your eyes while doing reps of techniques and while others are repetitioning techniques on you.
While doing this pay close attention to the feel of the technique, again this will help you become familiar with what moves feel like.

This is probably one of the most overlooked aspects of training, especially by beginners. So if you are fairly new to grappling and BJJ pay very special attention to this in your training and it will make a noticeable difference in your game.

The 10 Things Every Grappler Should Know; Part 8

How to Control The Position:
This is probably one of the most important skills you will learn in grappling and Brazilian Jiujitsu in particular.
Knowing how to control the position is the first thing you should be concerned with.
As I've said before in this blog, Position is everything.
Without the ability to control the position, all the submission skills in the world are almost useless.

Controlling the position is paramount if you are to succeed at setting submissions up as well as tiring your opponent out and if practicing MMA, then even more important at using or avoiding strikes and ground and pound.

I remember when I started out, my instructor used to spar with all the students and put us in bad positions like Mount or Knee on Stomach, then would let us squirm to get out and when we were exhausted would give up the position only to regain a superior position over us again and not let us out. He would do this without attemping any submissions to finish us.

Now, although this sounds cruel, the point was quite simply to make us understand the huge importance of controlling the position and escaping the position.
Quite simply with the ability to control the position came the ability to have your opponents at your mercy.

The fact is that most advanced grapplers only use a few basic submissions most of the time. Their skill in combining them is one thing that makes them more effective then those who aren't as advanced but the biggest difference is their ability to control the position better than those less skilled.

Focus your training on this and remember, the speed at which you can apply a submission, the strength you can use to force your opponent or any other factor is great but without position control and dominance, you will never be your best.

10 Things Every Grappler Should Know; Part 7

7) The Importance and Limits of Repetition.
This week let's look at Repetition of Techniques.
Many people will tell you that repetition will lead to the perfection of your techniques. This is only a half-truth.
Yes, repetition IS necessary to develop proper technique however it has it's limits.
I would say that perfect and focused repetition is more productive than repetition alone.
Think about it.
Do you think 1000 reps of the same move will develop your skill as much as 100 reps where there is an effort to get all the details down perfectly as well as stay focused on the details as you're performing them?
I would go with the 100 anyday.
My point here is that although repetition is critical, you can fall into a trap where you waste time and do little for your advancement by aimlessly performing reps.
Stay focused on proper execution, pay attention to the details and make every rep count.
This will take your skills further then doing 10 times the reps poorly.

10 Things Every Grappler Should Know; Part 6

How to combine techniques:
Combinations are critical to mounting an advanced and dangerous offense.
By combining several techniques and alternating through them, it becomes very difficult for your opponent to defend against your attacks.
There are several submissions that work very well together, the armlock and triangle choke are two great examples of submissions that can be combined effectively.
In August 2008, I covered Combinations and put up an excellent video of Roy Dean demonstrating effective combinations and how to train them.
If you haven't already seen it, I suggest you check it out.
So to apply this to your training, find two submissions that work well together off of the same position. Make sure you have them down pat and start drilling them in combination.
Then once you're very comfortable with them start using them while sparring.
This will definetely take your game to a higher level.