Stopping Stalling Strategies PT.2

Excellent breakdown Chandler (as always)!

I must admit that when I compete in IBJJF tournaments I stall a lot. Unless I know my opponent is way less skilled, my general strategy is to score within the first 2 minutes of the match and then maintain that edge for the remainder.

I definitely think that the up-and-down strategy that you describe (pull guard, stand, pull guard, stand, etc) is REALLY annoying and hard to deal with. The way I would stall against a guard player is quite different from how I stall on the feet, so those transitions put a lot of mental stress on me.

In fact, it's so annoying to me that I specifically train against it. The main skills I drill for this scenario are:

• Speed passes against the guard pull -- flying knee cuts, circle passes, one handed leg drags, etc. Securing a pass at my weight category (rooster or light feather) is pretty hard even if I completely pass the guard, since everyone is really flexible and can easily bench press their bodyweight. But hopefully I can pick up an advantage, or at least put mental pressure on them. (By the way, when I saw Craig Jones vs Marinho, I definitely think Marinho had prepared well for the scenario of Craig trying to pull guard.)
• Against someone who I sense is trying to stand up from guard, I am quick to control an ankle and lift it high up and chase them, almost like I'm trying to stack them or force them to back roll. This makes it very tiring for them to stand, and they will often fail.
• Front headlocks against someone who successfully stands. Standing up requires their head to get closer to me, so I can try to get an FHL. If they go back to pull guard, switch that grip from chinstrap to an underhook and try a flying knee cut. This strategy works a lot better in no-gi; in the gi, they are often making a cross collar grip before standing, so securing a FHL isn't that easy.
• Be ready for the collar drag: In the gi the collar drag is something that can come any time they have a cross collar grip and are sitting up or standing up. It is "easy" to defend, but just need to stay alert and aware.

jeiteki, post: 62715, member: 9812

Excellent breakdown Chandler (as always)!

I must admit that when I compete in IBJJF tournaments I stall a lot. Unless I know my opponent is way less skilled, my general strategy is to score within the first 2 minutes of the match and then maintain that edge for the remainder.

I definitely think that the up-and-down strategy that you describe (pull guard, stand, pull guard, stand, etc) is REALLY annoying and hard to deal with. The way I would stall against a guard player is quite different from how I stall on the feet, so those transitions put a lot of mental stress on me.

In fact, it's so annoying to me that I specifically train against it. The main skills I drill for this scenario are:

• Speed passes against the guard pull -- flying knee cuts, circle passes, one handed leg drags, etc. Securing a pass at my weight category (rooster or light feather) is pretty hard even if I completely pass the guard, since everyone is really flexible and can easily bench press their bodyweight. But hopefully I can pick up an advantage, or at least put mental pressure on them. (By the way, when I saw Craig Jones vs Marinho, I definitely think Marinho had prepared well for the scenario of Craig trying to pull guard.)
• Against someone who I sense is trying to stand up from guard, I am quick to control an ankle and lift it high up and chase them, almost like I'm trying to stack them or force them to back roll. This makes it very tiring for them to stand, and they will often fail.
• Front headlocks against someone who successfully stands. Standing up requires their head to get closer to me, so I can try to get an FHL. If they go back to pull guard, switch that grip from chinstrap to an underhook and try to knee cut. This strategy works a lot better in no-gi; in no-gi they are often making a cross collar grip before standing so getting a FHL isn't that easy.
• Be ready for the collar drag: In the gi the collar drag is something that can come any time they have a cross collar grip and are sitting up or standing up. It is "easy" to defend, but just need to stay alert and aware.

Even still, it is *really* annoying to deal with someone who is good at implementing the "up-and-down" strategy and it absolutely does make it harder for me to stall.

Thanks. Those are good things to practice to negate that strategy. I really need to practice my speed passes off guard pulls.

I think Gary Tonon is a great example of someone using this strategy well. He is particularly dangerous because he will also throw in submissions and unusual takedowns. It must be a nightmare to deal with him(well not at his last OneFc performance).

I have always pressure passed on my knees to prevent people from getting back to their feet. It just makes sense from a combat perspective and I've refused to pass on my feet for years. Now that people are doing this up-and-down strategy, I feel like my stubbornness is paying off.