What is kind of very simple way to understand grappling?
Shorted way might be a) clear arms, legs and head ( sticks) b) get chest to chest or chest to back c) isolate limb d) submit.
My attempt is longer, but similar idea.
No-Gi Grappling: The Strategic Chain
1. Influence & Off-balancing (Kuzushi)
Principle: Do not attack a "wall" (a ready and braced posture).
Action: Use a grip, a push, or a wedge to force the opponent to correct their balance.
Why: When an opponent is busy recovering their balance, they cannot simultaneously defend their "gates" (the space between their limbs).
2. Angling & Approach
Principle: Get the limbs out of the way.
Action: Immediately following the off-balance, move to an angle where the opponent’s limbs (wedges) are no longer between you and their "box" (the torso).
Why: Attacking directly from the front is inefficient; moving to an angle is a mechanical "fast lane" to passing.
3. Controlling the Center (The Connection)
Principle: "Chest-to-Chest" or "Chest-to-Back."
Action: Once the limbs are bypassed, fill the empty space immediately. Do not leave any air between you.
Why: Chest-to-chest contact kills the opponent’s mobility and their ability to recover guard. At this stage, you have "won" the position.
4. Limb Isolation
Principle: Lever away from the box.
Action: Once you control the torso (the box), isolate one limb (a lever) away from the rest of the body.
Why: A submission (choke or joint lock) is only possible once the target limb is isolated from the support and strength of the opponent's core.
Am I missing some essential point? Explaining too much? Box is Jasons passing box:-)
6 Comments
I find that crude things stick in people heads. When beginners look at me saying they have no idea what to do. I generally tell them to PIS(S).
Pin - immobilise your opponent.
Isolate - Isolate a limb from their trunk where they're strong
Submit - Bend or constrict around that limb in ways it shouldn't bend until a submission is achieved
(Start again) - Start over and try to PIS with decreasing strain and effort on your part (efficiency)
@Pred500 Here is a Finnish version.
OTEPILU – The Progress Flowchart
O – Output/Over-hook (Ote): Establish a dominant grip. You don't just touch; you anchor yourself to the opponent.
T – Tilt/Topple (Tasapaino): Break their posture or balance. If they are comfortable, you are doing it wrong. Make them feel like they’re falling.
E – Erase (Etäisyys): Close the distance. Remove all the "air" between you and the opponent until you are practically sharing the same skin.
P – Pressure/Pin (Pito): Solidify the position. Use your weight to stabilize and make them suffer under your pressure.
I – Isolate (Irrota): Separate a limb or the head from the rest of the body. "Unplug" the arm from their defense.
L – Lockdown/Leathal (Lopetus): The finish. Apply the submission with clinical precision.
U – Utterance/Ugh (Uli): The sound they make when they realize it’s over. The "tap" or the "whimper."
Fairly dirty expression. Little more details compared to Greg Sounders - clear limbs, get chest to chest or chest to back, stabilize, isolate limb and finish. (Well almost the same.)
What I focus on the most:
Acquiring Frames - Guard play
Deleting Frames - Guard passing
Body Alignment - Guard play and guard passing
Leverage Points - All areas of Jiu Jitsu
Creating Predictable Patterns - All areas of Jiu Jitsu
What would "Creating Predictable Patterns" mean? Something like you fake a guard pass and react to partners guard retention movement?
I did a lesson on Tuesday. One part was seated guard vs standing passer. I watched before class Lachlan Giles sweep prevention for ideas and used Rob Biernacki´s FYJJ sweeping game. So instruction for passer was just to step between guard players legs and try not to get swept. Passer was not allowed to take grips.
This was a very good exercise for brainstorming and finding small details that affected the possible end result. Next Tuesday passer will get more tools - like grips and back stepping. My take is that a better passer makes guard players sweeps better, too.
So my instructions might have not been what I was getting at, but situation was very simple - it helpped students opserve what actually was happening. I liked it and students liked it.