Grappling is not something I do quite a lot of in my training. I’m more comfortable fighting from a stand up position and I’ll only go to the ground if I really have to. That being said I do occasionally train with some Brazilian Ju Jitsu guys just to make my ground game better for the Sport Ju Jitsu side of things.
I personally find BJJ a bit too technical and most of it doesn’t really fit in with the rest of my self defense training. I enjoy doing it though and since I’ve been training with the BJJ guys I have picked up a few tips that some of the less experienced grappler’s out there among you might useful.
When I implemented the following tips into my own grappling game I noticed a definite improvement. Hopefully the same will hold true for you. So here we go.
1. Stay Relaxed. This phrase is oft repeated when it comes to grappling advice and it can never be repeated too often, simply because it is one of the most important factors there is for grappling success. When I first began grappling I was very tense. As soon as I hit the ground I would tense up and almost panic trying to pull my opponent into position. The end result of this was gassing very quickly. I could hardly breathe after a minute or so.
Most beginners are the same, being almost afraid to relax in case their opponent gets the better of them. In fact by tensing up so much you are actually giving your opponent the advantage. He will just wait you out until you’re too tired to resist and then he will make his move and that’ll be game over.
You will help yourself tremendously if you try to stay relaxed and breathe deeply and rhythmically when you’re grappling. There is no rush. Just stay focused and only move into a position when it feels right to do so, don’t force anything. If you are feeling tired just hold your position until you get your breath back and then start looking for openings.
You will find the more relaxed you stay the easier it will be to change position and move into techniques. When your body is relaxed, so is your brain, making it easier to think. If you’re too tense and flustered you won’t be able to think ahead, which is essential in grappling.
Another reason to stay relaxed is the fact that you could end up on the floor for ten minutes or more trying to get a submission. That’s a long time, especially if you are tired. Staying relaxed will help you stay the pace.
The only real exception to this would be in Sport Ju Jitsu, were fighters are only allowed on the ground for thirty seconds. In this case you can push yourself a little more, but it still pays to be relaxed, even for this short amount of time.
Below is a video that explains some of the advantages of staying relaxed in wrestling, but the same obviously applies to any grappling art.
2. Keep Moving and Create Space. A while ago, during a grappling training session, my BJJ instructor told me to keep moving and try to create space. He told me this because I was just locking on to opponents and holding position, not really moving, which was making it easier for my opponent to get his holds on me. I was basically waiting for him to
So I began to move around more, throwing my hips out and creating the space I needed to get out from under my opponent and get into a more dominating position. This simple tactic helped me a great deal and I was able to gain better positions and thus dominate my opponent more.
By not moving and allowing your opponent to close you in you are also giving them the opportunity to think about what position they need to get to in order to get the submission. In doing so, you are basically saying, “Okay, I’ll just wait here until you think of something good.”
Keep moving, keep throwing those hips out and creating space to manoeuvre in. If you keep doing that you are not giving your opponent time enough to think because they’re constantly having to react to your movements. Just keep moving around until you get into a good enough position to get your submission.
I should also stress here that you shouldn’t over exert when moving around. Do so nice and easy and use good technique whenever possible. Straining against someone all the time will make you tense and tired, which as you know, is not good.
Remember, stay relaxed.
3. Be Explosive- But Only When Necessary. There are only really two speeds in grappling- slow and relaxed and explosive. There’s no real in between. When you’re moving around an opponent and looking for positions you generally do so at a slow and controlled pace, conserving your energy. It is only when you find your position and go for the submission, say an arm bar, that speed you things up and explode into the technique before your opponent knows what’s happening.
Knowing this has helped me a lot in grappling. I used to move at various speeds and I never really exploded enough into finishing techniques, with the result that my opponent had time to counter them. When you get a good opening don’t hesitate, explode into it before your opponent has time to counter it. Have the confidence to just go for it.
4. Technique, Technique, Technique. Grappling, especially the type done in BJJ is all about technique. You have to really know what you’re doing on the ground or someone with better technique will always dominate you. There are many little things you can do when grappling to make it a whole lot easier on you. Trying to force submissions is not the way to go, as this will lead to tiredness very quickly. Sometimes all it takes to get the advantage is a slight turn of the hips or a different placement of an arm or leg. When you have the right technique things slide into place a whole lot easier.
The only way to get better technique is to practice. Keep drilling all the different moves until you hardly have to think about them. The more you do this, the easier you will find grappling to be.
These four training tips really helped me with my grappling and I hope you find them useful as well.
Incidentally, if anyone has anymore tips they’d like to share then please do so by leaving them in the comment box below.
