em>”Position before submission” is a commonly used phrase in Jiu Jitsu. And in my experience when you understand how to control a position the submission becomes a lot easier.
One reason for this is your opponent has to use more energy and give more space to escape, which presents you with submission opportunities.
However, people often focus on the wrong things when trying to prevent their opponents escape.
The first step to preventing an escape has nothing to do with what your opponent is doing with their arms or legs, or how they’re grabbing your Gi. Preventing an escape starts with one simple concept…you have to stop your opponent being able to rotate.
Basically, you gotta keep ’em flat.
Think about it, almost every escape starts with your opponent rotating in some way. If you stop their rotation, you can prevent the escape before it starts.
This video covers some key concepts to controlling positions and keeping your opponent flat, plus how to practice it.
A great way to develop this type of control is to spend a month practicing nothing other than keeping your opponent flat. Make that your goal every time you roll. By the end of the month, your opponents will feel like they’ve got a small planet laying on them and submission opportunities will magically start to appear.
This is exactly what happened to me when Braulio told me to try this. I even got to the point where I could submit people just with my top pressure. Not bad considering the IBJJF think I weigh the same as a feather (about 65kg).
Key Takeaways:
– Almost every escape starts and ends with your partner rotating.
– Use your body weight to kill their rotation and your hands as a backup.
– Don’t rest on their defensive frame.
– Maintain good posture to avoid being rolled.
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