On the Mat Day 361: What is Technical?

I'll just throw this up because watching this video is what jiu-jitsu means to me, and it also made me happy watching it.


This was the third time I trained this week so am getting much better at using my legs to pass because of the exposure to the technique. K-sensei was away in Handa teaching so I got to spar with F-sensei instead. I keep meaning to take a video of him as he dominates me with sitting guard. He has basically been using this guard for over a year now and is very good at unbalancing his opponent.

I sparred a few round with Dimitri, 2 in the gi 1 without. We should probably switch to shorts for it because my instincts drive me to grab for the pants. He has a crush on Marcelo Garcia right now so is working on butterfly guard. I had a couple of successful passes on it but make mistakes like leaving my hands on the mat, which is just begging for a Kimura. I can usually get my other arm in to play to pull off the counter but it's hard versus a stronger opponent. During sparring I need to stick to my plan more. Against opponents I suspect will tap me if I let them pass my guard (this applies to bigger, stronger guys), I don't allow myself to play turtle, which is what I am working on. Perhaps I need to smack my ego around a bit or I'll not progress.

After asking Dimitri whether he thought I was technical at the end of the night. It got me thinking about what technical actually means. To me a technical guy displays the following attributes.

• They have more of a mental based game than a physical attribute based game. Meaning, in their head they can see pathways to certain chains of techniques rather like playing chess. This is in contrast to a grappler who overpowers with strength and speed, and scrambles a lot.
• They can explain their technique in great detail when asked how to do it.
• They can often talk about options that are available based on opponent's reactions.
• They actually watch how the opponent moves and react to it rather than stubbornly trying to force a technique.
• They are an older grappler but can hang with younger guys by using tactics such as baiting them or utilizing certain techniques to slow down the pace.
• Their escapes have a high success rate.
• They are good at disrupting the opponent's balance.
• Most of the time they move in a certain way that suggests they knew what you were thinking about doing.

This is just a list off the top of my head about my opinion on technicality based on the people who I have sparred with over my time doing BJJ.

At the end of class I also did about 30 mins grip fighting with Dmitri. It was very useful but an uncharted area for me because I often play guard. Hopefully I can get good at this and introduce Judo to my repertoire. With this goal I've loaned the Guerilla Jiu-jitsu book that explains about gripping.

Sparring time: 7 x 6 mins = 42 mins


Note to self: I must keep my backside down when in top side control against a stronger opponent. I am still getting rolled over if they grab my belt or just power me over. I am also researching how to finish the triangle when they gable grip their hands and use the elbow as a frame against my hip.