TFS#36: Your Missing Piece

If you’re technically sound but still feeling frustrated with your rolls, you might be missing one crucial detail to your game.

You can learn and drill the technique perfectly during class but when it comes to sparring you’re attempting the move and it “doesn’t work.”

There are various reasons why it might not be working. But a common mistake I see with lower belts is their level of effort.

Whether they’re afraid of hurting someone or they lack the confidence in the sparring, they are not asserting themselves.

There’s nothing to fix on a technical level, but your mental focus is not aligned.

Being passive and being assertive

When I say being assertive, I mean imposing your game onto your opponent.

And I’m not saying “don’t use strength” either. (Sometimes using strength is part of being assertive.)

Hesitating, thinking twice, playing it too safe, pausing too long, are all part of being too passive.

You don’t want to be passive, you don’t want your opponent to feel like they have an opportunity.

Assert your game. Go for moves.

This is an example of acting now and thinking later. If you fail, that’s fine. Your technique can always be adjusted.

Hanging out on the bottom

Playing guard is a tough position. Especially with the evolution of today’s passing, guard players have a lot to keep track of.

Naturally, when someone is passing (attacking position) you’re going to focus solely on defending.

But what you might not remember while in the panic of defending is that you are also looking for an opening to attack.

You have to look for opportunities to set up your guard. Once you have your guard, you have to attack. And in this case, attacking would include off-balance, submission attempt, or transition into another position--you don't want to stall.

You can’t sit in guard forever. You have to work to hit the sweep, submission, whatever it is, you need to turn the tide on your opponent and be the aggressor.

Identify your favorite attack from bottom

Whether it’s wrestling up or playing your favorite guard, you need to recognize what your go-to attack is from bottom.

Understand that the person on top has two advantages: mobility and gravity.

So your job is to take away their advantage, trapping their legs will slow them down. Any time you pause while in guard, you allow them to regain their balance and begin moving again.

And once you have your guard setup you need to attack right away.

Being on the defensive means you have to fight uphill. But as you fight, that incline gets less steep.

For Your Jiu-Jitsu

→ Breathing exercises are highly beneficial for anyone looking to improve their overall health. If you’re training Jiu-Jitsu, learning some of these breathing exercises are a must. Luckily, they take less than 2 minutes each.

→ Trying to change the way you defend is hard when you’re constantly panicking on the bottom. Grab a partner and try these drills to make your movements a habit. All while having your partner attempt to pass.

→ If you need a breakdown of the basic concepts of guard retention into something more digestible, check out this quick read. Don’t worry white belts, you’ll still be working on this through your blue belt days.

Closing Thought

Playing guard isn’t easy. Being on the defensive isn’t easy. You will most likely have to spend more energy fighting your opponent to get back on top.

Keep in mind: When fighting from the bottom, you might feel like you’re turning the tide...only to end up on the bottom again. It’s a frustrating moment when this happens since you’ve spent all your energy for "nothing." But that’s part of the battle, you’re going to have to muster up energy to continue to fight.

You don't always recover on your first attempt.

And it’s these fights that you will remember the most—overcoming what you didn’t think you could overcome.

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