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Defend Yourself
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8 contributions to Defend Yourself
Sep '25 •
Wisdom
Share some wisdom with the group. I’ll go first. My opponent is my teacher, my ego is my enemy. Leave yours in the comments. 🙌
3 likes • 16d
"Nobody ever really 'loses' when they train BJJ... They either win, or they are given an opportunity to learn." "BJJ is a team sport. It's IMPOSSIBLE to get any better without a partner to train with. Be the best team mate you can be by asking for feedback and offering it to others." "It's much easier to STAY HEALTHY than it is to GET HEALTHY."
17d •
Sequences vs. Individual technique
Do you think it’s better to learn sequences/chains or individual moves? Does it depend? I come from an academy that splits fundamental and mixed level classes. The mixed level focuses more on sequences and individual techniques for the fundamental.
1 like • 16d
I believe for anyone at the fresh blue belt and below level of experience, individual techniques will have the most impact. In the beginning you are still learning how to move your body, be stable and balanced, how to connect and disconnect to/from your opponent, and how to execute SOME submissions. After blue belt, sequences can be incredibly helpful for overcoming that "what now?" feeling many get after achieving passes and reaching a dominant/attacking position (or even a dangerous position where you can be attacked). Not only do sequences give you more of a roadmap of where to go, they will help you begin to become more dynamic during rolls to where you can "fail" into another line of attack.
Dec '25 •
Focus for the week (ramping)
This week when you catch someone in a submission, practice ramping. Ramping means to slowly increase the intensity of the squeeze. Count to 10 while you apply your submission. Increase your pressure by 5% on each count. This will give your partner time to try to mount an escape. This will also give you an opportunity to practice maintaining control instead of racing to finish before they slip away. When we ramp something like a choke, our partner feels like they cannot wait this out because it just gets worse over time. On top of that, we are far less likely to exhaust ourselves and burn out squeezing as hard as possible. When we make it a habit to work this way with our partners for the majority of rounds, everyone gets better.
2 likes • 27d
As the resident black belt at my school, I have varying degrees of this practice for different types of students. For everyone that is there eager to learn, I always am very slow to apply chokes/subs. I will increase my speed, pressure, and execution more and more when someone is bullying other students, disrespecting me/the school, etc. We're all there to learn, and there are so many ways I can deliver useful information (ie. "Just how effective is jiu-jitsu against guys that 'see red'?" and "Just what IS my threshold to blood chokes?").
Dec '25 •
What would you do?
You are out with your family and a drunk guy starts acting aggressive and yelling profanity at you. You keep a safe distance with your hands in good position trying to defuse and suddenly your wife steps in between you and the aggressor to try to defuse the situation.
1 like • 27d
This is a good reminder for me to: 1) continue my conceal carry practice and maintain my firearms proficiency training. 2) have these tough conversations with my GF, and her and my kid ("what to do when/if" scenarios). 3) Plan my exit strategies when we are out in public so I'm prepared for a situation like this. This also starts giving me ideas: teaching kids class tactics and "what to do when" scenarios. How many of you have classes for this already?
Dec '25 •
BJJ wizardry poll 🧙♂️
Be honest. This is a safe space. Select the option that matches your jiu-jitsu powers. This helps me tailor training discussions, drills, and self-defense concepts to the group. Vote so I know who I’m dealing with in here 😄 💬 Drop a comment: • How long you’ve trained • Sport vs self-defense (or both) • Or the belt you feel like on your best/worst day 😏
Poll
47 members have voted
1 like • Dec '25
@Carl Nguyen over the years as I would get injured, I would often have to take a little time off the mat. When I made my way back, I had to change the way that I rolled in order to avoid worsening the injury. Having to adapt my rolling style always led to interesting advancements in my game. Now that I think about it, that would be a pretty fun exercise for live rolling. Put on a handicap. For this next two rounds, you can't use your left hand, you can't use your left arm, etc...
2 likes • Dec '25
@James Driskill oh yeah, always doing what I can to slow things down. It's great that they are totally out of breath while I can still breathe easily, or at least have more gas in the tank than they do. I know that in the long run, the war of attrition will be on my side and I will eventually win, but I recognize there are a lot of things that I could and probably should be doing differently. The ones in particular that I mentioned outweigh me pretty significantly. Anybody that's maybe 40 pounds heavier than me or less I can generally have my way with. It's the guys that are athletic and have 60 plus pounds on me that really make me question my rank LOL.
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