Subscribe To This Site

The Jiu Jitsu Triangle

If the title of this page made you think we were going to discuss the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu triangle choke, well my bad. I want to discuss another type of triangle that happens all the time in grappling. The Jiu jitsu Triangle I'm refering to is when, for example, I can tap you out, you can tap "Joe" out and Joe can tap me out. Many grapplers assume that when they defeat another grappler(Joe) it means that they can beat just about everyone who Joe beats. This is, of course, false and this type of thinking will stall your learning.

A few notable examples are: 1)Abu Dhabi 2003-Xande Ribeiro defeats Dean Lister, Cacareco taps out Xande Ribeiro, Dean Lister taps out Cacareco to win the Absolute after losing his second match in his weight class. 2)Demian Maia has defeated 2X Absolute Mundial Champion Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, "Jacare" has defeated Braulio Estima 4 times, Braulio Estima has tapped out Demian Maia. 3)Cameron Earle defeated Marcelo Garcia, Marcelo Garcia tapped out Rafael Lovato, Lovato tapped out Cameron Earle.

Far too many factors come into play in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competition and in sparring that there is never really a "best grappler". Just a list of top grapplers. We all know that some days you feel better than others. Some days you are more alert, more energetic and tapping out everyone. Other days you have low energy, don't feel like training and can't put anything together the way you want. Competition is even more stressful. Now you have the pressure to do well, everyone's watching and sometimes there's no second chance to fight if you lose. And what about styles. We've all heard "styles make fights", right? Sometimes someone's game, or style, is just seemingly too hard to beat. You may be better than this person in every aspect of the game, EXCEPT for passing this rediculous maze of a guard your opponent has.

We have all been there, I know I have(Living in Brazil, I was exposed to so many styles from some of the best in the world. Some guys I could beat, others I really believed were unbeatable, until I saw that they lost just like everyone, just very rarely and only against very smart opponents). You may also be one of those guys(or gals) who has one very strong part of your game but other very weak areas. Whether you have trouble against certain styles, body types, or are dependent on one style of your own, you owe it to yourself to learn the strength's and weaknesses of yourself and others. If you are just a guard person, work on your top game and standup training(wrestling, Judo) in practice. If you can't do well against flexible people for example, ask yourself and your coach what steps you can take to become more successful. Nobody likes to lose or perform poorly, however if you learn something new every time, then you will be that much better and that much more prepared for the next challenge.

Remember, no single victory will put you above all the rest just as no loss will set you that far back. Your ability to consistently improve and challenge yourself is what will determine your success in Martial Arts and in life. I challenge you to train smarter and with a open mind every time you step onto the mat. I promise that you will learn faster than you ever thought possible. Now go get better.Good training.