Be Honest: do you even train throws/takedowns at your BJJ academy?

this harkens back to another recent thread, but i've become increasingly convinced that maybe the greatest deficit among bjj practitioners is the failure to recognize that the standup game can be "standing jiu-jitsu" rather than just mediocre wrestle-judo. In other words, I think the reason most start sitting (and view tech standups as taboo) is because they don't see a purpose in starting standing beyond the narrow goal of drilling "takedowns." Even accomplished wrestlers and judokas often feel pressured to stop developing their standup game in a bjj context, in favor of learning how to start a roll on their butts.
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at almost every bjj academy I have been out, it NEVER happens. (1.) there is no space, (2.) people don't have the heart to do it because it's way harder.

Yes at "pure" bjj schools that barely do any no gi, this is often the case.

This is why I stated that I overwhelmingly prefer to train at more mma focused schools with Eastern bloc Judo and Sambo influences. Judo and modern sport jiu jitsu are just different branches of Jiu Jitsu differentiated by competition rulesets. With no gi and mma compared to ijf and ibjjf, the rules are MUCH simpler and you're so much freer to grapple without restriction. I feel it's the purest Jiu Jitsu I've ever trained when there's no such thing as shiai or leg reaping.
 
At my old school we learned a TD almost every single class. At my new school we hardly ever do and I prefer it. This is just a hobby for me and I hate TD's.
 
A bjj player will view escapes from bottom as 'taboo' or uncultured in training because the rules actually reward you for staying down; standing up gives your opponent an opportunity to score on you, while sitting down yourself puts you in the same situation, but takes away the scoring opportunity. In fact, standing up is also giving your opponent the opportunity to sit down, getting to a 'safe place' (in terms of scoring opportunities) without giving you any points like if he had done it while you were down (even if the ending positions are identical).

From a gamesmanship perspective, there's little to no benefit to spending training time on working to escape from a bad situation (being on bottom), because you are not formally penalized for being there in the first place (except in the most absolute terms of biodynamics); indeed, it's actually an advantage.

This is exactly right. In IBJJF it's unwise to stand, especially if you were swept already, because the top guy can pull and then score again with another sweep, at which point you're down 4-0. I see lots of guys, Leandro Lo being one of the best at it, who deliberately bait you into coming up for a sweep then break away and/or flee the boundary then immediately pull. I think it's lame that IBJJF allows that (should be -1 for top player or counted a sweep for the bottom guy), because tech standups are otherwise a strong weapon for the bottom player, as they can short-circuit a guard pass as well as putting you in great spots for guillotine and kimura counters.
 
this harkens back to another recent thread, but i've become increasingly convinced that maybe the greatest deficit among bjj practitioners is the failure to recognize that the standup game can be "standing jiu-jitsu" rather than just mediocre wrestle-judo. In other words, I think the reason most start sitting (and view tech standups as taboo) is because they don't see a purpose in starting standing beyond the narrow goal of drilling "takedowns." Even accomplished wrestlers and judokas often feel pressured to stop developing their standup game in a bjj context, in favor of learning how to start a roll on their butts.

I'm not sure what you mean. Narrow goal of drilling takedowns? Are you suggesting that practitioners should go for more submissions from standing or secure the position before they actually go to the ground? This is a serious question as I am befuddled.

As for accomplished wrestlers/judokas not developing their stand up game, this makes a lot of sense to me. While some of what they know has to be modified for the different ruleset, the biggest deficit in their games is probably their ground game and the guard in particular; I would think they would be eager to quickly engage in the area where they need the most improvement. Not to mention they're in a bjj class - you do as the romans do. For example, you don't gain a lot from playing your A game on someone who knows next to nothing.

On the flip side, it can be frustrating to work takedowns with bjj people. Many times if they feel outpositioned they will concede the takedown rather than fighting it.
 
Not that often, but the gym has Judo twice a week, and the Sumo club I started once a week. Getting people into Sumo is hard, as BJJ'ers already hate takedowns, and think Sumo looks lame ("lol fat guys in diapers!"). The irony of BJJ looking down on the aesthetics of another art form is not lost on me.

Whether BJJ sparring starts standing or on the knees depends on the amount of people in class really.

Regardless, there's definitely a general aversion by most BJJ'ers to takedowns; they either feel it's unnecessary ("I'd just pull guard") or too dangerous ("I do BJJ cause it's light on the bones, not like getting thrown!").[/QUh
Not that often, but the gym has Judo twice a week, and the Sumo club I started once a week. Getting people into Sumo is hard, as BJJ'ers already hate takedowns, and think Sumo looks lame ("lol fat guys in diapers!"). The irony of BJJ looking down on the aesthetics of another art form is not lost on me.

Whether BJJ sparring starts standing or on the knees depends on the amount of people in class really.

Regardless, there's definitely a general aversion by most BJJ'ers to takedowns; they either feel it's unnecessary ("I'd just pull guard") or too dangerous ("I do BJJ cause it's light on the bones, not like getting thrown!").
Is Sumo effective against a good wrestler? With a Gi I assume that Sumo will be more effective because they could grab the belt which I notice they do all the time. Have you ever pulled a sumo technique on a bjj match?
 
For example, you don't gain a lot from playing your A game on someone who knows next to nothing.


A lot of people say this, but i don't think it's actually true.

What you get out of practicing your A game on someone worse than you is practice drilling your A game.
 
I'm not sure what you mean. Narrow goal of drilling takedowns? Are you suggesting that practitioners should go for more submissions from standing or secure the position before they actually go to the ground? This is a serious question as I am befuddled.

As for accomplished wrestlers/judokas not developing their stand up game, this makes a lot of sense to me. While some of what they know has to be modified for the different ruleset, the biggest deficit in their games is probably their ground game and the guard in particular; I would think they would be eager to quickly engage in the area where they need the most improvement. Not to mention they're in a bjj class - you do as the romans do. For example, you don't gain a lot from playing your A game on someone who knows next to nothing.

On the flip side, it can be frustrating to work takedowns with bjj people. Many times if they feel outpositioned they will concede the takedown rather than fighting it.

in bjj you have a very wide toolkit of standing techniques: all the takedown techniques of wrestling and judo, plus all the submissions of bjj, PLUS the threat of a guard pull or leg entry at any moment. all these techniques chain very well together, so the more you wrestle the more openings for a sub, and the more you threaten the sub the more openings for wrestling.

a good example is the flying triangle: jumping attacks are unheard of in wrestling, yet in bjj literally any time your opponent has one arm up and one arm down you can jump for a triangle and finish the match. so, if a bjj guy can implement even rudimentary wrestling, say by getting an overhook with wrist control on the far arm, then the flying triangle will be wide open.
 
in bjj you have a very wide toolkit of standing techniques: all the takedown techniques of wrestling and judo, plus all the submissions of bjj, PLUS the threat of a guard pull or leg entry at any moment. all these techniques chain very well together, so the more you wrestle the more openings for a sub, and the more you threaten the sub the more openings for wrestling.

a good example is the flying triangle: jumping attacks are unheard of in wrestling, yet in bjj literally any time your opponent has one arm up and one arm down you can jump for a triangle and finish the match. so, if a bjj guy can implement even rudimentary wrestling, say by getting an overhook with wrist control on the far arm, then the flying triangle will be wide open.

Oh I see. I thought you were suggesting some kind of non-takedown based submission game from standing that didn't involve flying submissions - stuff like standing ezekiels.

You're just saying that the rule set is relatively unrestricted in that you are free to practice wrestling, judo, and submission techniques.

In that case yes, I agree.
 
A lot of people say this, but i don't think it's actually true.

What you get out of practicing your A game on someone worse than you is practice drilling your A game.

I respectfully disagree. I generally find that my timing gets worse when I practice my best techniques on people who know relatively little about my strongest skills.

I think it is incredibly useful, however, to treat it like active drilling and use your B, C, and D game, with the level of game matching the level of resistance a partner can put up.

We may be talking about the same thing though with just minor hangups on the semantics. Furthermore, maybe my opinion will change as time passes.
 
Oh I see. I thought you were suggesting some kind of non-takedown based submission game from standing that didn't involve flying submissions - stuff like standing ezekiels.

You're just saying that the rule set is relatively unrestricted in that you are free to practice wrestling, judo, and submission techniques.

In that case yes, I agree.

it's the ruleset, but there's also a strategic advantage because the bjj player can flow the standup exchanges into a meta that supercedes that of the wrestler or judoka. in other words, the bjj player can wrestle into a takedown or into a sub or into a guard pull, while the wrestler just has the first goal. a further advantage is that the bjj guy is not as concerned if he does get taken down, especially if it's on his own terms, because he always has that "sub, sweep, or get up" firewall in his back pocket.

the problem is that most bjj guys just do not get this. they see the standup as "learn a few takedowns i'll never be good at anyways, and maybe a low percentage submission i can hit on blue belts."
 
it's the ruleset, but there's also a strategic advantage because the bjj player can flow the standup exchanges into a meta that supercedes that of the wrestler or judoka. in other words, the bjj player can wrestle into a takedown or into a sub or into a guard pull, while the wrestler just has the first goal. a further advantage is that the bjj guy is not as concerned if he does get taken down, especially if it's on his own terms, because he always has that "sub, sweep, or get up" firewall in his back pocket.

the problem is that most bjj guys just do not get this. they see the standup as "learn a few takedowns i'll never be good at anyways, and maybe a low percentage submission i can hit on blue belts."
Agree completely, its why I teach the bjj guys I've worked with underhooks, you can pull half guard/wrestling into a single really easily
 
Yes, we train takedowns every class for 1 hour, thank god for that! After that we even do a couple of 1 minute "randori" rounds (start standing and continue on the ground) with 2 guys in the middle where we use the IBJJF point system. We do this for both gi and nogi. The guy that wins the round stays in the middle so if you're doing well you will be shark-tanked. I can personally attest that this is the most exhausting thing I have ever done because most people go as hard as they can for 1 minute and if you have been there for a few rounds it far surpasses your common competition match exhaustion.

1 hour of takedowns might seem a lot but our classes are close to 3 hours (we only run 1 class per day in the evening so that's why), so it's 15 mins warmup, 1 hour takedown drills + randori, 1 hour ground drills, rest is rolling from the knees until the end of the class.

It's draining as hell, especially after a couple of days in a row, but you get used to it after a while. For anyone wondering, this is in an Eastern bloc country where porrada every day is the name of the game.
 
I respectfully disagree. I generally find that my timing gets worse when I practice my best techniques on people who know relatively little about my strongest skills.

I think it is incredibly useful, however, to treat it like active drilling and use your B, C, and D game, with the level of game matching the level of resistance a partner can put up.

We may be talking about the same thing though with just minor hangups on the semantics. Furthermore, maybe my opinion will change as time passes.


The CNS is a miser that won't spend resources on something it is not regularly demanded to do so.

If you took Gui Mendes from an alternate universe and had Gui Mendes show him how to do a knee slide, he wouldn't be able to do a knee slide like Gui Mendes.

If you want to be good at your plan A, you need to regularly practice your plan A.

If you want to regularly practice your plan A in a live situation, it needs to be against someone who can't easily impose their plan A on you.
 
Yep, at least 2hrs a week, if not more.

Source: stand up coach for bjj club. I teach gi/no gi judo and I don't have to worry about stupid IJF rules, either. Singles, doubles, ankle picks and fireman's right along side harais and deashis. More and more rolls start in standing now, too.

 
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Is Sumo effective against a good wrestler?

In a sumo match it certainly is!
To actually answer the question, I can't say I know for sure. I don't think I've gotten the opportunity to train with a lot of high level wrestlers since I started sumo. I'd probably try to use more Judo-style throwing techniques against them (and like wise, against Judoka, I try to use more wrestling style techniques). Sumo has kimarite which span both of these, so it's really just trying to match up your strong suit with your opponents weaknesses.


With a Gi I assume that Sumo will be more effective because they could grab the belt which I notice they do all the time.

The Mawashi/Belt grip (newcomers usually just tie a BJJ belt around their waist) provides a ton of control, but even in a no-belt situation there are plenty of beltless throws.

Have you ever pulled a sumo technique on a bjj match?

There's a throw in sumo called Sukuinage (I use the free-hand on the back of the head variant) that works very well against bent over opponents, which I've applied with some success. The aggressive tachiai of sumo translates well to initiating a clinch, because unless they know it's coming it can be pretty surprising to have someone aggressively take the body lock (which is either going to lead to a suplex or a body drop). Sumo also has its own version of ankle picks, singles, etc. What I like about Sumo is the rule that nothing other than the bottoms of your feet can touch the ground; it leads to a lot of low risk takedowns.
 
Got any good resources on sumo techniques?

I'll be honest, there aren't a ton; there's a mindset in sumo that you find your techniques "in battle", which means during the hour plus of sparring you do. I've found this to be totally antithetical to the BJJ approach of training your techniques, and trying to apply them in sparring. The best approach is probably somewhere in the middle.

With that said, I think Sumo for MMA and Sumo Skills: An instructional guide for competitive sumo are the best resources for the mechanics of how to actually perform the techniques. I've used those to learn how to throw and the throw mechanics. You'll find most sumo throws fall into one of two categories; you're being pushed (or pulling your opponent), or you're being pulled (or pushing your opponent). It creates a really nice roadmap for stand up that is pretty easy to follow, and like I said previously, they're all fairly low risk takedowns.
 
Source: stand up coach for bjj club. I teach gi/no gi judo

Man, I hate no-gi judo stuff some much. In my unpleasant experiences the judo guys always stuff that lands you in insane trouble if it doesn't work and they can do it without gi grips only because they do it on people with zero wrestling and they have spends loads of time on it.
 
Agree completely, its why I teach the bjj guys I've worked with underhooks, you can pull half guard/wrestling into a single really easily

I love the seatbelt as BJJ guy, as I can pull into a super good half guard from there.
I'm surprised that more wrestlers don't play a lucas leite style half guard.
 
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