What is ''the basics''???

Technique shaming is something I see all the time here on sherdog and also at my gym.

People arguing that you should concentrate on the basics and never try the funky stuff.

But what I find annoying is that the basics vary from people to people. For some anything, outside of closed guard is funky sporty stuff for others it's just lapel play and berimbolo that should'nt even be in the sport.

I want to know what is good basic techniques for you and what should be avoided for being too funky.

I think there's a near-universal miseducation of fundamentals across the BJJ world. People tend to teach things backwards, showing "the move" first then letting the student identify the fundamental operation on his own (a process that can literally take years, even though it may take 20 mins to learn "the move"). For example, a scissor sweep is a "move" not a fundamental, what makes it work is the conjunction of three fundamentals: 1. controlling opponent's posture with a cross collar grip; 2. creating space with a knee shield; 3. sweeping fundamentals (redistributing opps weight, blocking posts)

Since beginners (and mid-belts also) are usually taught the move as a whole rather than mastering the fundamental mechanisms first, they tend to compensate with moves that feature an advanced-but-easy-to-learn fundamental that works if done with rough energy (i.e. a beginner's approximation of an advanced move). A good example is the Marcelotine: If you are not taught the guillotine in fundamental terms-- as a front headlock with your chest controlling opp's posture, tightening the front headlock by crunching your body-- then you will find that the only way you can get any guillotine finish is via an extreme Marcelotine (and often on panic taps from the windpipe pressure). But if you master the fundamental mechanism first, then you will find that you will actually be able to improvise your own finishes, whether it be with a high elbow, a ten finger grip, a loop choke, etc.
 
Last edited:
The foundation that everything is built on, stuff that is simple, and ready to go when you're under pressure and stress. It's crucial to focus on basics especially for beginners because when in competition or a stressful situation, you autopilot back to it. Techniques and gameplans with lots of moving parts is not good unless you've had extensive exp with it.

While its fine to learn fancier stuff, you need a foundation. Your home needs a base, not an overuse of fancy windows and doors but a base of fragile that it's crash from strong winds
 
Basics are really up to the instructor. Everyone has different ideas. But the fundamentals are the little details that allow a move to work. And those also vary.

I started as a 10th planet guy so that is my foundation. Lockdown path is my basics. But I learned a lot of fundamentals like pumellling for double underhooks from the bottom. It's a fundamental that helps in lots of situations. Rubber guard is my basics. The fundamentals I picked up were how to break and control posture. Twister side control is part of my foundation. I learned the importance of being able to ride your opponent's movement. So even though I don't practice knee on belly often, when I do use it, it feels natural because I learned the fundamentals of riding the bottom guy's movement.

.

one curious thing i often notice with 10th Planet guys is how relatively few of them seem to really demonstrate the fundamentals of the Eddie Bravo game. Everybody knows the moves, but you don't often see guys who can implement that slow clamping style that Bravo put on Royler in their Metamoris match. Seems like the fundamental that is most internalized by 10th Planet students is how to use lower body flexibility to exploit overhooks and escape bad spots. But I think the recent Danaher-ificiation of 10th Planet is largely because of this tendency of 10P students grasping the trickiness of Bravo's moves without the textbook clamping fundamentals that he learned from JJ Machado.
 
one curious thing i often notice with 10th Planet guys is how relatively few of them seem to really demonstrate the fundamentals of the Eddie Bravo game. Everybody knows the moves, but you don't often see guys who can implement that slow clamping style that Bravo put on Royler in their Metamoris match. Seems like the fundamental that is most internalized by 10th Planet students is how to use lower body flexibility to exploit overhooks and escape bad spots. But I think the recent Danaher-ificiation of 10th Planet is largely because of this tendency of 10P students grasping the trickiness of Bravo's moves without the textbook clamping fundamentals that he learned from JJ Machado.

There's old school 10th planet and new school. The new school really doesn't use Eddie's style. 10th planet is actually pretty open minded in terms of letting students find their own way. Right now the curriculum is based on high percentage moves and leg locks. But a lot of the guys who started 10th planet like 10 years ago have a heavy clinch based game. That's my preference as well. I like to keep everything tight.
 
There's old school 10th planet and new school. The new school really doesn't use Eddie's style. 10th planet is actually pretty open minded in terms of letting students find their own way. Right now the curriculum is based on high percentage moves and leg locks. But a lot of the guys who started 10th planet like 10 years ago have a heavy clinch based game. That's my preference as well. I like to keep everything tight.
I came to say this. Those guys are all about winning. They use moves that work plain and simple.

Also Eddie's game has been studied to death theres too much info to apply it effectively at the high level any more.

Edit: I'd also like to add that the meta changes and the effectiveness of your game ways upon the style you choose to employ. Marcelo style game was all the rage for a while, aoj came on the seen now it's leg lock city. Eddie's game was really created with mma in mind but because of the extreme leg flexibility involved it's hard for people to install if you are not focused on it
 
Last edited:
Back
Top