Starting from the Knees & Gripfighting
BJJ folks shouldn’t start from their knees
But I do.
Here are a few personal thoughts:
Jiu-Jitsu is a game, sport, or whatever you want to call it
Point: I do this for fun.
Takedowns are scary.
Starting from your knees is helpful when you:
Don’t know how to do a takedown
Don’t know how to fall
Are in a room of 20 people, and there’s no room to fall safely
I understand that takedowns are a fundamental part of the 4-step jiu-jitsu success model, and there will be a point where I will feel confident about takedowns.
I also understand that we can start from more “advantageous” positions (e.g., positional sparring or one person standing and one person on the ground).
However, today, one of my gyms starts from the knees. I feel like I don’t have a game plan when I start on my knees.
So this is my version of attempting to do that. I think that starts with gripfighting.
“(The purpose of grip fighting is that you) need to move the periphery out of the way (e.g., hands or neck) so you can get to the center mass (e.g., shoulder or waist)”
General Concepts
Gripping will be the first activity you engage in in any match.
This is having your feet or hands connected to your opponent.
You want to grip with a purpose.
If you want to get into a particular position, you need to grip in a way that gets you there.
If your opponent’s grip stops you from doing what you want, break or match it.
Grip your opponent at an angle initially.
When you cut the angle, your shoulder line should be outside of your opponent’s shoulder line.
Gripping the fingers > wrist (harder to break)
Don’t try to reach in a way that exposes your arm (arm should touch his shoulder)
Upgrade after initial grips.
Try to do this before your opponent regrips.
Aim to have more grips on your opponent than they have on you.
e.g., 2-on-1 wrist grip, wrist & elbow grip, wrist and neck, etc.
When your opponent regrips you, you regrip, break the grip, and hinge their hand at their wrist!
Once you have the upgraded grips, move your opponent around and aim to get to the shoulder or hips.
Concepts to Apply Today & Free Resources
I’ll embed a few video strategies