End of the year, you know what that means… Resolutions. Nothing wrong with that. People like to have something to look forward to, something to motivate them and help drive them; and quite frankly something to celebrate! I’ve kind of fallen off of the resolutions boat. I don’t really do anything differently. I make my tournament list from January until May, perhaps adding 1 or 2 along the way. Other than that, I kind of feel like if my butt isn’t motivated by now… when will it be?!? I do like being around people who do make resolutions however, their excitement is catching and spirit commendable. The gyms will be extra full, the newbies will be excited to try something new and so I thought it would be fun to compile a list of basic techniques & positions:
* Full Mount: you’re astride your opponent, reducing their ability to move using weight/pressure and hip/foot placement.
* Closed Guard: A position on your back in which your opponent is between your legs facing you & your feet are locked behind them.
* Side Control:Keeping a dominant position from the opponent’s side.
* Attacking the back: Behind the opponent, your chest to their back; legs & arms in proper position to maintain control.
^ Arm Bar: joint lock of the elbow
^ Triangle: trapping the opponent’s neck & 1 arm within your legs which are set into a figure 4 ( or triangle formation) locking them together, choking the opponent
^ Cross Choke: a choke using the collar of the lapel in which a cross-grip is used, each hand on the opposite side of the opponents neck
^ Kimura: isolating the wrist and forearm of your opponent in order to then twist the arm and apply pressure to the shoulder.
^ Rear Naked Choke: feeding the attacking arm in front of and around your opponent’s neck & grasping your own bicep on the other arm (which is near the opponent’s head)
The basics are the building blocks to your entire jiu-jitsu game. Focus on them, make them right & tight and you will become unstoppable. No-one fears a showboat that has a 10% arm bar finish rate but constantly goes for that toe hold (on your ankle?! ha!)… In other words, solidify the building blocks before jumping into more complicated techniques. Trust your teammates and Professor. Enjoy the journey for what it is and don’t try to hurry it along.
