Intermediate Bjj: Building Submission Combinations

March 30, 2016

In the first year of learning Brazilian jiu-jitsu, most new students concentrate on:
1) Accumulating new moves to add to their jiu-jitsu game
2) Learning the correct mechanics of their techniques (EX. “How do I grip the collar?“)

Most of your early success in submitting your training partners comes from the correct selection of your techniques and – partly – your opponent not knowing that they are in a dangerous position and exposing themselves to the submission.
Or sometimes, with very new students – they have NO idea of what that submission they tapped to was!

That doesn’t last forever as your training partners rapidly learn to identify the submission attacks early and prepare a proper defence.
Your submission success rate suddenly dries up.

This is when you must start to use more intermediate jiu-jitsu submission strategies.

Attacking in combinations.

Fortunately for bjj students, there are many classic submission combinations already developed where the basic submissions that you already know combine with a secondary attack.
By defending or countering your primary attack, your opponent opens themselves to the secondary attack – and vice versa!

Here are 2 classic submission combinations that you can get started with.

1) Roger Gracie combination armbar from cross collar choke setup
This is as basic (and effective!) as it gets.
This can be BOTH your first combination AND an attack that Roger Gracie used at the World Championship level.
This combination is the essence of attacking submissions in combination.
Apply the same principle all over your jiu-jitsu.

2) Shawn Williams combination / counter to Hitchhiker arm bar escape
You attack with your armlock from the mount but your opponent counters with an excellent “Hitchhiker escape”.
Watch how Williams adjusts and greets his opponent with an omoplata in a submission chain attack.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire!