My first instructor was a Brazilian with a booming voice that would cut right through all of the noise on the mat. “No, don’t give your back!!” he would yell.
Many instructors will closely observe the students roll and offer…er…”constructive criticism” and advice. Coaching during a roll can help students recognize a situation and recall what they should be doing in a given situation.
Here are the things I hear yelled out most often on the mats in our gym:
“Move Your Hips!”
Instead of lying flat on your back under side control, let’s see you escape those hips and reposition the guard!
“Don’t Stay There!”
Typically the student has wisely turtled to avoid conceding the guard pass, but he will stay turtled in a false sense of safety. Don’t hang out there; regain your guard or look to improve your position.
“Don’t Give Your Back!”
This is most common among beginners. They will turn away form the opponent and give the back when attempting to escape a bottom position. Rule #1 in BJJ: Do not give your back!
“Posture! Posture!”
While passing the guard, it is tempting to put the head down and rest. The head goes down, the butt is high in the air, and a triangle attack or sweep is coming soon.
Keep you posture!
“Take Your Time. Control The Position First!”
I talked about this in my article, Buck Fever : Why You Are Missing Submissions! As soon as students pass the guard, they immediately start lunging for a submission and squander their position.
Chill out!
“Control The Head!”
This is part B of the above situation. Your opponent is trying to wisely get onto his side to regain guard after your pass. Get a cross face and flatten him out!
“Two On One! Protect Your Neck!”
Your back has been taken because you didn’t listen to the rule about not giving your back. Now you lower your hands to start fishing for the hooks of your opponent to get free. But you have forgotten about your neck. Now you are in danger of being choked at any moment.
If someone gets your back, make sure to protect your neck.
“Break The Grip!”
You are trying to pass the guard and your opponent is making life hell for you with a deep collar grip or sleeve control. Before trying to continue your pass, you need to break those troublesome grips.
What are the most common things that your coach shouts at you during rolling?
Read also on Jiu-jitsu Times: When To Start Rolling?
