“That guy is strong” is one of the worst insults you can give someone in BJJ. I hear it all the time. Usually it’s new guys saying that about someone more experienced than themselves. The between the lines meaning is that ” I could have beat him if he wasn’t way stronger than me.” Or that “he uses strength instead of good technique.” I’ve seen a lot of cases where this is true. When a guy is strong it’s hard for him to not use that.
In BJJ though we want guys to learn good basics of posture, leverage, and pressure and not to over rely on strength. The problem with relying on strength over good technique is that strength won’t help you when you grapple someone else stronger than you. In other words if you rely on attributes then you will always be beat when you experience superior attributes.
Many times though when someone calls another guy strong they aren’t quite right. The guy may be strong but is not using strength. Someone with good frames and leverage principles can feel extremely strong. If you have limited experience in BJJ that proper leverage and frames can feel just like muscle strength. With a bit of experience though it’s easy to tell the difference. If the guy is red faced, groaning or straining, breathing hard, moving in jerky motions- then he’s using strength. If his movements are smooth and decisive. If he looks calm and relaxed, then he’s probably using good BJJ.
The ratio we are trying to achieve is somewhere around 80% posture and 20% strength. That means the posture, frames, and angles do most of the work. The pressure needed to execute the technique is minimal. If you find yourself having to use a lot of strength in a technique then it always means that your posture is poor. You’ve reversed the ratio. Strong guys can do that and get away with it because they have a lot of strength to use. They get tired quick though!
This is one of the reasons why smaller guys often pick up BJJ faster than strong and fast guys. They don’t have superior attributes to work with so they have to rely on good Ju Jitsu principles.
Nice post. I’ve had people remark before that i am strong, though i dont consider myself stronger than anyone else on the mat. Perhaps i need to rethink how i roll at certain times…
This is true of most, if not all martial arts. I notice the same thing in my FMA training when people are trying to pull disarms, locks, and throws. When someone’s technique is not as good as they think it is, they blame it on a lack of strength. As I am bigger and stronger than most of my fellow students I see this quite often.
Strength will always be an equalizer if you have two people of similar skill and tactics but too many people use it as a crutch. I have had judoka who are half of my weight and size throw me like it was nothing. Why? Because they are skilled as hell and I suck. The same thing can be said again in my FMA training. I have had small people who can disarm and lock me up easily. Again, I suck and they are really good.
Sort of a common theme here.
Great article!
Thank you!
I get both the strong comments and how much do you weigh.
But when I tap to lighter guys or those not as “strong” I don’t get questions or comments.
Oh the “How much do you weigh” comment. I like that one. Perfect way to take a guys tap away from him.
I get the “how much do you weigh” often enough to develop an eating complex. Really…do I look too fat in this gi?
I’ve given and both received this comment as well. This is a great article I try to come to whenever I feel as if I’m getting mauled.
I’ve given and both received this comment as well. This is a great article I try to come to whenever I feel as if I’m getting mauled or if someone feels I’m mauling them.