But, by the end I felt like I was so much calmer from that position, and not only that, when I was rolling against other whitebelts I was able to sweep, pass and submit multiple times.
The other day I purchased a BJJ fundamentals flow chart that’s like a PDF with linked videos. Anyway it basically builds from the ‘worst’ positions up to the most dominant ones.
Each position had some key defensive or offensive principles and then like a flow chart it has options, and what to do when they fail etc.
To me it makes so much sense, so I’m intentionally starting in the most uncomfortable positions so that eventually my attacks will BEGIN from those spots.
It’ll take a long time and it’ll suck for a while but I think for me, being defensively rock solid will mean I can just open up my attacking game and not care about being swept because that’s my starting position
Big fan of this approach and wish more people would take it in grappling. There is SO much ego in grappling and people want to “win” rolls rather than use them as an opportunity to improve. Coming from a wrestling background, I’d pull guard right away and work from there, because I was SUPER uncomfortable on my back, whereas scrambling for position was something I was good at and had no reason to focus on.
We get dangerous by forcing ourselves into bad situations and overcoming them. You are already dangerous, and becoming even moreso.
Strength 3 rounds
5 burpee tuck jump
Pause deadlifts 10x135kg, 8x155kg, 5x180kg
20m single arm farmers carry W KB
1 min plank
Assistance
10 min emom
3 beltless squat 120kg
Rest of minute plank
Mindset
Emom deadlift in multiples of 2 W 90kg
Eg
Min 1 = 2
Min 2 = 4
Min 3 = 6 etc
Completed round 10 = 20 reps
My ribs HATED this and the pause deadlifts
I think next time I can for sure go over round 10
STRENGTH
5 burpee tuck jump
Box squat 15x110kg, 10x130kg, 12x155kg
10 reverse lunge
30 sec long lever plank
TECHNIQUE 5 rds
5 deadstop deadlifts W 160kg
5 single leg bw glute bridge
30 second dish hold
ASSISTANCE 10 mins same barbell
30 sec deadlift row
30 sec rdl
30 sec Sumo deadlift
30 sec rest
Ribs are still uncomfortable but I wouldn’t say painful anymore
While I REALLY wanted to shoot for 20 reps on box squats today I am also mindful of not prolonging this rib, because I’d very much like to get back to BJJ as quickly as possible
Gordon Ryan has highlighted this as key to his (and the DDS) approach to training. It is a real thing that many of the best grapplers rarely find themselves in bad positions in training and struggle mightily when a superior grappler - or even just a superior interaction - puts them there.
In my imaginary bjj school, all the sparring we would do in class would be either positional (first takedown or guard/pass guard) or escape-based (mount, back, north-south, side, knee on belly). It’s my favorite way to train because it is so much easier to focus on what matters.
I’ve also found, when I did teach for a few years, that students tend to have more productive open mats if they’ve been doing positional or escape based training in the previous class.
