How To Stay Safe And Effective Off Your Back In MMA

“Punch a black belt within the face; he turns into a brown belt. Punch him once more, purple…” These are the phrases of Carlson Gracie, one of many pioneers of blended martial arts. Enjoying guard in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA are two various things. Methods which might be extremely efficient in BJJ settings can get you in a world of hassle when strikes are in play.

Whereas the voice of your BJJ coach may be telling you ending up in your again is a golden alternative to showcase your abilities, you would possibly find yourself doubling as a punching bag if you happen to suppose guard play in MMA is all about submissions. It’s not; it’s all about survival.

This text will focus on learn how to keep away from getting overwhelmed with strikes and really get issues performed if you find yourself in your again throughout a blended martial arts contest or self-defense scenario.

Why You Can’t Simply Pull Guard In MMA

Chilling out in your again is like lounging round in a hammock in a BJJ dojo. You have got many choices, and the worst factor that may occur is your opponent goes for a leg lock or passes your guard. It’s the inspiration of BJJ, a preventing system developed to make what is usually a disadvantageous place a dominant one. You possibly can’t actually name your self a BJJ participant if you happen to don’t have a harmful guard.

There’s nothing incorrect with the guard per se, and old-school BJJ gamers had plenty of success in no-hold-barred fights in the course of the early days of MMA as a result of they skilled to defend in opposition to strikes. BJJ as a martial artwork was refined at Vale Tudo occasions in Brazil, with members of the Gracie household recurrently taking over all challengers in no-holds-barred settings.

Fashionable sport Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has misplaced a lot of its grittiness over time. At this time’s common BJJ pupil has restricted expertise defending in opposition to strikes, making them extremely susceptible to strikes within the guard and different backside positions. Even your effectiveness in high positions is affected by strikes.

The principles of contemporary MMA additionally disfavor preventing in your again. Takedowns and floor management rating factors in blended martial arts, that means you’re dropping if you happen to’re in your again. This is among the explanation why a submission-first strategy from the guard isn’t at all times splendid for blended martial arts.

BJJ Guard Vs. MMA Backside Recreation: A Aspect-By-Aspect Comparability

Let’s examine a number of the methods BJJ and MMA backside recreation differ:

1) Goal

BJJ: Submit or sweep your opponent. You rating factors for each, and a profitable submission try wins the competition.
MMA: Reduce floor and pound, create area, and get again to your toes. Solely elite BJJ gamers ought to spend a number of seconds attempting to safe submissions since most blended martial artists know learn how to defend in opposition to generally used submissions. In MMA, opponents get to make use of their technical data and strikes to defend in opposition to submissions, placing the common BJJ participant at a drawback.

2) Posture

BJJ: Usually extra relaxed as you hunt for grips. Making an attempt to create area whereas the particular person on high does the other.
MMA: Head off the canvas, able to evade strikes, with an elevated give attention to stopping your opponent from posturing up since that’s when strikes come raining down. Creating area turns into a high-risk, high-reward recreation.

3) Submissions

BJJ: Gis are comprised of sturdy supplies, making it a lot simpler to safe grips. There isn’t a actual threat when attempting to find submission apart from doubtlessly being reversed or swept and your opponent scoring factors. It’s the right place to go for fancy omoplatas which may go viral.
MMA: The whole lot is open right here, with guidelines that forbid grabbing any a part of your opponent’s gear, and most methods being targeted on pure talent and technique. Most submission makes an attempt are high-risk occasions. Go for a leg lock, and your opponent would possibly find yourself pounding and knocking you out. Assume that triangle choke is there? Nicely, that may be the chance your opponent must move your guard and land extra highly effective strikes. Or maybe your opponent is Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and he picks you up and slams you into oblivion.

Staying Protected: Your Survival Guidelines

Right here’s a survival guidelines for BJJ gamers planning to compete in blended martial arts or trying to learn to modify their Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coaching for actual fights:

1) Grasp Controlling Posture

Nothing retains you safer than controlling your opponent’s posture when strikes are flying. The closed guard shines right here, and it’s sufficient to get you again in your toes since MMA guidelines suggest referees rise up fighters on the bottom if there’s a stalemate.

Wrap your legs round your opponent’s torso (safe a physique lock in case your legs are lengthy sufficient) and wrap your palms round their torso as you place your face at their chest, pulling them towards you. It gained’t win you any new followers, however it would possibly power the referee to face up the combat in case your opponent can’t get away.

2) Drill The Hip Escape Relentlessly

Apply shrimping as in case your life depends upon it if you wish to be efficient off your again in MMA. Your guard will finally get handed, and also you wish to be good at reclaiming it. The guard remains to be the most secure bottom-ground place you will discover your self in a combat.

3) Develop A Nicely-Rounded Open Guard Recreation

A well-rounded open guard recreation offers you numerous methods to get again in your toes. That is if you open up your guard and place your toes in your opponent’s hips. Doing this lets you management their physique together with your legs.

Essentially the most simple get-up from right here is to easily push off on their hips as you make your manner again up.

Drill Like You’re Coaching For A Zombie Apocalypse

Enjoying guard when strikes are in play differs vastly from enjoying guard at a BJJ match. You usually don’t wish to spend an excessive amount of time in your again because you’re dropping the spherical even if you happen to go for submission. Submission makes an attempt solely rely in MMA once they come near ending the combat.

The perfect strategy for MMA is to look to get again up or sweep your opponent so you find yourself on high and begin scoring factors for floor management. That manner, you’ll be able to nonetheless win rounds even if you happen to don’t get a end. Bear in mind, in MMA, positioning and management can typically be simply as worthwhile as submissions or knockouts, so give attention to sustaining dominance all through the combat, and also you would possibly simply win the judges over!