Is Wrestling Influencing Jiu Jitsu?

Posted on by zhulett

To be a high-level MMA competitor, you have to have some grappling skills. Period. If you can’t defend basic takedowns and submission attempts, you will not consistently win at the elite level. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu used to rule the ground at most of the major MMA events, but I’ve noticed in recent years that wrestlers with very little BJJ experience are dominating fights, even against savvy BJJ competitors. With wrestling obviously influencing high-level MMA, I was curious what influences wrestling was having at high-level grappling competitions, so I reached out my old coach, Roli Delgado to get his thoughts.

Roli is a veteran UFC and Bellator fighter, and medalist at BJJ Pans and Worlds Masters divisions, and active coach at Westside MMA in Little Rock, Arkansas. He’s a leglock specialist that has had one of the best straight anklelock games in the world since before people were going crazy for leglocks. What I’m trying to say is that he’s plugged into the fighting community and his tactical mind notices the trends before most other people do.

I thought his take on wrestling vs. Jiu Jitsu was incredibly interesting, so I wanted to share it with everyone. Let me know what you think!

Roli Delgado: Wrestling Vs Jiu Jitsu

The historically recent surge of Jiu Jitsu’s bottom based game compared to the greater history of the grappling arts, in general, is like the comparison of how old the earth is compared to how long we as humans have been on it. It’s pretty insignificant.

A bottom-position focused game has flourished in this part of the world in that short time because of a combination of reasons. Judo almost completely focused on takedowns. Catch wrestling was consumed by entertainment pro-wrestling. Russian Sambo was geographically so far isolated from everyone else. This created a vacuum in the grappling arts where you could get away with not having good takedowns and fighting from a bottom position became easier.

To say wrestling is influencing BJJ is also a bit historically short-minded in my opinion. What a BJJ player sees as a half guard a wrestler may see a Turk (pinning position). Wrestling in a lot of ways is more about control than BJJ.

I consider myself a grappling coach [as opposed to just a Jiu Jitsu coach], I primarily compete in BJJ however I teach wrestling and Sambo in addition to the amazing BJJ I learn from GFTeam. In no way does this take away from what BJJ has accomplished. BJJ is young, but evolving. It is the melting pot art where we can see so many influences from other combat arts. As new skills are rolled into the BJJ universe, a truth is starting to surface.

The top position is the dominant position.

What we’re seeing now is a return to what to me is a universal rule–the guy on top is winning. Of course, there are outliers, specialty positions, and unique body types. In general, however, when two equal competitors meet, a wrestling match breaks out, and this favors the top position.

Aside from that all-encompassing and broad stroke opinion/observation, another reason wrestling is the glue that should hold grappling together is that so many reversals or sweeps aren’t perfect. You sweep 40% and finish with 60 percent wrestling! How often do you see good young grappler’s wait for the perfect sweep only to be outworked by the wrestling-minded opponent? It happens all the time.

Wrestling is not only refined so much more than other arts, but it’s also a mentality that has its own fundamentals that are different from BJJ. I had the rare opportunity to spend considerable amounts of time with the Late Billy Robinson and it was amazing to see his take on grappling philosophy compared to Jiu Jitsu specialists.

Of course, the competition rules are what shape the style, so we can look to MMA to see that wrestling is the #1 factor for consistent control on the ground. Most wrestlers with defensive submission skills can still maintain top position while not getting subbed.

Student of BJJ – Final Thoughts

While the topic of grappling influences on each other through the ages could be discussed for days and days, I thought this was a nice snapshot summary of Jiu Jitsu. As guard passing and leglocks become more refined, I tend to agree that the advantages of top position will begin to assert themselves more and more. What do you think? Leave a comment below!

And thanks, Roli, for always taking the time to discuss Jiu Jitsu with me.

If this is your first time visiting the site, don’t forget to check out our free compilation of resources at our Submissions and Positions pages.

This site is free from advertisements because of the generosity and loyalty of fans like you! You can support the site by visiting our Store (free shipping using this link!) or just by simply sharing with your friends 🙂 )

#SHEspect – Women of Jiu Jitsu

Posted on by zhulett

Before we begin…

Through this site and social media pages (Instagram and Facebook), I’ve been able to come in contact with some truly inspiring women in Jiu Jitsu. One such woman, Jody Morgan, has made it her mission to help get women out of abusive situations through the power of Jiu Jitsu. She agreed to share her story on my blog. I’m honored to help spread her message! With no further ado, I’ll turn it over to Jody!

Women of Jiu Jitsu – Jody Morgan

Statistically, the most dangerous place for a woman is in her own home.

Let that sink in a moment.

Over 1 in 3 women have experienced some type of violence or rape….by an intimate partner….someone  they once trusted…Someone they once or still love. This means that one-third of women that walk through the gym doors has had a violent past and will have triggers that they will have to overcome in order to train Jiu Jitsu.

Everyone is nervous on their first day of jiu jitsu, but for women, it’s especially terrifying. One of every three women that walk through the gym doors has had a violent past that they will have to overcome in order to take that first step on the mat. Watching from the sidelines doesn’t help. Witnessing a demonstration of a Full Mount or Closed Guard position isn’t inviting. Listening to the weird names of the moves is confusing. And what’s worse is that it LOOKS a lot easier than it really is.

Why Jiu Jitsu?

I started jiu jitsu because my entire family was involved in the MMA scene, and secretly I just wanted to know what a “Shrimp” was. (Seriously who comes up with these names?) I wanted to watch a UFC fight and recognize the submission that the fighters were attempting. I wanted to stand on the sidelines of my 8-year-old’s jiu jitsu tournaments and know how to help him obtain a victory. (because you know momma’s have way louder voices than dad’s and coaches LOL)

What I really needed was a “Jiu Jitsu for Dummies” Crash Course. I asked my Pro MMA Husband to give me privates and he refused. He was willing to coach me in striking, but if I wanted to learn jiu jitsu I needed to come to class and learn from his professor.

Demonstrating Jiu JItsu Techniques

I literally had anxiety attacks for the first 3 months every single time I came to class, even though I had a huge advantage over most other newbies. I knew everyone at the gym by name and my husband and older kids attended the same class as me. Plus, I was lucky enough to start at the same time as another woman so we became drill partners and fast friends.  (Both of us have stuck with BJJ for two years now. It is a given that if one of us gets promoted the other is about to get her name called as well! She is definitely a key to my success) STILL, I got so nervous that I almost medicated before class. I refused to live roll with anyone for months.

I’ve always been one to easily bruise, so you can imagine my boss’s reaction when I came to my office job in a sleeveless dress with 25 fingerprint bruises all over my arms. He was briefly concerned that my husband was being abusive. I laughed and set the record straight.

When I told the story later to my husband, it wasn’t as funny. It wasn’t as funny because all of a sudden I was 12 years old again and reliving an abusive childhood. All the emotions came flooding back as if it were yesterday. Constantly having to walk on eggshells in my own home in case he was in one of his moods, or hiding the truth from teachers and friends as to not draw attention and make the situation worse. Hiding at a neighbor’s house for days or weeks at a time to let him cool down.

My Bruises are from…

As fate would have it, I found a non-profit organization called “My Bruises are from…”. It is a Domestic Violence awareness campaign that designs shirts, rash guards, and spats, and in turn, donates the proceeds to the Domestic Abuse Shelter of your choice.  

I was instantly drawn to the idea of using jiu jitsu as a way to support other women. I was a newbie white belt who didn’t know anyone in the BJJ community. With permission of the gym owner and the support of my professor, we organized an Open Mat for Women Only.  We made it open to the public. The price of admission was an item from our local Domestic Abuse Shelter’s wish list. The response was overwhelming!

I imagined it was going to be other women in the surrounding area who would come out and enjoy another woman to roll with. But instead, it was the women who watched on the sidelines that showed up. They secretly wanted to try BJJ, but not with some huge sweaty guy. We had women of all ages and walks of life join us. The majority of women were moms, so I named it “Momma’s on the Mat”. They get what I wished I had when I started…..a Jiu Jitsu 101 class and another woman to drill with.

What do we do?

  • We go over the importance of wearing our bruises with pride while we stand in the gap for those who hide their bruises.
  • I educate them on the resources available to those who may be in need and we always take a group picture. We take the picture blast it all over social media for the simple fact that if one of our acquaintances is in trouble and they are READY to leave they will come to those pictured.
  • I arm them with tiny tri-folds that lay out a “Safety Plan” so they can give them out discreetly or boldly [Click HERE for a downloadable PDF so you can print your own].
  • We practice the most useful basic moves of jiu jitsu and we have a blast.
  • I don’t claim that I teach them how to defend themselves in a live attack but I did give them their first step.

Here’s the thing…

Real life self-defense cannot be attained in a weekend seminar. You need to attend classes regularly. You need to drill moves until they become muscle memory. It involves live rolling with 200+lb men who are trying to submit you as much as you are trying to defend the submission. You need to FEEL somebody’s full weight on your chest and learn to keep breathing and keep THINKING. You have to train in order to overcome that paralyzing fear.

I don’t claim that I saved anyone’s life by holding a quarterly open mat. I just help them take that first step on the mat. And that makes my heart happy.

—

Closing Thoughts (Student of BJJ)

I want to personally thank Jody for taking the time to share her story amidst her obviously busy schedule of empowering women through Jiu Jitsu. Problems like Domestic Violence only get better through awareness and action. It takes a courageous soul to step up and be the change they want to see in the world.

If you’re curious about #SHEspect

Student of BJJ started the movement as a way to support and show respect the female grappling community. It’s our way of helping to welcome females into BJJ and let them know we stand behind them. You can find #SHEspect apparel/stickers HERE. The profits go towards supporting this site, keeping it both free and free of ads. You can purchase “My bruises are from…” apparel HERE, and the profits will all go to Domestic Abuse shelters and other support organizations.

#SHEspect Logo

Lastly, If you’re looking for a Jiu Jitsu “crash course”, I’ve compiled a BJJ Glossary to help you learn the lingo. My Positions and Submissions pages are full of free resources that can help you quickly understand the important concepts so that you can progress faster through the ranks.

Train hard, my friends. To all my female grapplers, Student of BJJ has the utmost SHEspect for you.

Student of BJJ Sponsored Athlete: Sidney Pruitt

Posted on by zhulett
Sidney Pruitt in championship belt

Student of BJJ is so proud to sponsor another amazing athlete with yet another amazing story! I want everybody to meet Sidney Pruitt, AKA “Sid Vicious”! This young lady is only 15, but has earned her nickname many times over on the mats. I asked her to tell me a little about herself for this blog, and she somehow found time to draft her inspiring story in the milliseconds of free time she has between training and studying. Share this post and help me welcome Sidney!

 

Continue reading Student of BJJ Sponsored Athlete: Sidney Pruitt

Xavier Marrero – Student of BJJ’s First Sponsored Athlete

Posted on by zhulett
Xavier Marrero

Hey Students,

I am so excited about this next post for a couple of reasons! First, I just love hearing the stories of people that have had their lives changed for the better because of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and what is written below is a pretty powerful turnaround. Second, this post helps to mark the moment when two of my passions are finally converging–my apparel brand and my blog. As I mentioned in my last post, my attention has really been divided lately, but a chance interaction on Instagram has helped me bring everything into focus. So here comes the big news! Student of BJJ’s has its first ever sponsored athlete! I asked him if he would be willing to tell his story. Without further ado, allow me to introduce:

Xavier “Bam” Marrero – Student of BJJ’s First Sponsored Athlete

Xavier Marrero

It was December 2012, and I was freshly new to Florida. At that time, I needed to leave my original state of residence, Pennsylvania. At the time, I was in a very dark place. I was involved in gang activity, selling drugs, and doing the complete opposite of what a law-abiding citizen should be doing.

 

As I was driving one night coming home from work, I passed a Gracie Barra school. It was a relatively sizable gym, and it seemed like a neat place to look into.  Some odd amount of days later I decided to check out a class. I parked in the lot, nervous about not knowing what BJJ was, what the rule sets were, and if I had the discipline and focus that was needed to really live this lifestyle–the BJJ lifestyle.

 

I stepped onto the mat for the first time with Professor Igor Andrade– the man who cemented my love for this sport. He had me roll with one of his white belts, just to see where I was grappling-wise. I had Army Combative Training and knew every WWE move known to man, and 2 minutes into the round I submitted my now great friend GBK (Gracie Barra, Kissimmee) Jean Iglesias via triangle. I received much praise for this as it was my first class. I figured since I was being praised, heck why not take the praise and run with it? I did just that. I took my praise and ran with it… right into Professor Igor’s baseball bat choke.

 

Xavier Marrrero Blue Belt Promotion

Once I woke up, I had a whole new level of humbleness! I fell in love. I couldn’t get enough of the adrenaline, the technique, of everything that was BJJ! To see firsthand that background, color, religion, none of that mattered we were all one on that mat. We were a family. We were Gracie Barra, Kissimmee. I studied under Professor Igor for a little over a year and a half before I was forced back to PA due to family affairs. I picked my training back up at Next Level Martial Arts practicing Muay Thai until they linked with a sister school, 3rd Generation BJJ, based out of Lancaster, PA . I was under the instructions of then brown belt Erik Faust (Owner of BCBJJ 3rd Gen BJJ Affiliate). After training there for quite some time,  I finally received my Blue Belt in August 2015 from a newly promoted Black Belt Professor Erik Faust and his instructor Shane Moss.

 

My love for Jiu-Jitsu will remain eternal due to the people mentioned above, and also the BJJ family I have come to collect along the way in the competitions, the travel, the tournaments and the festivities we all link through the sport. I believe we are all fighting with the same one purpose–Unity through Art.

 

What Xavier didn’t mention…

Through several conversations that I’ve had with him, he’s said over and over that BJJ gave him his greatest gift–his family. This Gentle Art put him on the good path, and he is now a role model for his wife and two children. If he had never decided to step into the gym on that first day, he might have continued down that dark path and found himself in prison (or worse!). I believe he’s going to do great things and I’m honored to share his story on this little blog! You can check him out on YouTube here:  Bam!

You can show your love for Xavier and me by ordering his custom gear here: