Getting the basics right !

Most grapplers think basic techniques suck. That’s right. Everyone hates the basics because they know thm. They want something which gives them an ooh or an aaahhhh some wicked round the leg rolling drill which gets you thinking how does he do that? The crowd pleases flying triangles,flying armbars etc… and real crowd impressers but are they really that effective or easy to put on ? I would argue no..

We’ve all bought a DVDs with the very latest moves and step by step instructionals and while each of those flashy techniques are solid and work very well, 95 percent of the grapplers running around with those DVDs in their workout bags will NEVER be anything more than mediocre grapplers at best trying to master those fancy techniques. We need to re-think the nonsense that the basics are useless and couldn’t possibly help develop their grappling game.

Let’s say that you’ve mounted your opponent and I told you to apply the “paintbrush” submission hold. Most grapplers would probably throw a chair at me for wasting their time with such a “garbage” technique. But before you draw the same conclusion, ask yourself these questions to see if it might make you look at that “garbage” submission differently: 1. Are you entering with a high-percentage setup ? Are you applying the technique correctly? 2. Are you not wasting energy or losing position? 3. What’s your opponent’s thinking 4. What options does your opponent have? 5. What follow-up technique would you respond with to shut down your opponent’s counter move? If I’ve learned nothing , I’ve learned that champion grapplers understand that every technique is only as good as the setup that precedes it, along with the ability to finish or transition into the next high-percentage technique that follows the initial attack if it fails is essential as well. Unfortunately, I’ve also learned that mediocre grapplers are quick to label a technique as “useless” because they don’t understand that concept. Any grappler that can understand that concept will find that those “basic” techniques are far from “useless” while discovering a newfound respect and appreciation for them.