Lack of Standing Skills has a D1 Wrestler in DISBELIEF

“It’s like they’ve never trained in a standing position in their life”

I had to laugh… This was our new wrestling coach after leading his first wrestling class at the school.

“I know dude… It’s crazy… I keep thinking we need to emphasize even MORE takedown training (we already do!) but have to remind myself that this is a ‘jiu-jitsu school’ and not a judo or wrestling school.”

I reflect on this often. From a self-defense perspective, I whole-heartedly agree with the idea that takedowns are probably the most important component to self-defense in jiu-jitsu… After all, the purpose of jiu-jitsu is to get someone to the ground and fight from there.

And unfortunately, to add fuel to the fire, the rules of jiu-jitsu as a sport make it advantageous for players to pull guard.

So it goes that most jiu-jitsu schools have practitioners who are pretty proficient sitting on their asses but not on their feet. It’s a travesty.

In today’s videos, I want to take about one of the most important principles in standing and that’s the idea of engagement.

What our wrestling coach picked up immediately was the following:

1. Most people don’t know how to move (basic footwork)

2. Most people don’t know how to establish contact or defend contact

3. Most people don’t understand posture (how to face a person)

Some of these are also in line with one of my students, a black belt who’s also a decorated judoka. He also noticed that most people have trouble with standing primarily because they don’t know how to fall but also:

1. Not knowing how to maintain balance

2. Not knowing how to off-balance.

So it goes, the laundry list of issues that jiu-jitsu practitioners have to overcome in order to become more proficient in the standing position.

With that said, today I’m going to go over some really important engagement principles that you’ll need to use to move better on your feet and become more proficient with your attacks.

Here’s what’s in store:

1. How to “face” your opponent and what you need to be protecting (We’re not fighting…)

2. What you need to look for regarding dominant grips and what you need to do IMMEDIATELY after making grips

3. The first most important position you need to look for: The “T position”

4. The other most important position: Back Exposure

5. Approaching at angles and not straight ahead

6. And more!

Alright, ready to dive in? Let’s get that standing game better!