BJJ Defence Fundamentals

The Importance of Defence

Have you ever found yourself caught in a bad position and have no idea what it is or how you ended up there?  Sometimes we just have to accept fate!  We let the position go too far or we simply have no answer in our arsenal to the attack or movement.  In some cases we know what is coming and react incorrectly or too late and there is just no way out.  Your opponent made a better move on the mats/chess board and they earned it!  A good response is to commend your training partner and ask, "What was that?, please show me!"

Sometimes when rolling with high level belts, it is evident that they are playing defence and using the time for practice.  They allow you to get into a dominant position for you to only see it slip away!  In particular, when rolling with a black belt, you would think they could read a book while we are giving  everything we have to try and advance an inch.  They have developed the defensive skillset with extensive training over time that allow them to avoid or escape bad positions and strike on any openings they see.   

How much emphasis do you give defence?  How frequently are you drilling escapes and submission defense?  How often do you work on positional sparring with emphasis on getting out of bad positions against an actively resisting training partner?  When you learn a new attack, do you typically learn a defence to counter the move?  Nova Scotian BJJ Black Belt, Josh Presley consistently demonstrates a defence to the leg lock attack they are teaching during the class. 

Have you ever heard of the defense paradox?  The paradox is that effective offense is built on effective defense.  Defence and offence are equally important.  You need to know the fundamentals to the attack in order to understand the mechanics of countering or escaping the movement.  

If you recognize that your opponent is about to execute an offensive movement or attack, you can start mapping out the counter that you have drilled repeatedly. 

As with the guard,  you should at least know the basics to passing as much as playing the guard.  Defence is a crucial aspect to be successful in BJJ whether for leisure or sport.  If you look at other sports like hockey, football or basketball, defence and offence work collectively to achieve the overall goal.  Although in BJJ we face our opponent solo, our training or progress is only possible due to our teammates and coaches.  The fact we need others to improve and progress could be used to categorize the art as a team sport which also has to focus on both offence and defence.

As you progress to equal or higher skill level opponents, defence will be a necessity.  High skill level opponents will capitilize on any opening you give.  As a white belt,  we get swept and submitted repeatedly going for passes as we unknowingly leave openings in our game for attack.   

This white belt scenario can be used to subtsantiate the saying., "your offence is only as good as your defence."

"Athletes whose game has an offensive bias do well at lower levels when their offense overwhelms opponents, but struggle as they rise and have to match better opponents where they are attacked as much as they attack.

Stay balanced in your training time between defense and offense."

- John Danaher -

How Can We Improve our Defence?

- Defensive Training and Practice (Always learn the escape or counter to an offensive movement) -

- Learn from your mistakes (ask and learn from your teammates regardless of their belt level) -

-  Start a roll in a bad position (Mix it up, just ask your training partner) -

Advantages to Good Defence

- Can be used as a strategy to fatigue your  opponent - 

- Builds confidence which in turn allows you to be more aggressive -

 - You get comfortable being uncomfortable; therefore, no panic or waste of energy once in a bad position -

- Makes it easier to transition back into offensive cycle -

Defence to Win a Match!

For overtime with the EBI (Eddie Bravo Invitational),  each opponent has the opportunity to select from one of the following dominant positions to start the round:

1. Back control with a seatbelt grip (grip must be in the middle of the opponent’s chest). 

2. Armbar (Spider Web) with one arm fully threaded in and holding the armbar, and the other hand on the mat.

Although a submission may seem like the obvious path to victory, the fastest submission may come down to the decisive factor for victory!

For rule sets in tournaments focused on submission only, having a great defensive skillset or an abundance of escapes in your repertoire could be the key to success. 

Conclusion

In general, defence is a necessity in your development or journey in BJJ.  As you keep training and developing this part of your game,  you will achieve the following benefits: increased opportunities for your favourite attacks; longer rolls/matches; enhanced confidence versus higher level opponents; better breathing control; and reduced probability of injury.

Bad Position Drill DEMO

Back Mount Position

Spider Web Position

Filmed @ Presley BJJ