Can you think of of learning one certain technique that significantly and positively changed your game?

You might scratch your head and search your Jiu-Jitsu mental notes for a move you learned that made such a big difference. You may come up empty, but it just might not be obvious.

Years ago when i was a blue belt, i had the chance to attend a seminar with a visiting black belt to our city. At that time in the early days of Jiu-Jitsu in North America, there was no resident black belt in any of the schools in our city. So it was a big deal!

My training partners and i were excited for the seminar expecting to learn some advanced submissions.

Prof. Ulpiano Malachias demonstrates the sit out from turtle bottom.

However, the instructor had something else in mind. The Brazilian black belt instructor instead showed a move that I had not seen before – a wrestling sit out (see the video) that allowed you to escape from the bottom of turtle and transition to your opponents back. I dutifully practiced the sit out move and wondered when we were going to get to the arm locks and chokes.

Time later proved that one move – that seemed unsatisfying at the time, made a HUGE difference in my game.

Why?

Because, as I’m certain many of the Gracie Barra readers can relate to, getting your guard passed and becoming trapped underneath side control was the most difficult part of rolling for me. Sure, i understood that i could to turtle, but without a sound strategy of what do from turtle bottom, i was afraid of giving up my back.

Now with the sit out escape from turtle bottom i suddenly found myself spending a whole lot less time pinned under side control. I wasn’t afraid to go to turtle because i had a plan to go to. And i was reversing the course if the match from defending to attack in a few seconds.

Now the game changing move for you might well be completely different. The important point to understand is that most of us have a few parts to our game that prove to be our Achilles heel. Over and over we lose position, get swept or submitted due to a gap in our game.

Sometimes a specific technique, the right tool for the job can prove to be a Jiu-Jitsu game changer.

What single technique was the biggest game changer in YOUR Jiu-Jitsu?

See also on Gracie Barra : Stop Getting Tapped Out!

Stop Getting Tapped Out!

Credits: Mark Mullen 

Gracie Barra Black belt based in Asia