Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has evolved significantly over the past few years, with new techniques and strategies becoming popular as grapplers continue to push the boundaries of the art. To stay competitive in this ever-changing landscape, modernizing your game is essential. Gone are the days when simply mastering a few fundamental positions and submissions could carry you through most of your matches. Today’s BJJ athletes are dynamic, versatile, and always evolving. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced practitioner, adopting modern strategies can elevate your game. Here are five ideas to modernize your BJJ game and keep you ahead of the competition.
1) Learn Leg Locks
One of the most significant developments in modern BJJ is the rise of leg locks. Leg lock systems have become a vital part of competitive grappling, regardless of the ruleset. Leg locks, once considered taboo in many traditional schools, are now viewed as crucial for a well-rounded BJJ practitioner.
Learning to attack the lower body adds another layer to your grappling skills, allowing you to create new offensive opportunities. But it’s not just about attacking legs, you also need to understand leg lock defense. With so many athletes focusing on this aspect of the game, being able to escape or counter leg locks is just as important.
A great way to modernize your game is to drill different leg entanglement positions like the irimi ashi garami, outside ashi, 50/50, and saddle to attack and defend leg locks efficiently. Leg locks introduce new dilemmas for your opponents, forcing them to think twice about their movements and leaving openings for you to capitalize on.
2) Playing More Open Guard
Gone are the days when relying on the closed guard was sufficient in BJJ. While the closed guard remains a valuable tool, modern grapplers frequently utilize the open guard to create more dynamic attacks and transitions. The open guard offers a range of possibilities that, in the right hands, can be very difficult to stop.
One reason the open guard is so effective is the freedom it gives you to control distance and disrupt your opponent’s balance (Kuzushi). Open guard players can often frustrate their opponents by constantly adjusting grips, pushing and pulling with their feet, and creating unpredictable angles.
To modernize your BJJ game, you should work on improving your open guard transitions, understanding when to move between guard variations, and learning how to use your legs to manipulate your opponent’s center of gravity. The ability to move seamlessly between guards will make you a much more unpredictable and dangerous guard player.
3) Wrestle Up
One of the biggest trends in modern BJJ is the idea of “wrestling up” from the guard. Rather than simply looking for submissions or sweeps from bottom positions, many grapplers are now focusing on standing up from the guard and wrestling their opponent to the ground. This approach brings a more aggressive and dynamic aspect to BJJ, merging traditional grappling with wrestling techniques.
Wrestling up typically involves transitioning from an open guard to a single-leg or double-leg takedown. Once you’ve gained control of one of your opponent’s legs, you can stand up and drive forward to secure a takedown. This method is effective because it shifts the pressure from defending in guard to forcing your opponent to defend the takedown, putting you in a more advantageous position.
Learning to wrestle up from guard will give you more options when your opponent is trying to pass, and it will increase your overall understanding of the connections between BJJ and wrestling techniques. Incorporating wrestling techniques into your game will make you a more complete grappler and keep you one step ahead of opponents who are only comfortable with traditional guard and passing exchanges.
4) Mix Loose And Pressure Passing
Modern BJJ athletes are highly skilled in both loose and pressure-based guard passing, and the best competitors know how to mix the two styles seamlessly. Loose passing involves creating movement, forcing your opponent to adjust their position, and then capitalizing on the openings that arise. Pressure passing, on the other hand, is all about using weight and control to methodically break through your opponent’s guard.
By blending these two styles, you become a much more versatile passer. The ability to mix both approaches keeps your opponent guessing, making it much harder for them to establish grips and control your movements. To modernize your game, practice transitioning between loose and pressure passing during sparring and work on improving your sensitivity to your opponent’s reactions.
5) Chase The Back From Various Positions
In modern BJJ, securing the back is widely considered one of the best ways to finish a fight. The back is a naturally dominant position that offers numerous submission opportunities, including the rear naked choke (RNC), which is one of the highest percentage submissions in the sport.
To elevate your BJJ game, you should adopt the mindset of always chasing the back. Whether you’re passing guard, playing guard, or escaping bad positions, developing pathways to take your opponent’s back will make you a much more dangerous grappler. For example, from side control, you can attack the back by isolating an arm or forcing your opponent to turn away. From mount, you can use submission attempts to create back exposure.
Another key trait of modern BJJ is the use of inversions to take the back. These advanced techniques are highly effective, particularly in gi competition. Even if you don’t use these techniques regularly, studying them will deepen your understanding of how to control your opponent’s hips and make it easier to transition to the back.
Conclusion
To stay competitive in today’s ever-evolving world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, you need to modernize your game by embracing new strategies and techniques. The tips we shared in this article serve as a solid launchpad for those looking to add new wrinkles to their style. Whether you’re a beginner looking to develop a versatile game or an experienced practitioner refining your techniques, these ideas will help you stay competitive in the modern era of BJJ.
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