How Does One Determine Effectiveness?
(Published August 15, 2023)
In the realm of martial arts, the effectiveness of techniques can sometimes spark wild, speculative debates. They generally take the form of something like, “If you did ABC, I would just counter you with XYZ.” It's not as bad as it used to be before the advent of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), but these conversations can still get pretty outlandish even with all the information available on the interwebs today.
Of course these conversations tend to get nipped in the bud pretty quickly in an MMA or BJJ gym. Instead of countering the initial statement with some logical argument about why XYZ wouldn't work, one is met with, “Oh? Let's try it.”
If it works, great! If not… then you'll be more receptive when your instructor explains why XYZ didn’t work for you, what you could change to make it work for you… or perhaps why it was such a bad idea destined for failure in the first place.
The TMAJJ Problem
However, for those training at Traditional Martial Arts (TMA) schools that incorporate Jiu-Jitsu while claiming that it's essentially the same as BJJ, the landscape can be more complex. Unfortunately, I've encountered more than a few TMA students who've been taught ineffective or even laughable Jiu-Jitsu techniques and strategies by their well meaning TMA instructors. To assist our TMA comrades, I thought I’d talk a little about the art of assessing Jiu-Jitsu techniques to ensure you're on the path to effectiveness.
Questioning Assumptions
While it's natural in TMA schools to trust your instructor's expertise and accept their word on the effectiveness of a technique or strategy, the beauty of BJJ lies in critical thinking and experimentation. If your TMA instructor says that punching a certain way will break your hand, there’s no real way to test that theory out safely. What are you going to do, try punching a solid object as hard as you can and risk breaking your hand? No, of course not!
The same is not true of grappling techniques however. You can and should test your grappling techniques safely.
The Litmus Test
Ultimately, the litmus test for a technique's effectiveness lies in its successful execution against a fully resisting opponent. If you find yourself unable to execute a technique against such resistance, it doesn't necessarily mean the technique doesn’t work. More often, it means further practice and refinement are required. Jiu-Jitsu in one sense is a process whereby each practitioner has to rediscover effectiveness for themselves.
But how do you know the difference between a technique that needs nurturing versus a technique that’s just a bad idea and not worth your time? I mean, who wants to invest weeks, months, or even years into a technique only to find out it was a terrible idea to begin with? That’s where a little recon comes in handy.
High Level Recon
A great litmus test for the worthiness of a technique is to watch skilled grapplers in high-level competitions. Take note of what proves successful for them. While this once meant investing in costly pay-per-view events, today you can find a ton of free competition footage online. Look for competitors with body type and temperament similar to yours. If they can use a given technique under various rule sets—IBJJF, ADCC, Submission Only, UFC—chances are you can make it work for you given enough time and practice. If it’s not used successfully in one or more of these rulesets, the next question is why not? Depending on the answer you may or may not want to spend time learning that particular technique.
The guard is the obvious exception to this. There are certain guards that don’t make sense to play in MMA when you have to worry about your opponent. And there are other guards that don’t make sense to play in sport grappling when you’re not allowed to strike your opponent. But that is a topic to delve into another time.
Conclusion
To sum up, effectiveness in BJJ isn't just about executing a technique correctly on a compliant training partner. It's about applying it under pressure against a resisting opponent. To really get good at Jiu-Jitsu, you’ve got to test your techniques in live sparring. The true measure of a technique, and of your progress in the art lies in your ability to make your techniques work when it matters most.