In his recent appearance on the Fist full of collars podcast, Keenan Cornelius made a comment that got me thinking. The whole podcast, found here, is worth a listen but one thing in particular stuck out to me. Keenan laments the way most schools structure their lessons. He says, I’m paraphrasing, that they simply throw move after move at the students instead of teaching systems. He likens this to giving a person random puzzle pieces and expecting them to complete the puzzle on their own. You could do it, but it would take a long time. He says he thinks it would make more sense to give them systems, large chunks of the puzzle at once, so they get a better idea of the shape of the whole. This makes sense to me, but, there is one problem. That’s not how you do a puzzle! Everyone one knows if you are going to compete a puzzle the first thing you do is find the all important four corner pieces. Then you can finish the sides and fill in from there. Knowing the boundaries of the thing makes it as easy as it is going to be. So with that in mind, I wondered to myself ‘what would the four corner pieces of Jiu Jitsu be?’ What four pieces would be best to start with to give you an idea of the overall shape of the thing? Not a complete outline, not a complete understanding, but just a basic idea of the shape of the thing to come. I thought about it for a few hours and came up with the following. I’m reasonably confident in my choices, but would love to hear yours.
First corner.
The Rear Naked Choke.
The RNC is the king of submissions. It is powerful, easy to understand, and positionaly sound. When I do introductory lessons with brand new people I always cover the RNC and give them the following advice. “For the first little while you are going to have no idea what you're supposed to do. All I want you to worry about is trying to put your chest on your partners back and wrapping your arm around their neck.” It’s the first thing I tell people and they would be well served to never stop doing it. The RNC holds so many fundamental truths inherent to it that it is a natural jumping off point for any perspective grappler.
Second corner.
The Double Leg Takedown.
The double leg is common to almost all forms of wrestling. Yes, even Judo, if you go far enough back. It is a strong, direct attack that teaches many of the basic concepts of stand up grappling. Angles, levels, posture, etc. What’s more, the double properly executed teaches many principles of guard passing. Opponent threatening a guillotine? Wrestling up from bottom half? Down on points and running out of time? The double leg is grappling duct tape and should be in your kit from day 1.
Third Corner.
The Armbar from Guard/mount
It might seem like cheating to have these two techniques listed as one, but they are in essence the same thing. The mount and the closed guard are essentially the same position. The way the two bodies are entwined is the same. The orientation of the hips is the same. The possibilities are essentially the same. The armbar is a clear cut example of why the hips are threatening and why hip position is so important to grappling. It demonstrates the principles of leverage, isolation, and control. It is the first thing many people will think of when they think of Jiu jitsu. I debated putting the Kimura in this spot but opted not to because the Kimura feels so much more like a thing you are doing with your arms, the armbar is a thing you are doing with your entire body, and that is the most fundamental lesson Jiu Jitsu teaches, how to use your entire body against one small section of your opponents body.
Fourth corner.
The Knee cut pass
If you could only have one pass, it would be the knee cut pass. It is everywhere. It can be forced against almost every guard and from almost every position. It’s not always easy but is rarely a bad idea. It teaches why guards work by teaching how to dismantle them. It teaches the importance of base and grips, clearing posts and breaking alignment. Even when it is not immediately possible it gives you a clear goal to strive for.
These four techniques for me make up the four most reasonable places to start. Just like a puzzle, they are not directly related, not directly connected. They give a vague shape to the whole. Almost everything else you learn you will be able to relate back to these four techniques, how they are similar or how they are different. I am not saying that these are all you need, or that these are the best options available, but instead that these are the best examples of what grappling is; what the experience is like, how it works and why it works.
What do you think? What would you choose?
