The Art of Grappling
Grappling martial arts focus on control, takedowns, and submitting an opponent sometimes, rather than striking them. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, commonly known as BJJ, is one of the most effective grappling arts in the world and is built around the idea that a smaller person can defeat a larger opponent using proper technique and leverage. Wrestling is another foundational grappling art that focuses heavily on takedowns and controlling where the fight takes place. Together these two disciplines make up the backbone of grappling in modern combat sports and MMA. Grappling requires a lot ofpatience because it is a game of positions, and you have to learn how tobe comfortable in bad spots before you can start attacking. For strictly self defence wrestling and boxing with little knowledge of submisons can save your life.
Positions and Submissions
In BJJ the goal is to advance your position until you can finish the fight with a submission. Common positions include guard, mount, back control, and side control. Guard is when you are on your back with your legs around your opponent, and it is actually a strong defensive and offensive position in BJJ unlike in wrestling. Mount is when you are sitting on top of your opponent controlling their body. Back control is considered the best position because your opponent cannot see your attacks coming. From these positions you can attack with submissions like the rear naked choke, armbar, triangle choke, and guillotine. Learning to flow between positions and set up submissions is what makes grappling so technical and rewarding to study over time.