Learn How to Move for Jiu Jitsu

As you learn how to move for jiu jitsu, one of the most important things is to remain one step ahead.

This is one of Strong Heart Academy's 21 truths for brazilian jiu jitsu.

When you can stay one step ahead, whether on the mat or in life, then you're able to increase your chances of success.

In this video podcast, I dive deeper into this Strong Heart principle.

Watch below!

Video Transcription

Hi, I'm professor Mike Martin from Strong Heart, Martial Arts Academy. We teach Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and MMA striking for kids and adults.

We're in Phoenix, Arizona, North Phoenix, 32nd Street, and Union Hills. If you want to check us out, Strongheart Academy dot com.

I'm a second degree black belt under Caio Terra. And I'm sorry, I'm 3rd degree black belt under Caio Terra, almost 4th degree.

But I’ve been at this for about 23 years, but doing it for a long time. We've had our academy since 2009 but today I want to talk about our 21 truths, which is behind me.

Concepts of Jiu Jitsu

These are things that I think are extremely important just to keep in mind conceptually for Jiu Jitsu. And I'm very big on concepts of Jiu Jitsu, not just the actual technique.

I think it's a, it's a better, it's a deeper understanding of something when you can conceptualize understanding something versus just the facts of something.

Because, just as humans I think it gives you a better depth of knowledge of, of the particular thing that you're talking about or, or trying to learn is the concept.

So the 21 truths this one we're talking about today is always be one move ahead. And this is the 20th of the 21 truths.

And so what that means is that you need to be always knowing what your neck is. Is. Okay. And you want to be ahead of your opponent.

Human Chess

So we kind of talk about also that that Jiu Jitsu is like chess. It's, it's commonly referred to like human chess.

And good chess players are multiple moves ahead, but in Jiu Jitsu, I think you have to have a minimum of one move ahead.

And because we're constantly moving at the same time we both can counter at the same time as well. So if I'm a, ahead, then I'm going to know hopefully what your next move is.

And I like to think of it as leading the dance. So whoever is leading the dance gets to make the decisions.

So when you're ahead of your opponent, you are acting and your opponent is reacting. So now, you know, they have to counter what you're doing and encountering is slower than action is faster than reaction.

Okay. That's a common kind of self defense term. You know, even in military terms, you know, the shocking are part of the awe is that you went first and now they're responding.

And if it was a surprise, it's even more that's more shocking. Violence of action as well, you know but in Jiu Jitsu, if we're ahead, if I start an initiate contact, initiate a take down, initiate a sweep, initiate a garp pull then I'm always going to be leading the dance.

I'm always going to be slightly. Ahead. And even if we teach, if we keep pace with each other and you're attacking the same time, if I'm always ahead, one move ahead, you're constantly trying to keep up, trying to keep up.

So this is really important for multiple reasons, but if you, the more knowledge you have, the easier it is for you to, cause will be ahead of your opponent.

Know Your Opponent

If you know your opponent, you know then you're going to be able to even go. Easier to be ahead of them because you know what they like to do.

You know, they're their favorite things that they're going to do. And, you know, you might know they're opening move. I'll tell students all the time.

There's certain schools in the valley. And, and Phoenix that I know that they're going to pull guard. They do not do take downs.

None. So just understand like, don't even think you're going to get a take down. They're going to pull before you, before you have an opportunity to try to take them down.

So really it narrows what I have to work on because I'm just going to take a take down. I'm just going to have to focus on passing, guard passing, because as soon as they pull, I'm going to pass.

Or once they're, I'm in their guard. I have to attempt to pass. So, you know, you're going to take that out as far as like, moves ahead.

Maybe they pulled first, but because you anticipated that, you kind of are a move ahead because I know that you're going to pull guard.

I'm immediately going to pass. Okay. And, versus someone that can do both that can do take downs and guard pull.

You don't know what they're going to do. You know, I'm, are they going to do, are they going to try to do a rep out wrestle me?

They're going to try to do judo on me. Or they're going to try to pull guard. And so, that makes them unpredictable and unpredictable person is way more dangerous in my opinion.

Very few people are so good that they could do what they want. And you don't, you can't counter. Because if I know what you're going to do, at least I can prepare ahead of time for my opponents and, you know, that's great.

Game Planning

Like that's game planning. You know, almost all sports, they game plan for their opponent. If you know your opponent. Now, and you do too many times the brackets.

You never know who that guy is. You can't do that. And if I have an opening move, we also talk about ABC's my A attack, B attack and C attack.

Then if I open up with an arm bar and depending on your reactions, I know your ABC's of reactions, I would also say that's going to lead me to my secondary and tertiary moves and so on and so on and so on.

So, what I want to do is certain attack, sweep, back take, whatever it is, you kind of need to know what your opponent's counter options are.

So, not only do you know your offense of the thing that you want to do. You have to know their defense because now when they counter, you're ready to counter their account and you're still going to be ahead.

You're still one move ahead because I already know when I do the arm bar that you're going to stack past me or you're going to stack to try to get your arm out.

So, I'm prepared to spin through or I'm prepared to change that angle of that arm bar, come out to the side and break the grip loose to finish my arm bar.

Or, I'm going to turn that into a sweep off the stack. If you don't stack properly, you don't put your leg up, you stack what you're still underneath, I can still sweep you over and I'm going to end up in a mount position and still have my arm bar.

So, that's me leading this dance and seeing where you go but that I'm moving you where I want to go.

I'm out when we're now moving you by constantly having that one step of a head, one move ahead. And, you know, where does that relate to your own life, it's not just your everyday life.

Benefits of Being One Move Ahead

I mean, it's super beneficial if you could be a move ahead, a move ahead of your in business. You know, move ahead, always ahead of move knowing what your, you know, what your customers are going to want is a step ahead.

What do my customers want for me? That's a step ahead. You're always a step ahead of them. What it anticipating their needs, you know, anticipating their needs is really important.

So, just conceptually understanding, always trying to be a move ahead is going to put you in lots of different scenarios that are going to help you and be beneficial.

So, you're not always reactive and you are active because again reactive is slower than active. If you are the person initiating, you're going to be ahead of the curve and being able to anticipate because everyone's going to be reacting off of you.

There's a lot of things and even a business that some businesses will lure weight for certain leaders of business leaders to do something.

They're waiting for them. What is their reaction to market? What the market is saying and then they kind of copy them basically.

But you're the one, you know, if you're ahead then you're the one leading that movement, okay, that movement.

Examples

You can see it in like cars, you know, Elon Musk, you know, love him hating whatever.

I mean he ushered in the modern era of electric cars and, you know, is there problems with it? There's problems with the car in general.

There's cars that have exploded over the years, you know. So, but he led the charge of electric cars and now all these other industries have copied him basically, you know.

So now you have Porsche has a electric car. I mean literally all manufacturers now are going to produce their electric car and some of really invested a lot of money into this because they believe it's the future.

But the first guy is he's a head, step ahead. So his market share is going to be bigger. You know, Elon Musk has a better market share of electric vehicles than Ford does and Ford is everyone else is playing ketchup.

Okay. Can they catch up? Yes. But again, in the industry you are a move ahead. You are ahead of everyone else.

Okay. So he's ahead of everyone else. They built the infrastructure and we are also playing catch up.

Conclusion

So being a move ahead is always going to be better, more beneficial for you in these types of scenarios.

If you are a competitive person, it's very advantageous to be a move ahead. And thank you for your time.

Peace.