Positional Strategy - UFC Training, Conditioning and Self-Defense

The most important difference between the two arts is the use of a comprehensive positional strategy that is unique to Brazilian jiu jitsu. This positional strategy has its roots in the observations of real combat made by the Gracie family as they engaged in training and actual fights during the developmental years of their art. We have seen that the crucial idea is this; As two people engage in combat, there is a vast number of positions they can occupy relative to each other. Some others are more or less neutral. For example. if one fighter was able to get behind his opponent, he would have a significant positional advantage and could effectively strike his opponent, who would on the contrary find it difficult to strike back as effectively at the person behind him. Thus, it makes good sense for a fighter to strive to get behind his opponent in the course of a fight. Doing so significantly increases one's ability to harm an opponent while greatly decreasing the changes of getting hurt by the opponent.

Effective control of position is also closely related to another crucial skill of all jujitsu styles- the ability to finish a fight with an effective submission hold. Traditional jujitsu has a vast array of submission holds designed to force an opponent to cease resistance or risk serious injury and possibly unconsciousness. Many of these submission holds. however, are difficult to apply effectively in real combat for the simple reason that the opponent is no t under sufficient control when the hold is attempted. The positional strategy at the heart of Brazilian jiu jitsu makes  the use of submission holds much more effective because Brazilian jiu jitsu encourages the use of submission holds only when sufficient control of the opponent has been attained through dominant position. This is a key idea that goes a long way to explaining the unrivaled success of Brazilian jiu jitsu in MMA events, challenge matches, and real fights. This positional strategy is best carried out by a grappling style of martial art. The reason is obvious enough. Once you get hold of your opponent, you can constrain his movement and thus hold him in the positions you seek. If you do not hold him, he is free to move out of any disadvantageous position you place him in.

The best place to constrain a person's movement is on the ground because most people do not move efficiently on the ground and also because body weight can be used to pin and immobilize a person much more easily on the ground than in a standing position. This is why Brazilian jiu jitsu usually advocates taking a fight into a clinch- where you can attain a dominant standing position on your opponent- and then, if appropriate, you can take the fight to the ground, where a more dominating position can be easily held and maintained.

Although Brazilian jiu jitsu has quite a large number of moves in its repertoire, they can all be placed under tow broad categories:

1. Those that allow a fighter to enact the strategy of advancing from one position, into a more dominating one.(positional moves)
2. Those that allow a fighter to finish a fight quickly and efficiently (submission moves)

In general, it is the case that positional moves lead one fighter into the opportunity for submission moves. Positional control gives one the optimal conditions for applying a submission hold while at the same time severely limiting the ability of you opponent to apply his won submission holds on you. In this way, concern over position generally precedes concern over submission.

So much for the basic positional strategy that forms the strategic core of Brazilian jiu jitsu. We need to go on now and see the other crucial differences between Brazilian jiu jitsu and traditional jujitsu. 

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