I think as each student develops their Jiu Jitsu “game” its important to focus on two separate and equally important aspects of his grappling: winning ability and undefeatability (yes, I know this is not a real word).
Winning ability is how capable you are of defeating your opponent while undefeatability is the how capable you are of not losing to your opponent. The strange thing is that being good at one, does not necessarily make you good at the other.
Roger Gracie - Damn Near Unbeatable
To use an example from my Children’s Martial Arts program: I have one boy in the class who LOVES the UFC and has been watching it for a long time and is very fast / explosive. He does not care (or does not understand yet) about points and positioning but he knows a guillotine and an armbar and is not afraid to jump for them! He has probably tapped all the other kids at least once.
On the other hand, he also “loses” a lot in the room because he does not understand positioning yet so the other kids are able to control him and rack up positional points (when they are not caught in armlocks). So while he can beat anyone, anyone can also beat him (High Winning Ability vs. Low Undefeatability).
Its important when working on your game not to neglect the aspects that make you “hard to beat”. These aspects are often less obvious than just learning new or flashy techniques. Its often about not being out-of-position or distributing weight properly or maintaining mental discipline i.e. “the boring stuff”.
Not What You Should Be Working On, White Belt!
NOTE: Crazy 88 BJJ Schedule has been updated with changes for weather and holidays.
