How To Beat BIGGER & STRONGER Opponents in BJJ

Summary

In this insightful video by Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu, learn strategies to effectively handle larger and stronger opponents in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ). By prioritizing defense before offense, Jordan emphasizes the importance of never letting opponents grab your head and using techniques like maintaining a knee shield and utilizing T-Rex arms to keep opponents at bay. Offensive strategies focus on techniques like back-taking, sweeps, and controlling your opponent's arms to minimize their size and strength advantages. Jordan also highlights the significance of grip control, maintaining body position, and using sweeps that rely on positioning the opponent’s center of gravity above yours.

Highlights

• Prevent opponents from establishing head control to negate their strength advantage. 🙅
• Understanding the use of T-Rex arms and knee shields for effective defense. 🛡️
• Strategies to take the back and exploit weaker angles of stronger opponents. 🔄
• Mastering arm drags and underhooks for superior control and positioning. 🗜️
• How to effectively execute sweeps by controlling opponent’s center of gravity. 🔄

Key Takeaways

• Always prioritize defense by preventing your opponent from grabbing your head to gain control. 🛡️
• Use T-Rex arms and maintain a knee shield to create distance and prevent your opponent’s weight from crushing you. 🦖
• Focus on offense by taking the opponent’s back, where their size and strength advantage is minimized. 🔙
• Utilize underhooks and control far arms to disrupt opponent’s balance and open paths to sweeps and submissions. 💪
• Adapt your moves based on the opponent's size; use sweeps and techniques that rely on positioning their center of gravity above yours. 🌪️

Overview

In this thrilling video, Jordan from Jordan Teaches Jiujitsu breaks down the art of battling bigger and stronger opponents in the realm of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. You’d be surprised at how size and strength aren’t everything when you know the right defenses and strategies to employ! Our martial arts guide embarks on this exploration of defensive tactics, guiding you with tips to fortify your positions against those much larger foes! Keep those hands where they need to be, and make sure no one gets a hold on you!

Jordan reveals that the best defense is a good offense. He shares the secrets to taking your opponent’s back and why it’s a strategic powerhouse in BJJ. Through clever use of underhooks and masterful control of the opponent’s arms, you’ll learn how to shake the odds in your favor, no matter how big your opponent is. To cap it off, he demonstrates several sweeping techniques that turn control into your arena to dominate. Witness high-flying tactics and grounded decisions unravel as you’re shown the ropes of smart combat!

Finally, the video delves into the nuances of grip control and weight positioning, illustrating how to use sweeps and leverage angles to undermine a behemoth’s advantage. Picture this: your foe sets their mind on using mass to overshadow you, only to find themselves being swept and controlled, thanks to your strategic positioning! It’s not just about brute force, it’s about technique, positioning, and calculated moves, which Jordan articulately breaks down for both novices and seasoned martial artists.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction This chapter introduces the importance of strategy in jiu-jitsu, particularly when facing opponents with size and strength advantages. It emphasizes that while these physical attributes do matter, employing the right strategy can counteract them effectively. The author shares personal experiences of successfully overcoming larger adversaries using specific game plans, applicable from junior to senior belt levels and even in MMA. The chapter promises to reveal these strategies and concepts to help others deal with physically imposing opponents.
• 00:30 - 02:00: Defense Strategies This chapter focuses on defensive strategies in physical confrontations, emphasizing the importance of protecting one's head. It advises individuals never to allow their head to be grabbed or for an opponent to take an underhook. The chapter further explains that it's acceptable to let an opponent take an underhook if you're on your side with an overhook, but you must avoid being on your back defenseless. The importance of maintaining head protection is reiterated, showing techniques to prevent opponents from grabbing the head and maneuvering into a sweep position. The narrative offers a step-by-step demonstration of maintaining a protective posture while preparing for a counterattack.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Offensive Concepts and Guard Techniques The chapter titled 'Offensive Concepts and Guard Techniques' focuses on the importance of controlling the opponent's grip during a combat situation. The key takeaway is to prioritize preventing the opponent from grabbing your head, as it leads to vulnerability and increased risk of being overpowered. Whether facing a larger opponent or recovering from a failed attack, maintaining control of the arms, specifically preventing the far arm from getting a grip, is crucial for defense. Discipline in this area is essential for effective self-defense and maintaining an advantage in a tussle.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Plan A: Taking the Back The chapter, 'Plan A: Taking the Back,' discusses the importance of discipline in improving one's position during a match. It emphasizes the significance of keeping elbows close to the body and preventing the opponent's weight from pressing down. The speaker explains the concept of 't-rex arms,' which can be understood further in a video titled '20 Tips.' It also elaborates on the strategic fight for head control, using an example with Alex, a strong opponent who dominates through powerful grips. The narrator highlights the importance of patience in winning such battles for control.
• 04:00 - 05:30: Plan B: Butterfly Sweeps and Leverage The chapter 'Plan B: Butterfly Sweeps and Leverage' talks about the importance of controlling your opponent's firearm in a combat scenario for both defensive and offensive strategies. It emphasizes the availability of various attacks, like the Kimura trap back take, which can be utilized when maintaining control. The chapter suggests being proactive in situations where your head is grabbed, advising to off-balance the opponent to make them release their grip. It encourages learning from mistakes and highlights the necessity of quick, strategic thinking in leveraging new positions.
• 05:30 - 08:00: Plan C: Using X Guard and Hip Positioning The chapter emphasizes the importance of maintaining mobility and strategic positioning when facing a larger and stronger opponent. It highlights the use of feet to manage distance and prevent the opponent from asserting their weight. The text details a technique using an underhook to transition to a dominant position, underscoring the necessity of choosing the right guards and attacks to counteract the opponent's advantages.
• 08:00 - 08:30: Closing and Thanks The chapter 'Closing and Thanks' discusses techniques and strategies in martial arts, particularly focusing on avoiding specific types of attacks. It advises against using the arm bar in situations where you cannot manage the distance or keep your opponent's weight off, as well as in scenarios where defensive grips are a challenge. Triangles are also mentioned as risky, given the potential for the opponent to stack you and clear the leg. The chapter highlights the importance of recognizing and employing guard retention techniques to avoid getting your guard passed. The practical advice is likely tied to previous content, such as a video tutorial on maintaining guard, providing insights into effectively handling close combat scenarios.

How To Beat BIGGER & STRONGER Opponents in BJJ Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] what's up guys today we're looking at strategy and how to be bigger and stronger opponents size and strength matter in jiu-jitsu but not as much as you might think you can negate those physical advantages with the right game plan the exact game plan that i've used to defeat opponents with considerable size advantages over me from the junior belts to the senior belts i've always done well against these physically imposing and skilled monsters even in mma i mean that guy was huge i'm going to show you the exact strategies and concepts that i use to minimize other
• 00:30 - 01:00 people's size and strength advantages let's get started with defense before moving on to offense never can you let someone grab your head or take an underhook but the head is far more important under no circumstance can you let someone grab it if your opponent takes an underhook you're fine as long as you're on your side with an overhook not on your back it's okay if you're on your back as long as you prevent your head from being grabbed and your opponent from getting the underhook see here how i prevent my opponent from grabbing my head and then eventually sweep him now look what i do as i come
• 01:00 - 01:30 up on top i grab his head and use that control grip to pass even a smaller opponent will smash you if they grab your head a bigger person with gravity on their side will make things even worse see here i'm at risk of getting smashed after a failed sweep attempt when my opponent grabs my head my only focus is to get his grip off of me and keep it off of me i'm patient and control the far arm as that's the arm which would do the grabbing i know that if he grabs it i'm screwed so why would i prioritize or attempt anything else you need to be disciplined in the concept of never letting someone grab
• 01:30 - 02:00 your head that discipline is what allows me to improve my position and now i'm in a much better spot with both elbows close to my body and my opponent's weight off of me now that i have good grips i can move more freely and work my offense to learn more about t-rex arms make sure to watch my 20 tips video here's another example alex is a physical monster and a guy that'll suck the life out of you if he gets dominant grips like head control he knows he needs my head to control me and that's why you see this battle right now he's battling for head control and i'm battling against it my patience wins the
• 02:00 - 02:30 battle and now i can improve my position yet again controlling the firearm is not only smart for defense but it's also smart for offense as there's a ton of attacks available with the far side grip like the kimura trap back take i do here that would never have been available if i allowed my head to be grabbed if someone does grab your head you need to give them a reason to let go one of my favorite ways is to off balance them to the side forcing them to post out and let go of their control you need to be proactive when you do this and not let your opponent settle their weight you messed up and mistakes happen but now is
• 02:30 - 03:00 not the time to feel bad for yourself you need to get moving and get that grip off of you watch as i off balance my opponent using my legs causing him to let go i just saved myself from 300 pounds of smash while obtaining an underhook for myself which i used to get on top to keep their weight off you you want to prioritize guards and attacks which keep your feet in front of them this will manage the distance for you not all guards and attacks are created equal when dealing with someone who is bigger and stronger like here my opponent is trying to drive into me but can't because my feet are in the way and when he realizes this he retreats which
• 03:00 - 03:30 opens up the sweep for me a good example of an attack that you may look to avoid because your feet aren't between you and your opponent is the arm bar because you lack the ability to manage the distance at this point and keep their weight off you unless you extend their arm right away it'll be tough dealing with them potentially stacking you and also be difficult to break their defensive grips triangles too can be risky you run the risk of them stacking you and clearing the leg if you've watched my had not get your guard pass video you'll likely recognize these guard retention techniques after almost getting my guard
• 03:30 - 04:00 passed look how i adjust this time i use my feet to keep his weight off until i can engage my hips to do the same i'm not saying don't go for attacks like arm bars and triangles i'm saying you may need to adjust and they're less risky attacks which we'll cover later in the video keeping your knees in front of your opponent will also prevent them from putting their weight on you this is called a knee shield and it's called that for a reason it protects you you really need to use it if you're a small grappler although everyone can benefit before we move on let me know if you have any funny or interesting experiences rolling with someone much
• 04:00 - 04:30 bigger and stronger weather went well for you or if it was a disaster now let's look at the fun stuff offense plan a is taking the back plan b is fighting from top position and plan c is submitting from your guard the best way to beat someone bigger and stronger is by taking their back where they can't use their physical advantages nearly as much if you were in a boxing match against a heavyweight boxer wouldn't it be easier if you could fight them with their back turn and facing away from you it's no different in grappling we want to take the back and look for the submission we'll look at how to get there and the best ways to sweep to get
• 04:30 - 05:00 on top we won't look at submissions as they don't really change from these positions and i have other videos on how to submit from the back into opposition it's hard to move bigger and stronger people you're better off moving yourself but it's hard to move if we're being controlled by their grips the only thing stopping you from taking someone's back is their arm knowing that if we force them to put their hand on the mat instead of us we'll have a clear path to the back using our under hook here i pull the collar forward to force my opponent's hands to the mat and then move myself onto the back using my underhook it doesn't have to be this
• 05:00 - 05:30 fancy but look at the path i cleared for myself by putting his hand to the mat it also puts his weight on his hand making his legs light so i can move them to the other side here's two more examples both have in common their hands on the mat and me with the underhook in many cases you'll still want to control the far arm as your opponent can't grab your head or darts you if you do because my opponent's arm is in the way with the overhook i can't take the back so i sweep instead the dars choke is a great counter to the underhook and look at the consequence i face for not controlling my opponent's forearm he
• 05:30 - 06:00 wouldn't be able to lock up the grips needed for the darts if i had control of his grips you need to watch my grip fight video if you haven't yet it's a game changer for many and i'll link it at the end of the video let's see how this plays out while we're here this is a really cool darts escape and a great example of combining wrestling with jiu-jitsu as the sit-out is a common and fundamental wrestling technique here i use it to escape the darts remember the only thing between you and someone's back is their arm arm drags are another great example of this concept by
• 06:00 - 06:30 dragging their arm to the mat or across our body it's no longer in the way and controlling us we're free to move ourselves onto the back and attack from there here i think about the arm bar instead but my opponent counters by grabbing their own ghee so i just continue on to the back there's a lot of ways to arm drag and you don't need to over complicate it literally just drag their arm to the side just a quick tip often beginners are two underneath their opponent when taking the back and a little shrimp out will do the trick to get into a better position under hooks are not just great for taking the back but also butterfly sweeps a butterfly
• 06:30 - 07:00 sweep is great against bigger opponents because legs are strong and can move a lot of weight compared to the rest of your body you don't need an underhook to do a butterfly sweep but that's the traditional grip and can be used to transition to the back like previously shown they can be performed using a variety of grips and work against bigger and stronger opponents i have a video breaking down butterfly guard that you should check out watch as i pull my opponent forward with my underhook but before i can take their back they put their arm in the way i transition to my butterfly hooks and sweep him by loading his hips onto mine loading the hips
• 07:00 - 07:30 makes it so much easier to sweep people that are much larger than us and it's the next section that we're looking at when your opponent's center of gravity is directly on your hips or past your hips they become extremely light we need to prioritize sweeps that meet this criteria the john wayne sweep is a great example and one you see all the time on the channel i explain it in detail in my bjj fanatics instructional check out the link in the description for that having their hips directly above yours is what makes x guard so powerful although x guard is a little tough to enter on heavy people but if you can get
• 07:30 - 08:00 there sweeping is just too easy how can i lift a 300 pound dude in the air well at first i can't but once i get my hips underneath his it becomes pretty easy this was just a short summary of this concept you can see it in more depth by clicking the video linked at the end i want to say big thank you to all my patrons who support me and the channel on patreon it really means the world to me to have your support i do a weekly q a for them among other perks check that out if you'd like to support the channel too thank you for sticking around until the end of the video if you're still
• 08:00 - 08:30 here please leave a fist bump or comment and make sure to follow me on instagram