The importance of connection in BJJ
The importance of connection in BJJ
The importance of connection in BJJ cannot be understated. Maximize your connection and minimize your opponents postural integrity is the key. The biggest initial problem you will face when working from open guard is having no solid connection to your opponent. This will allow him to immediately get past your legs and pass before you can do anything effective. The second problem is that if his stance is well set, it will be very difficult to attack him successfully with either sweeps or submissions. So start by getting, whenever possible, BOTH FEET AND BOTH HANDS SET ON YOUR OPPONENT to form a solid connection that won’t allow an opponent to simply blow past your guard before you can do anything. For my Savarese BJJ students (www.njbjj.com), the safe zones you learn in fundamentals class should be utilized all the way to blackbelt. Learn how to get away from the “kick me in the face” seated butterfly guard and learn to enter into your opponents zone and WIN YOUR GRIPS. So often, it’s who wins that grip battle is who wins the fight. Then make a pledge to yourself that prior to any major attack from underneath, you will BEGIN BY DISTURBING YOUR OPPONENTS STANCE/BALANCE. Do this two things consistently and you will soon find yourself a better offensive and defensive guard player.
