While perfecting your Brazilian jiu-jitsu moves is not necessarily the fastest way to win in the MMA arena, this form of martial arts definitely has some key advantages over other fighting styles, such as Muay Thai fighting or perhaps boxing. It is important for all MMA fighters to incorporate a variety of styles into their repertoire, and here are a few BJJ skills that are essentials for fighters.
One of the key advantages of studying Brazilian jiu-jitsu is that it is particularly effective when you are facing a larger opponent, as this style of fighting offers you a skill set that relies on submission holds rather than brute force. When you study this martial art, you will learn a host of submission holds, which are divided into two main categories: Chokeholds and Joint Locks.
There are many different types of effective joint locks, including arm locks, leg locks and even spinal and shoulder locks. When applied correctly, it is extremely difficult to escape from a solid lock. The most often used lock that tends to end a fight is the arm lock or arm bar.
Arm locks are definitely a solid skill to possess. If you don’t think the armbar is an effective tool, watch Ronda Rousey’s last bout against Sarah Kauffman and rethink your opinion. Actually, you could really watch any of Rousey’s fights as a pictorial of the effectiveness of the armbar. Matt Hughes, Rorion Gracie, and Frank Mir are just a few other top MMA fighters who have ended fights (and even broken arms) using this skill. There are many types of armbars, including the flying armbar, double armbar and helicopter armbar. Learning how to inflict some type of armbar is an excellent idea, and it also wouldn’t hurt to learn how to escape from this move either.
The chokehold is another excellent way to pursue an advantage in the arena. Basically, what you are trying to do when applying a choke is to cut off your opponent’s blood flow or oxygen. There are, of course, dozens of different chokeholds, but the ones that seem to be the most effective in MMA are the rear naked choke and the guillotine choke. The rear naked choke was a highlight move in UFC 1 in the fight between Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock which ended in less than a minute. For a gruesome example of a well-applied guillotine choke, check out the 2007 IFL fight between Dan Miller and Dave Phillips.
Of course, there is much more to learn about Brazilian jiu-jitsu than chokes and joint locks. You have to learn how to escape from holds, how to get your opponent to the ground and all of this takes time and practice. Eventually, you probably will find one or two submission holds that really work for you during fights, and you will spend many months perfecting these helpful skills.
