When I was filming the BJJ Foundations instructional with Cal MacDonald he brought up a really interesting point…
He said that if you’re in a serious match – a competition or a deathroll at the club – then at a tactical level, jiu-jitsu becomes a zero-sum game.
That means every grip, every hook, and every adjustment of position becomes win-lose.
If you win that exchange, your opponent loses. If he wins, you lose.
Let’s say that you’re on your feet and things are 50-50. Now you secure a slightly better grip on your opponent; things might now be 55-45 in your favour.
Now you have a slightly better chance of getting a takedown or jumping into a submission, and his emphasis should be on getting back to neutral rather than attacking.
Let’s turn things around…
Say that you’re on the bottom of a loose side control. That’s not great things, so let’s say that the situation is 60-40 in your opponent’s favor.
But now he gets an underhook on your far arm… now it’s 65-35. His number is going up, yours is going down.
Now he secures a tight crossface and turns your head so you’re looking away from him and the situation is 70-30.
Ooops – you let him collapse your near side arm frame…. now it’s 75-25
He walks his legs towards your hips, folding your legs so they point away from him, making it that much harder for you to reguard… 85-15.
You get the idea!
(Incidentally, this is very similar to Rob Biernacki’s concept of “What’s the score,” where we assign each player one point each for proper base, posture and structure, with the best score you can hope for being 3-0 in your favor).
So if you’re flow rolling, or drilling, or playing certain games, then go ahead and take it easy. Give your opponent the grips he wants, let him progress to a better position, and try to fight your way out.
This can be fun and you’ll learn lots.
But when the chips are down and the rolling is serious, then don’t concede an inch.
Follow the advice of an old Luta Livre coach, Roberto Leitao, who once said, “If I don’t know, I won’t allow“.
Serious jiu-jitsu matches are zero-sum affairs.
Stephan
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