Today I want to talk about setting traps for your opponent in BJJ.
The idea is that you force your opponent into a position or a situation where he only has a limited number of possible responses. Because you already have a pretty good idea of what he’s going to do as soon as he uses one of those responses you spring your trap and go to the next pre-programmed move.
This concept allows you to connect your moves together and respond much faster (you only have to anticipate a few different responses rather than be ready for ALL possible responses).
This is much easier to understand if you see it in action.
In this video my friend, BJJ black belt, and world class competitor Thomas Lisboa explains
- The overall concept of setting traps,
- How to use this from the bottom of kneeshield to set up an armdrag (starting at 1 min), and
- How to pass the open guard using a series of movements that work off of his almost inevitable reactions (starting at 3:30).
This is the next best thing to being able to read someone’s mind in BJJ, so check it out!
The idea of taking advantage of your opponent’s reactions to your moves is so important in BJJ. It’s one of the big differences between recreational players who just throw out one move at a time, and elite players who always seem to be a step ahead of you.
Some people refer to this linking of moves as ‘connections’.
Here’s a video from Fabio Gurgel, author of The Pressure Passing System and one of Thomas Lisboa’s teachers, giving you more great examples of BJJ connections.
You’ll see that these two videos use different different examples but are talking about exactly the same thing: developing a deep understanding of what your opponent is likely to do next, and then having pre-programmed responses to each of those responses.
If you enjoyed the video above then you’ll also find the video below incredibly useful…
More Connections
If you want to learn how connecting your moves is applied to guard passing then you should check out The Pressure Passing System. Admittedly I’m biased since I produced it, but it truly is the single best resource I’ve ever seen on this topic.
In it 6th degree black belt Fabio Gurgel shows the passes and strategies that allowed him to coach over 50 BJJ World Champions on his team.
The Pressure Passing System is available in DVD, online streaming, and app form for your smartphone. So whichever way you like to consume your BJJ instructionals you can get it!
Click here for more information about The Pressure Passing System with Fabio Gurgel.