Question on the squeeze and telegraphing techniques.

[Chad Clark]

Selective tension is what you're looking for. It's not squeezing as hard as you can; it's squeezing enough.

Damn B Mac, you talk good, you jiu jitsu good and you talk jiu jitsu good.

[Mike Nall]

First, a little background on me to pint a better picture of my situation.

I primarily did No-Gi "Submission grappling" at a school for a few years before moving back home where it is now mainly Gi twice a week with BJJ Coach, with a couple of MMA classes with the head coach (Martin Stapleton, Bellator).


So, white belt in my Gi, I'm rolling with a purple belt on Monday who gave me the advice to relax a little while I roll; he said that he can feel how strong I am, but I'm constantly using that pressure, so it's letting him know exactly where I'm going to move all the time.

I took his advice on board because it sounded solid.

When I got home I was thinking it over and I wondered if this is only "Gi applicable"?

Since the squeeze and pressure due to lack of grips and handles in No-Gi is so important, are my No-gi tendencies giving the game away here?

I'm partially thinking that it could just be my inexperience of setting up combinations of submissions.


Any thoughts, my 10P brethren?

I think relaxing is smart in gi or nogi. If a water bed is on top of you, or a heavy stiff door, it's usually easier to move the door. That's a huge generalization, but the idea is pretty true. All the best nogi guys I've rolled with all are incredibly relaxed on top and incredibly heavy. I got to roll with Gui Mendes in the gi and nogi, and in both he was pound for pound the most pressure heavy person I've ever felt, and he wasn't stiff or tense at all.

By relaxing, you force the other person to carry all of your weight. It also makes you more sensitive to feeling the other person's movements so it sets you up to be better prepared for scrambles. Learning how to balance between being light and being heavy is hard and it takes a lot of time, but is important in gi and nogi both. In nogi you're going to have to scramble and move around a bit more, and in the gi there are spots where you can rest a little bit more. But I don't think you have to use your body differently in each one. Good grappling is good grappling. You can grapple in the gi and choose to not use many gi grips, like Marcelo Garcia or Jeff Glover. And in nogi, you can still have a very tight/pressure heavy game. You don't always have to be scrambly.

Hope this made sense.

[Mike Nall]

Selective tension is what you're looking for. It's not squeezing as hard as you can; it's squeezing enough.

And squeeze a lot in practice. Exhaust yourself. Build your squeeze endurance.

Not to hijack because I think it's related, and I may get shit for this but in regards to squeezing for chokes, squeezing your ass off may help in competitions and against tough opponents, but you can squeeze for a hell of a lot longer if you just focus on getting the best angle and grips, and just maintaining pressure. Just like Brandon M. said, it's about selective tension. If you can maintain 70% pressure with the right angle and grips on a choke, it doesn't matter if it takes 5 seconds, or 50 seconds for them to go to sleep. It's very demoralizing when you just feel a constant but slow ramp up in pressure. If you have a RNC or a darce or an arm triangle, and you get so tired squeezing that you have to let go, chances are you need more practice relaxing and settling into the pressure.

[Chad Clark]

Not to hijack because I think it's related, and I may get shit for this but in regards to squeezing for chokes, squeezing your ass off may help in competitions and against tough opponents, but you can squeeze for a hell of a lot longer if you just focus on getting the best angle and grips, and just maintaining pressure. Just like Brandon M. said, it's about selective tension. If you can maintain 70% pressure with the right angle and grips on a choke, it doesn't matter if it takes 5 seconds, or 50 seconds for them to go to sleep. It's very demoralizing when you just feel a constant but slow ramp up in pressure. If you have a RNC or a darce or an arm triangle, and you get so tired squeezing that you have to let go, chances are you need more practice relaxing and settling into the pressure.

Squeezing like an anaconda, ala Denny. A choke slowly, steadily, and consistently turned up to 100% is a crappy feeling, especially after you realize the only way out is a tap.

Squeezing to control, squeeze no more than you need to. Squeezing to submit, slow, steady, ever-increasing, never relaxing.

[Brandon Mccaghren]

Going back to your original question about telegraphing...

I can often tell when a guy is gonna make his move based on not only his increase or decrease in tension, but in his breathing. Try to really take note of what your breath is doing before, during and after a movement/technique. I'm willing to bet that's where you're giving away your intentions.

[Mike Nall]

Squeezing like an anaconda, ala Denny. A choke slowly, steadily, and consistently turned up to 100% is a crappy feeling, especially after you realize the only way out is a tap.

Squeezing to control, squeeze no more than you need to. Squeezing to submit, slow, steady, ever-increasing, never relaxing.

We're saying the same thing, I think you either mistook what I meant by relaxing, or I picked the wrong word. When I say relaxing, I mean not freaking out and holding your breathe and gassing yourself out. I mean just being calm and relaxed and increasing the pressure. It's not even a thread hijack, I'll tie it in with the original post. I think staying calm, relaxed, and heavy pressure and finding the ability to switch between the fast-twitch explosiveness and the heavy control, that everything will work out just fine.

[Joe Firth]

Going back to your original question about telegraphing...

I can often tell when a guy is gonna make his move based on not only his increase or decrease in tension, but in his breathing. Try to really take note of what your breath is doing before, during and after a movement/technique. I'm willing to bet that's where you're giving away your intentions.

Thanks man - I'll definitely keep it in mind from now on.

I just got back from BJJ, was definitely a bit more patient this time round.

[Joe Yunker]

That's what I've noticed when I've rolled with some really high level guys. They aren't even exerting effort and they are in complete control. It's something to aspire to.