Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza is one of the most dominant Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athletes in history. His modern approach to the “game” is what inspired many to follow the same tracks; and his aggressive standup approach is inspiring many BJJ students, even those who’ve started training just recently, to become better on their feet.
Well, it’s prime time that you, too, start learning how to set up your throws and takedowns from Jacare! In a recent video with Bernardo Faria, he shared the best grips and drills for takedowns in a BJJ match.
BEST TAKEDOWN GRIPS AND DRILLS BY JACARE
Jacare bases his takedown game on first acquiring as much control over his opponent. For instance, his favorite grips are when he can gain a cross-grip on the opponent’s sleeve and then grab the gi material on their back. You may do this by either gripping the sleeve immediately, by breaking their grip with your cross-grip, or by simply folding their arm (while they grip your collar) and then grabbing their back.
From here, you can do a lot of ankle-pick based throws and takedowns, as well as entries into hip throws. Just make sure that you have that grip on their back and that their arm is blocked between them and your torso.
Watch how Jacare does it on the video below and start practicing:
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