Pssst, here’s a little-known secret for you, straight from John Danaher… Did you know that one of the keys to becoming better in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is understanding gravity?
Now, now, you don’t have to be Sir Isaac Newton. Don’t worry. Here’s what Professor Danaher meant:
Most people think gravity helps the top athlete; after all, if I’m on top gravity naturally creates a sense of weight and pressure that can immobilize and exhaust an opponent.
It is, however, crucial that you understand that it can work in the bottom athletes favor as well.
The BJJ athlete on the bottom can use gravity to off-balance his opponent and then use that lack of balance to go forth with his escapes or/and attacks:
Instead of weight pressure and weight, the bottom athlete focuses on off balancing the opponent. Once balance has been broken, gravity will create an immediate stumbling and falling effect that makes subsequent attacks easy.
Gravity itself doesn’t change – it helps both the top and the bottom athlete equally – just in different ways.Make sure you know and understand them both so that gravity is not your friend when you’re on top but your enemy when you’re on bottom, but rather, your trusted friend regardless of where you are.
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