Why submissions? Most people who follow the adventures of the squad in Jiu Jitsu competition know that we put a huge emphasis on submissions both in training and competition. A natural question to ask is – why is this the case? Why not just take the safer route of points/advantage victory? A big part of it is our philosophy of jiu jitsu. We define it as control leading to submission. We see control merely as a means to an end – submission – but the end is everything . Most jiu jitsu practitioners see jiu jitsu as “position before submission.” As such, the majority of their training time is spent on positional control with submissions seen as a “icing on the cake” – something desirable but not essential. This is a good and sensible approach, since the point structure makes positional dominance the most likely way to win a match, and in addition, in a real fight, good position allows for strikes on the ground that can open an opponent up and even end a fight. One of the main reasons for our unusually heavy emphasis on submissions is that we see them as the GRAPPLING EQUIVALENT OF A KNOCKOUT PUNCH. Just as there is something frightening about an opponent throwing very hard punches with skill and bad intentions at you, so too, it is intimidating to come across a grappler who is not just looking to get a position on you – but to BREAK you. It is the submissions of Jiu Jitsu that more than anything else, make it a MARTIAL art. Without them it would just be another form of grappling among many. These are some of the reasons we strive so hard to increase our submission skills in addition to the other skills of the sport and why we have a strong interest in sport formats that encourage athletes to exhibit their submission skills. There are many skills within Jiu Jitsu, all are necessary for success, but none catches our attention like a finely applied submission hold!
