Turtle breakdowns: The main concern of turtle breakdowns (attacking the turtle position in order to gain points and/or to gain some kind of advantage that leads to submission) is quite different in Jiu jitsu than in other grappling arts. In Judo and wrestling the idea of any turtle breakdown is usually done with the idea of forcing the opponents BACK TO THE FLOOR in order to pin his back to the mat. In Jiu Jitsu this scores nothing. The central focus in Jiu jitsu is generally towards GETTING TO THE REAR MOUNT POSITION. This scores the maximum possible in the sport – four points. As such, it makes sense to make your primary focus in Jiu jitsu training for breaking down an opponents turtle position geared towards getting your hooks in a advancing to rear mount. This will satisfy both the demand for scoring points (you get the maximum score) and for submission (you end up in the position that allows you to use the most high percentage submission method in the sport – rear strangles. There are other good ways to attack a turtle position that have their merits, but getting to rear mount should be your primary focus. The central problem you will have to overcome will always be the connection of your opponents elbow and knee, which serves as an obstacle to your ability to insert your hooks and score. Here, Gordon Ryan looks to break that connection and open space for his legs to enter and get into his favorite finishing position. When it comes time to train your turtle breakdown skills, out the majority of your time into those methods that take you to rear mount – no other methods are so well suited to the unique nature and points system of Jiu Jitsu
