The first lesson in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

To start, there are three control positions in Jiu-Jitsu: The Guard, the Cross Body, and the Mount.

The Guard, which is the least of all the control positions (meaning, while this position does grant you control, there are other positions where you can still have more) is when you are on your back, and your opponent is held between your legs; your legs pinning their hips. Although it may be the least of all of the control positions, I can’t think of a better place to master. You will be put here by the bigger and stronger fighter almost every time. Becoming a true technical perfectionist in this position will determine the ease in which you are able to defeat the bigger and stronger opponent.

The Cross Body, (Or the Cross Mount) which is the second best of all the control positions is where your opponent is on their back, and you are pushing your chest across their chest, while your elbow and knee squeeze together to pin the neck. It’s debatable between BJJ fighters (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) where to place the other hand. Some squeeze it underneath leg, preventing a possible escape. Some put it on the other side of the opponent’s stomach, squeezing the elbow and knee toward each other to give the feel of constriction.

This position is excellent for hold opponents under your body, and constricting their movement. The smallest fighter can make himself feel like a dead weight to his opponent if he learns how to place his body correctly, and squeeze the right places to give the illusion of constriction.

The Mount, which grants the greatest amount of control, is where you have your opponent on their back while you sit on their chest and squeeze with your legs to keep yourself on top; your feet squeeze snug beneath their hips. Mastering this position will mean complete domination in a fight. From here you can make yourself feel like a thousand pounds and beat your opponent into submission, or choke him, or break his limbs, or really what ever you feel like. And you can do this with out exerting really any energy. And you can do this if you know how to keep the control.

You cannot be fighting on the ground without being in some variation of these three positions. (The only exception being in a neutral position, where none of the fighters hold any certain amount of control over the other.) Gravity is the ground fighter’s best friend. Gravity ensures that either one of you will be holding one of these control positions, or one of you will be defending from one.

The advantage of having control is that you are able pull of certain moves to hurt your opponent without having to put yourself in any danger. The opposite is true for the defender: that you cannot harm you opponent without revealing some weakness and exposing something your opponent can use against you.

The key to becoming a great ground strategist is to learn how to keep control in all three of these control positions and learn effective, safe ways to defend against them. Keeping control in these positions will often mean having to restrict the blood and air flow to the brain of your opponent, or brea king something of use to your opponent and possibly ending the fight because of it. There is always the alternative to cho king or brea king your opponent; one may at leisure, if they hold control, hit their enemy into submission or even talk to then calmly about the impending doom they have ahead of them. I have always said the greatest power of one who holds control in a fight, is that they have the choice to do whatever they wish with the one they have control over. It has been my experience that control of this nature is impossible anywhere but the ground.

The greatest thing about Jiu-Jitsu is that it works for anyone who is willing to learn the techniques. The whole philosophy is completely unique to any other martial art I have ever encountered. Most people have the hardest time letting go of what they think fighting should be: Speed, and strength. In Brazilian style Jiu-Jitsu, one can perform all the moves on anyone. No matter what the size or speed of the opponent facing you, one can control and defeat them if they use pure technique. The first thing my trainer ever told me, is not to muscle your way around, but to squeeze, and squeeze toward you center.