Connections

Connections enabling control, leverage, and fluid movement. By staying connected to your opponent, you can feel their intentions, neutralize their attacks, and maintain dominance. It’s the foundation for applying pressure, executing transitions, and finishing submissions effectively. Mastering connection is key to building a tighter, more efficient, and more effective grappling game.

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Why Connection Is Important

Control

  • Connection allows you to control your opponent by maintaining a stable and secure attachment, limiting their ability to move freely.

Examples

  • In back control
  • Keeping your chest tight to their back ensures they can’t escape or create space.
  • In Closed Guard
  • Staying connected with your legs and hips prevents them from posturing up or passing.
Strong connection ensures your opponent stays within your sphere of control, making it harder for them to escape or counter.

Anticipating Opponent’s Movements

  • Connection gives you tactile feedback, allowing you to sense shifts in your opponent’s weight, balance, and intentions.

Examples

  • Guard retention
  • Feeling the direction of their weight shift helps you anticipate and block their pass.
  • Takedown defense
  • Connection with their arms or hips helps you predict and counter their attempts.
A strong connection makes you more aware of their movements, giving you a split-second advantage to react.

Generating Leverage

  • Connection is essential for using your entire body to generate leverage against your opponent’s specific points of weakness.
Examples

  • Armbar

    • Staying tightly connected to their shoulder and arm allows for maximum leverage to extend the joint.

  • Side control

    • Maintaining chest-to-chest contact maximizes pressure and limits their ability to frame or shrimp.
Leverage is only effective when your connection allows you to use your whole body efficiently.

Maintaining Pressure

  • Without proper connection, your ability to apply consistent pressure diminishes, making it easier for your opponent to escape.

Examples

  • Knee-on-belly
  • Staying connected through your shin and weight ensures constant pressure and prevents their escape.
  • Mount
  • Keeping your hips and chest connected to their body limits their ability to bridge or shrimp.
A tight connection increases your pressure, making it uncomfortable and harder for your opponent to move.

Facilitating Transitions

  • Connection allows you to maintain control during transitions, ensuring you can flow smoothly between positions.

Examples

  • Passing guard to side control
  • Staying connected during the transition prevents them from re-establishing guard.
  • Mount to back control
  • Staying tight ensures you don’t lose control while taking their back.
Connection bridges the gap between positions, preventing your opponent from escaping during transitions.

Enhancing Sweeps

  • Sweeps often rely on using connection to manipulate your opponent’s balance and redirect their weight.

Examples

  • Scissor sweep
  • Keeping connected to their sleeve and collar ensures you can off-balance them effectively.
  • Butterfly sweep
  • Connection between your Hooks and their legs allows you to lift and sweep them.
Connection ensures that the force you generate with your sweeps is directly transferred to your opponent’s base.

Amplifying Submissions

  • Submissions are much tighter and harder to escape when you maintain proper connection throughout the technique.

Examples

  • Triangle choke
  • Keeping their posture broken and their head close to your hips ensures a stronger choke.
  • Kimura
  • Staying connected to their shoulder prevents them from rotating out of the lock.
Connection isolates the targeted joint or neck, making submissions more effective and harder to resist.

Neutralizing Escapes

  • By staying connected, you minimize the space your opponent can use to escape, giving you control of the engagement.

Examples

  • Side control
    • Staying tight to their body prevents them from framing or shrimping to recover guard.
  • Guard attacks
    • Connection with your legs in Closed Guard prevents them from posturing out of submission attempts.
A tight connection limits their ability to create space, which is necessary for effective escapes.

Using Your Opponent’s Energy

  • Connection lets you feel and redirect your opponent’s energy or momentum, turning their attacks into opportunities.

Examples

  • Turtle position sweeps
  • Staying connected allows you to roll with their momentum and reverse the position.
  • Arm drags
  • A connected grip and pull redirect their movement, exposing their back for a follow-up attack.
Connection helps you absorb and redirect their energy to work in your favor.

Developing Flow and Efficiency

  • Connection reduces the need for explosive or strength-based movements by relying on precise and synchronized actions.

Examples

  • Flow rolling
  • Maintaining connection helps you move fluidly from one position or technique to another.
  • Guard passing
  • Staying connected lets you flow through different passes based on their defenses.
A good connection promotes smoother, more efficient movements, reducing wasted energy.

How to Improve Connection in BJJ

Focus on tightness

  • In drills and sparring, emphasize keeping your body in contact with your opponent to feel their movements.

Develop grip strength

  • Effective grips improve your connection, especially in gi-based grappling.

Use your entire body

  • Ensure all parts of your body—legs, hips, chest—are actively involved in maintaining connection.

Drill positional control

  • Practice holding dominant positions with tight connection to minimize your opponent’s space.

Slow it down

  • During rolling, deliberately move slower and focus on maintaining connection during transitions.