The concept of positional hierarchy is integral to the understanding of jiu jitsu. It refers to the ranking of different positions in terms of their relative dominance and control. Not all positions are equal, and some are more advantageous than others.
In a jiu jitsu match, each fighter is constantly trying to achieve positional dominance. Being in a dominant position is desirable because it almost always means that gravity and/or leverage is on your side. You are also safer when in a dominant position because it will be more difficult for your opponent to submit or apply leverage against you.
Jiu jitsu players need to understand the positional hierarchy to strategise and prioritise their movements during a match effectively.
The concept of positional dominance
Advancing through the different positions can be likened to climbing a ladder. Considering the different fundamental positions encountered in jiu jitsu, there is a clear hierarchy.
The guard is considered the evenest position and occupies the centre of the ladder. Some players prefer to play guard and look for attacks and sweeps to advance their position or finish the fight. Other players prefer to pass the guard, advancing their position to the more dominant side control position. There is no clear dominance in being either on top or bottom.
Side control is considered more dominant than guard, and the top player has higher positional control and more attacking options. Knee on belly is a special side control position; in some ways, it is more dominant as more attacking options are available. The top player, however, sacrifices some control as a trade-off, and these two positions occupy roughly the same position on the ladder.
Next on the hierarchy is the mount position. The top player has excellent control over the bottom player's upper body from the mount. Many attacking options are available from the full mount, especially chokes and armlocks. It also offers the possibility of improving your position further by moving to back control, especially if the bottom player rolls onto their stomach in an attempt to defend.
At the top of the positional hierarchy is the back control position. This position is considered the most dominant due to the amount of control it allows the attacker and the easy access it gives to the neck for chokes and strangles. It is sometimes called the 'king of all positions' in jiu jitsu.
There are many other positions in jiu jitsu, such as the open guard, half guard, north-south and turtle positions, each with its own level of control and dominance.
The positional ladder
Most jiu jitsu instructors and high-level players agree that the positional ladder is as follows:
The concept of transitioning
To advance your position to a more dominant one, you will have to go through a 'transition'. Transition refers to any period during a match in which neither grappler has an established position or a movement from one position to another.
The goal should always be to ensure that any transition ends with you in a dominant position. If you initiate a transition, it should always end with you in a position superior to the one in which you were previously.
If your transitions are good enough, they can become an intermediate form of control. Truly great grapplers switch so quickly and fluidly between superior positions that their opponents become confused and ineffective.
The basic formula
Jiu Jitsu can be broken down into the following basic formula:
1. Take your opponent to the ground using a throw or takedown.
2. Transition to a dominant position as efficiently as possible.
3. Use leverage to finish the fight by applying a choke, strangle or joint lock.
Another way of expressing the formula is:
TAKEDOWN → TRANSITION → POSITION → SUBMISSION
Your goal should be to improve your position or finish the fight with a submission. Most beginners skip 'position' and go straight for the 'submission'. But the problem is that without the control afforded by the dominant position, it will be extremely difficult to finish the opponent.
If you want to progress as quickly as possible, do not focus too much on finishing your opponent. Instead, look at the game from a positional strategy perspective and learn how to control your opponent comprehensively first.
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