Use of Weight

After my last blog on the use of leverage I received a number of e-mails requesting that I offer up an opinion on the second deep principle of BJJ – that of weight application. I am happy to read and respond to e-mails but please remember that you can easily leave a comment by just clicking on the Comment Link below this post ; please do so, that way others can chime in and give their two-cents as well. So now, concerning the idea of Using Our Weight …
This was, perhaps, one of the first pieces of advice I was given by my BJJ coaches. And although it was good advice, I clearly remember thinking ‘I need more information’. Telling our students to ‘Use their weight’ is pretty much akin to that roadside sign that cleverly states the obvious – ‘Avoid Windscreen Damage’; as advice goes, it’s just not clear enough – if I were spend more taxpayers money and redesign those signs, they would simply read ‘slow down – loose stones ahead’, or something like that. Anyways, back to the idea of using our weight …
Learning how to apply my weight during grappling has taken many years. In my view it comes to down to five principles – and each time I came to understand each of them (over several decades of training) my grappling improved markedly. I will do my best to explain each of these principles in the order that I myself learned them, over the course of the next five blogs; I could probably do it in one good shot but I think that they are so important, that they each deserve your full and undivided attention; as I said, this has taken me decades to understand, so please pay close attention. I am certain that as you come to fully understand and appreciate these principles your own BJJ will improve considerably. Advice only works if it is clear and if it is taken ….
JBW