Perfect timing. I really needed to hear this. Recently I started applying some of your guard retention principles and my game improved instantly a point or two. Now I actually get comments from big guys that I defend well. Thank you for making jiu jitsu manageable and enjoyable for us!
Hey man, I wanna thank you for helping my Jiu Jitsu a lot, stepping up my game. I used concepts you showed regarding positions, and it all payed off getting me my first stripe. Thank you.
Good advice. I like the omoplata idea too, I'll have to start working that more. My experience is that if you want to learn to roll with big people, roll with big people. It's was pretty much my go-to when starting out. It will improve all aspects of your game because you can't "cheat" by muscling something the way you might with a smaller person. Starting out it also helps to try to go up two belt levels because purple and brown belts have more control over their game and won't generally have as much of an issue actually teaching where a blue belt might not want to do that out of a sense of pride or a simple lack of knowledge about whatever it is you're working on. So, if you can work with larger, stronger purples and browns when you're a white or a blue you'll find your game growing faster. But that's just my experience with my school. YMMV.
I 100 percent agree I always rolled with much larger opponents my whole career, I think it is a huge factor in my development. The only thing I think about more now after being coach for a long time and getting a bit older, is the injury risk over long period of time rolling with heavier people goes up a bit. So I think it’s reasonable to balance it out sometimes, I always roll with big guys to double check things work but I don’t do it every round like I use to because of the additional weight and explosion and be a bit more damaging.
But for this reason, my cage rib almost broke and now I'm having intercostal pain at the bottom right back. He squezeed my hip with his legs wrapping me from behind and my core muscles are not that enough to resist it. What can I do ?
@@JonThomasBJJ Entirely fair, I've basically done the same thing. This is why I said to go up a few belt levels to people who have more control. They don't tend to feel [as strong of] a need the need to hulk-smash you because they're either past that super competitive going for the W all the time, or they actually compete and get their Ws there. But there are exceptions so you do need to pick who you work with. There are people I know are just meatheads and I roll with them very occasionally, as in I tend to avoid them, for exactly the reason you state here.
@@emre3304 First thing I'd do is heal up. Rib and rib-adjacent injuries suck. Second, think about how this happened and why. How aggressive is this person? Can you ask them to tone it down? Will the flow roll? If not, I'd avoid them until you feel confident that you can avoid having your back taken by them or until you feel you can escape that position. Work those things with other people. There are people who just want to go 110% all the time and sometimes it's best to mostly, or even entirely, avoid them. Especially if you're not 100% healthy. If you want to roll while you're injured just roll with smaller people and tell the bigger guys that you have a rib injury and need to work with lighter people for awhile. 99% will understand that completely. The others are jerks. Find someone who's your size and better than you, belt wise or just more technical and roll with them after explaining the injury. They'll usually go out of their way to avoid that area or anything that would hurt you further.
Wise words for jiu jitsu and life. 🙏 I’m thin framed, and average height, and I’m studying jiu jitsu precisely to fight my limiting beliefs… much more than to fight any person.
Thanks for making this video. I'm one of the lightest guys at my gym and most of the advice I get from my team is "Get bigger." Your channel is a lifeline for me.
This is a spectacular video. I’m an older hobbyist. I have a particular “new” fellow student who is 20 years younger, almost a foot taller, and heavier than myself, he’s also fresh out of the military. Whooo boy! That Boyd Belt theory is in full effect with this one. We stalemate a lot with me coming out on top more often than not…but not enough to submit most of the time. People clear out when we roll. I’ve been thinking about my time with this newer student a lot and this video helps reinforce my thinking. …cause I see helicopter chokes, loop chokes, clock chokes, and back takes a lot in the scramble… Being able to close the deal on those is the challenge.
I heartily concur. Skill trumps size. I am two stripe white belt, 190lb male and I roll with one of my coaches who is a female black belt. I easily have a 40lb advantage and more strength. Her skill and speed destroys me and I just laugh as I realize how helpless I am. At the same time, I have rolled against 250lb+ males with less experience and sub them with ease. Even if they get the mount, it's still not a problem because I can defend and it's only a matter of time before they make a mistake and I escape.
Exactly the fact that, it is possible for her to beat you should shit up everyone who is smaller complaining you beat then because of size. Of course size and strength is an advantage you can acknowledge that but still understand if you work hard enough you can overcome it. Happy to see you have a healthy mindset about training
What an incredible video. I'm an older player, and have trouble against younger stronger people. This is very helpful to think about, and that open guard suggestion is just awesome. Thank you for this!
Helpful conceptual video. I get taken to town often by these wrestlers who are younger, stronger, faster, and started bjj later than me. I would’ve loved to see you sparring with a huge dude at the end demonstrating some these pointers. I guess we can just refer to the Musumeci vs Houmine match as you had alluded to
Absolutely agree with this message. I have 2 killer brothers in my gym, one is 120lbs and the other is 135 and I have seen both of them take out upper level guys (even Black Belt) that were over 220labs multiple times over the years with solid technique. It is perfect Jiu Jitsu, IMO. If these smaller framed guys can do it then anyone can with proper strategy and technique. And, If people need PEDs to win in BJJ then their game isn't as solid as they think it is.
good points on building a game that will work on any body type (up to a certain point). I have moves that always work on people my size, but understanding proper technique is the cure to almost all the problem I've always had against people that's +10kg above me. Thanks a lot!
Really fantastic video/guidance - newbies who are bigger you can catch with anything, but more experienced big guys I’ve had more luck with ankle locks, wristlocks, toe holds, etc. Hard to strengthen those joints…lot of food for thought here…I have to get better at Omaplatas!!
Amazing video Jon, helped me beat my friend😊 it was great inspiration and I have to say that you deserve more than 101k subscribers. I am a grey and white belt, my friend had 2 stripes but before this video I never got a sub or only had the chance to defend myself when I was on bottom position. I love to use the hip bump sweep when i have guard(closed, mainly) because it is a great sweep and mostly you land in mount or any position past the legs. Thx for the video. Super cool k and gregg the egg
Thanks for the pep talk amigo. I’ve been struggling with having an aging body. I was blessed with an athletic body that has always endured the crazy stuff I subjected it to. But I’m closing in on 47 and I’m feeling aches and pains constantly now. I ask guys to roll light with me and for the most part we do. But even light rolling results in me feeling tore up for days (often weeks) afterwards. I don’t blame age for why I lose. I’m just having a hard time feeling achy and beat up all the time. I wish I could juice. I think that would probably help with recovery but I’m trying to have kids right now so I need my balls for a while longer before I can become enhanced.
Love the messages here. Your videos across platforms has helped me alot. Honestly studying Mickey M game has helped me take bigger components. The thing about it is if you are training and small, you know just getting stronger is not going to fix the problem. My take is there must be some sort of technique, some sort of fail safe to help. And there is! knowing when to, how to, and the openings before it pushes to a desperate guard retention fight, and into a smash has been key. You say omaplatas on bigger people are really good? I will mess around with that, thank you!
Next time I do one off these big talking videos Ill try to include more B roll it always feels difficult to me when I’m talking about something abstract to add stuff but I’ll try to make one soon like that
This is perfect I mainly want to get skilled at beating bigger inexperienced opponents for self defense purposes but someone bigger + experience doesn’t bother me since it’s not my goal but definitely will boost my ego
What I got most out of this lesson is how the mindset of creating limiting beliefs/attitudes/mindset on the mat can be carried to one's mindset off the mat as well. Rather than blaming/avoiding the problems on/off the mat, one develops the mindset of finding a better, smarter, efficient solution to the problem. Thank you again @jonthomasbjj !
Great video. I would say that step 1 against bigger people is to survive. If my opponent outweighs me by 20kgs but I can survive 5 minutes against them, my jiu jitsu works. Same in the street: if I can survive being attacked and can walk away, my skills have paid for themselves.
Hee hee hee. 250lb powerlifter here. "baiting the triangle choke because you probably can't finish and then just bulldoze past your guard". Hey! This is exactly what I do. My coach thinks I'm crazy to bait a triangle choke. But I haven't tapped to a triangle choke in over a year. Passed a lot of guards with it though, including black belts... Including the coach. ;) Got a brown belt in our club with 15 years experience who won't take mount on me anymore either. He comes up and walks past my guard and says "seriously? You're just going to let me go straight to mount?" I said, "yup... I've got 3 seconds, it's cool". He laughed and took mount. 1 second later, I was in top side control. And we had a good laugh. After that, I baited him with mount again and he said "nope, not gonna do that again". Granted it was just playing around, not the most serious roll (we're both getting older), but definitely important to know the dynamics for a larger/stronger opponent. Believe it or not, there's much bigger and stronger guys than me out there too, so I need to know this stuff too.
Some people don’t want to accept this- but there are certain positions that are absolutely not worth playing with a certain size difference. Mount is one of them. In the BJJ rule set where we can’t strike- mount is silly vs someone 100lbs bigger who knows how to move at least a little bit. When your knees can’t touch the ground while mounting someone- yeah… probably best to play a n/s or side control based top game.
@@ObligatoryPun Indeed. Note this, I have technically submitted some massive 220, 6.3 students (I am 6.0, 180), with ankle locks, and kimuras. I thought he would mention something about leg lockers catch giants.
I find a really good thing to do is just get a really good game from the bottom. I am in a uni club where a lot of people are bigger and stronger, so I'd often find myself trying to work something from guard or side control or even mount. And then I got good at that. And then it became fun. I'm not saying it's a perfect solution, but having a guard that people are afraid to be in really helps when rolling with bigger opponents.
@@JonThomasBJJ yes I agree, I would tend to exclude the likes of triangles against the big fellas. As you mentioned, I would certainly include omaplata against a big boy. Like Royce vs Akebono😄 So much good info to take from this video. Thank you
My fave video so far - you can supplant “stronger bigger” w “faster more athletic younger etc “ We set our own limitations based on our insecurities; we should be building our games based OUR own attributes/ limitations, not our opponents
part of the "issue" though is that people want to beat a bigger person in a fight, not a match. in a match you can game the system and play on the edge of the rules,you can play for points or you can stall. not so if you need to actually cripple or put someone to sleep before he does you
I usually do with the technique videos but with more conceptual talk I have tried to keep it just audio, but I will try on some future videos adding some B Roll in to support what I am saying
Hmm I think it’s hard to say, I have seen small people in no gi upset bs big opponents a lot. Lachlan at ADCC recently Fabricio Beating Giancarlo. Also in gi you see small guys do it like Lepri vs Kaynan. I’d say it’s close to equal. Personally I feel I can contain them a little better in gi though
I would love to ask a more experienced practitioner about some of this. I have tried to do so on various groups but I simply get flamed or trolled. A lot of BJJ (as experienced personally) just does not work against much bigger attackers. I am 200lb, so I agree I am fat and over weight. But many of the smaller ladies cannot dislodge me from a mount. They cannot even bridge. I try to be respectful, I do not resist, other than to allow 60%-70% of my body weight to be dead weight. I am not an AH, I do not use my full weight, that is simply rude and disrespectful. So I would love to talk to others about what techniques or tactics are less weight /size sensitive. Not sure who else I can ask Happy to DM, or …. Chat wherever, just looking to learn and be respectful. I do not want to be ‘that guy’ that simply taps or does not resist at all, I want to be a good training partner for all.
Some "specific training" starts with the bigger guy on top, so I have no chance to use open guard to keep them away. What is your strategy for that situation? Thanks
They always say the best juijitsu people can use someone's weight against them. You should do a video on how we can misdirect a heavy person's weight for our advantage. Also thank you for your videos.
Yeah I think it’s more about using their force against them more than their weight actually. That’s actually the topic of my next video, I refer to it as push pull, but I go in depth on this and show it in tons of different situations. Gonna be a Greta video
Are rear naked chokes and back takes good strategy against bigger opponents? I am a 63 kg (around 135 pounds) white belt and I find that those often work for me, as I am flexible and nimble enough to sink the hooks in from weird positions and the position seems adventageous enough that even bigger people often struggle with defending the choke. I might just be getting lucky though.
I am the same weight. me personally I like the rnc because I am fast and small its easy for me to excess to the back and besides that rnc is a high percentage choke if its deep enough it almost never fails even with bigger opponents.
Ok but I've been told to go for certain techniques that I want to learn every roll. Example triangle choke and then to chain to arm bar if I can't finish. So I've been rolling with the mind set of I'm going to triangle and maybe arm bar everyone I roll with until I become good at triangles. Is this wrong in your opinion? Thanks
Really like how you break things down even if I don’t always fully agree. However I’m currently only able to roll no-gi, is there anyone you would recommend in no-gi that you see as a kindred spirit?
Once your technique is at 100%, you can add strengh variable. But if you using strengh and have a mindset "I need to be stronger" but you have not perfect technique, then when you will be against a opponent with same strengh or stronger but more technical, it won't work. So yes it's mostly about techniques But in my opinion, most important thing is to isolate variables and always think about "why it didn't work ?" and "why it worked ?" And btw shin to shin always work vs bigger people
That’s what I’m going for, a lot of people put something on and listen so it’s nice to have something you can just listen to and learn. Wish I could show technique that way, but it’s pretty hard to explain a Berimbolo with words lol
Something that a big guy might not have that a you might is speed, agility and flexibility. So the bigger person might have his size and strength but a small opponent also has an advatage. As a bigger guy, i find it irritating when people say things like "you're so strong" "you only beat me because you're bigger and stronger". Asking a bigger opponent not to use his size and strenth is like asking a smaller guy not to use his speed, or flexibility, or agility.
@@JonThomasBJJ I think it can be.. as a bigger guy it’s hard to fit in those little gaps, especially when your opponent can put his leg behind his head
Can you do a video next on how to get inside position on someone smaller than you please?. There's this annoying little person in my gym that I can't seem to get inside position on in rolls lol
I started jiu jitsu 2 months ago... Im the weaker guy in the class, first classes workouts i would just finish down in the ground, but i didnt give up im 44 years old and 65kgrs 3x a week, and im loving it, but im the weaker one, even the coach told me to chance class cause its too hard for me, i didnt give a fk... But still lose all and get subed most the time😢😢... Will not give up
@@MessMerOfAMan brother last week rolling i dislocated the last ribb, been a pain, but its recovering, i cant do much strenght or explosite stuff, so i just stand guard and wait to get subed, but but i started changing positions just with small tech moves, and im super super happy! Imagine in few weeks at 100% eheh Im portuguese, im sorry i practice in a BR academy i dont know the names of jiu jitsu stuff in english... Big hug!! Stay safe good practice!
So Josh I am good at guard retention with gi .but without gi I get passed all the time what's the meta Because you cannot control them with frames in nogi
I weigh 165, I have a rolling partner who is the world record bench press holder age 40+ at 165, he walks around at 195 lol. He is a great training partner, just hard to submit because he is so strong
I want to comment on the belief part. These are often what are called schema in psychology and it may take some real internal subconscious mind work to deconfirm these beliefs. Keep rolling 😁
Yeah it’s really deep rooted stuff that honestly I took for granted since I have always had that mindset when I started, I see how much it’s not common in people who start training.
I'm 125lbs and my gym is full of behemoths. 175lbs is the next smallest guy. They teach big guy bjj and get PISSED when I play spider guard. I'm way faster and more flexible than these guys. I also have a much deeper tank. I concur with all you've said in this video. It all starts with the mindset that these overweight mouth breathers aren't going to beat me.
Yeah it’s funny I have seen that at so many gyms they start hating on more advanced guards, I think it’s because they don’t like losing the ability to exert their force, they are frustrated that they can’t impose their athleticism or weight when you lock them up
It can sometime feel more natural if they are more muscle because the weight proportions are more similar, where as someone with more fat has a different weight distribution maybe.
I don’t work no gi much these days but attacking the legs and going for heels hooks are great as you can win by submission but also when they defend it’s easier to convert to a sweep, more so than wrestling up vs someone stronger.
For sure! You don’t need to roll with them all the time but you want to designs your game so if you had to you can do it. As I am older now I don’t always roll with the ultra heavyweights, but every now and then I do it just to test my game.
@@crokengaming yes, this is till very challenging for me, but I'm getting better at dealing with it. There have been times I've felt like tapping to pressure and was relieved when they took my back. At least I wasn't getting smershed into the mat anymore...always need more RNC escape and counter practice, hahah....
I’m no stripe white belt and I beat 3 stripe white belt who is 205 I’m 130 pounds on the dot lol (he was trying) also I don’t think I should be a no stripe white belt but I am
I was going to start roids till i watched your video.
Perfect timing. I really needed to hear this.
Recently I started applying some of your guard retention principles and my game improved instantly a point or two. Now I actually get comments from big guys that I defend well.
Thank you for making jiu jitsu manageable and enjoyable for us!
So happy to hear it buddy! Means a ton knowing the stuff I show is making a difference for people on the mat!
Hey man, I wanna thank you for helping my Jiu Jitsu a lot, stepping up my game. I used concepts you showed regarding positions, and it all payed off getting me my first stripe. Thank you.
Good advice. I like the omoplata idea too, I'll have to start working that more.
My experience is that if you want to learn to roll with big people, roll with big people. It's was pretty much my go-to when starting out. It will improve all aspects of your game because you can't "cheat" by muscling something the way you might with a smaller person. Starting out it also helps to try to go up two belt levels because purple and brown belts have more control over their game and won't generally have as much of an issue actually teaching where a blue belt might not want to do that out of a sense of pride or a simple lack of knowledge about whatever it is you're working on.
So, if you can work with larger, stronger purples and browns when you're a white or a blue you'll find your game growing faster. But that's just my experience with my school. YMMV.
I 100 percent agree I always rolled with much larger opponents my whole career, I think it is a huge factor in my development.
The only thing I think about more now after being coach for a long time and getting a bit older, is the injury risk over long period of time rolling with heavier people goes up a bit. So I think it’s reasonable to balance it out sometimes, I always roll with big guys to double check things work but I don’t do it every round like I use to because of the additional weight and explosion and be a bit more damaging.
But for this reason, my cage rib almost broke and now I'm having intercostal pain at the bottom right back. He squezeed my hip with his legs wrapping me from behind and my core muscles are not that enough to resist it. What can I do ?
@@JonThomasBJJ
Entirely fair, I've basically done the same thing. This is why I said to go up a few belt levels to people who have more control. They don't tend to feel [as strong of] a need the need to hulk-smash you because they're either past that super competitive going for the W all the time, or they actually compete and get their Ws there.
But there are exceptions so you do need to pick who you work with. There are people I know are just meatheads and I roll with them very occasionally, as in I tend to avoid them, for exactly the reason you state here.
@@emre3304 First thing I'd do is heal up. Rib and rib-adjacent injuries suck.
Second, think about how this happened and why. How aggressive is this person? Can you ask them to tone it down? Will the flow roll? If not, I'd avoid them until you feel confident that you can avoid having your back taken by them or until you feel you can escape that position. Work those things with other people.
There are people who just want to go 110% all the time and sometimes it's best to mostly, or even entirely, avoid them. Especially if you're not 100% healthy.
If you want to roll while you're injured just roll with smaller people and tell the bigger guys that you have a rib injury and need to work with lighter people for awhile. 99% will understand that completely. The others are jerks. Find someone who's your size and better than you, belt wise or just more technical and roll with them after explaining the injury. They'll usually go out of their way to avoid that area or anything that would hurt you further.
Wise words for jiu jitsu and life. 🙏
I’m thin framed, and average height, and I’m studying jiu jitsu precisely to fight my limiting beliefs… much more than to fight any person.
Thanks for making this video. I'm one of the lightest guys at my gym and most of the advice I get from my team is "Get bigger."
Your channel is a lifeline for me.
get stronger not bigger
This is a spectacular video. I’m an older hobbyist. I have a particular “new” fellow student who is 20 years younger, almost a foot taller, and heavier than myself, he’s also fresh out of the military.
Whooo boy!
That Boyd Belt theory is in full effect with this one.
We stalemate a lot with me coming out on top more often than not…but not enough to submit most of the time.
People clear out when we roll.
I’ve been thinking about my time with this newer student a lot and this video helps reinforce my thinking.
…cause I see helicopter chokes, loop chokes, clock chokes, and back takes a lot in the scramble…
Being able to close the deal on those is the challenge.
The boyd belt band is a huge myth. Its style vs style, technique vs technique, etc, etc.
There’s a 250 lb judo black belt in my gym now. This video is exactly what I needed lol
Yeah it’s always difficult dealing with big and explosive judokas, hope this video helps give you resolve to keep working at it
Are you in Vancouver?
Good luck 😂
lol 270lbs at mines not a black belt but still a monster 😵💫🥶😤😎🤗👊
I heartily concur. Skill trumps size. I am two stripe white belt, 190lb male and I roll with one of my coaches who is a female black belt. I easily have a 40lb advantage and more strength. Her skill and speed destroys me and I just laugh as I realize how helpless I am.
At the same time, I have rolled against 250lb+ males with less experience and sub them with ease. Even if they get the mount, it's still not a problem because I can defend and it's only a matter of time before they make a mistake and I escape.
Exactly the fact that, it is possible for her to beat you should shit up everyone who is smaller complaining you beat then because of size. Of course size and strength is an advantage you can acknowledge that but still understand if you work hard enough you can overcome it. Happy to see you have a healthy mindset about training
Love your videos! Very clear fundamentals and makes me wanna learn more and more! Thanks!!
What an incredible video. I'm an older player, and have trouble against younger stronger people. This is very helpful to think about, and that open guard suggestion is just awesome. Thank you for this!
Happy to help! Yeah thinking about age is very similar to overcoming size. If you are technical enough you can overcome a lot
All I heard was I should be baiting triangles.
Ahahahahah basically yes!
I really needed to hear this. Thanks for giving me a roadmap
No problem I think the mindset it a major issue for most people
Helpful conceptual video. I get taken to town often by these wrestlers who are younger, stronger, faster, and started bjj later than me. I would’ve loved to see you sparring with a huge dude at the end demonstrating some these pointers. I guess we can just refer to the Musumeci vs Houmine match as you had alluded to
Not only great Jiu Jitsu advice but also great life advice. Whether you think you can or cannot, you’re correct. Thanks for the video!
No problem happy to help! And definitely mindset plays a huge role in every aspect of life
Absolutely agree with this message. I have 2 killer brothers in my gym, one is 120lbs and the other is 135 and I have seen both of them take out upper level guys (even Black Belt) that were over 220labs multiple times over the years with solid technique. It is perfect Jiu Jitsu, IMO. If these smaller framed guys can do it then anyone can with proper strategy and technique. And, If people need PEDs to win in BJJ then their game isn't as solid as they think it is.
good points on building a game that will work on any body type (up to a certain point). I have moves that always work on people my size, but understanding proper technique is the cure to almost all the problem I've always had against people that's +10kg above me. Thanks a lot!
Analysis paralysis. Dude dropped a pearl
Analysis paralysis is a major thing in combative sports, gonna do a full video on it at some point
Sad that I missed your seminar in Montreal. This is a very good video
Really fantastic video/guidance - newbies who are bigger you can catch with anything, but more experienced big guys I’ve had more luck with ankle locks, wristlocks, toe holds, etc. Hard to strengthen those joints…lot of food for thought here…I have to get better at Omaplatas!!
Amazing video Jon, helped me beat my friend😊 it was great inspiration and I have to say that you deserve more than 101k subscribers. I am a grey and white belt, my friend had 2 stripes but before this video I never got a sub or only had the chance to defend myself when I was on bottom position. I love to use the hip bump sweep when i have guard(closed, mainly) because it is a great sweep and mostly you land in mount or any position past the legs. Thx for the video.
Super cool k and gregg the egg
Thanks for the pep talk amigo. I’ve been struggling with having an aging body. I was blessed with an athletic body that has always endured the crazy stuff I subjected it to. But I’m closing in on 47 and I’m feeling aches and pains constantly now. I ask guys to roll light with me and for the most part we do. But even light rolling results in me feeling tore up for days (often weeks) afterwards. I don’t blame age for why I lose. I’m just having a hard time feeling achy and beat up all the time. I wish I could juice. I think that would probably help with recovery but I’m trying to have kids right now so I need my balls for a while longer before I can become enhanced.
Really great video, Jon!
Love the messages here. Your videos across platforms has helped me alot. Honestly studying Mickey M game has helped me take bigger components. The thing about it is if you are training and small, you know just getting stronger is not going to fix the problem. My take is there must be some sort of technique, some sort of fail safe to help. And there is! knowing when to, how to, and the openings before it pushes to a desperate guard retention fight, and into a smash has been key. You say omaplatas on bigger people are really good? I will mess around with that, thank you!
Spitting truths there! Thanks mate 🙏 I think if you included videos with examples would have been better
Next time I do one off these big talking videos Ill try to include more B roll it always feels difficult to me when I’m talking about something abstract to add stuff but I’ll try to make one soon like that
@@JonThomasBJJ thanks for responding. I love your content as always
I live your content , bad ass man
This is perfect I mainly want to get skilled at beating bigger inexperienced opponents for self defense purposes but someone bigger + experience doesn’t bother me since it’s not my goal but definitely will boost my ego
dude...thank you for this. 1 stripe white belt here really struggling with the larger guys of similar skill.
What I got most out of this lesson is how the mindset of creating limiting beliefs/attitudes/mindset on the mat can be carried to one's mindset off the mat as well. Rather than blaming/avoiding the problems on/off the mat, one develops the mindset of finding a better, smarter, efficient solution to the problem. Thank you again @jonthomasbjj !
Great video. I would say that step 1 against bigger people is to survive. If my opponent outweighs me by 20kgs but I can survive 5 minutes against them, my jiu jitsu works. Same in the street: if I can survive being attacked and can walk away, my skills have paid for themselves.
Awesome video. I’m 135lbs so almost everyone I roll with is. Other and stronger than me. Thanks for the wisdom on this topic!
This is such a great video as always!
very wise words at end of clip. thanks jon
Really well done…thank you for all the great tips and strategies. Will be thinking about these things as this week of training starts!
Happy to hear it! Good mindset is a huge component of your training
This is the truth alot of smaller people need to hear
I’m 270 and 6’2” I’m here to learn like a little guy. It’s the best way to roll.
One hundred percent big guys who can roll like the small guys are always the best.
Dude. This was magic. Thank you.
Great tips 👏🏼👏🏼
Hee hee hee. 250lb powerlifter here.
"baiting the triangle choke because you probably can't finish and then just bulldoze past your guard".
Hey! This is exactly what I do.
My coach thinks I'm crazy to bait a triangle choke. But I haven't tapped to a triangle choke in over a year. Passed a lot of guards with it though, including black belts... Including the coach. ;)
Got a brown belt in our club with 15 years experience who won't take mount on me anymore either.
He comes up and walks past my guard and says "seriously? You're just going to let me go straight to mount?"
I said, "yup... I've got 3 seconds, it's cool".
He laughed and took mount. 1 second later, I was in top side control. And we had a good laugh. After that, I baited him with mount again and he said "nope, not gonna do that again".
Granted it was just playing around, not the most serious roll (we're both getting older), but definitely important to know the dynamics for a larger/stronger opponent.
Believe it or not, there's much bigger and stronger guys than me out there too, so I need to know this stuff too.
Some people don’t want to accept this- but there are certain positions that are absolutely not worth playing with a certain size difference. Mount is one of them. In the BJJ rule set where we can’t strike- mount is silly vs someone 100lbs bigger who knows how to move at least a little bit. When your knees can’t touch the ground while mounting someone- yeah… probably best to play a n/s or side control based top game.
@@ObligatoryPun Indeed. Note this, I have technically submitted some massive 220, 6.3 students (I am 6.0, 180), with ankle locks, and kimuras. I thought he would mention something about leg lockers catch giants.
Thank you for your inspirational insights, Jon. 🤜💥🤛
No problem always happy to help!
I find a really good thing to do is just get a really good game from the bottom. I am in a uni club where a lot of people are bigger and stronger, so I'd often find myself trying to work something from guard or side control or even mount. And then I got good at that. And then it became fun. I'm not saying it's a perfect solution, but having a guard that people are afraid to be in really helps when rolling with bigger opponents.
Excellent content! So important to make these considerations.
I think the exclusionary vs inclusionary decisions is a major component
@@JonThomasBJJ yes I agree, I would tend to exclude the likes of triangles against the big fellas. As you mentioned, I would certainly include omaplata against a big boy. Like Royce vs Akebono😄 So much good info to take from this video. Thank you
My fave video so far - you can supplant “stronger bigger” w “faster more athletic younger etc “
We set our own limitations based on our insecurities; we should be building our games based OUR own attributes/ limitations, not our opponents
The beginning of that video was unexpectedly deep.
I needed this 🙏❤
Happy it helped
part of the "issue" though is that people want to beat a bigger person in a fight, not a match. in a match you can game the system and play on the edge of the rules,you can play for points or you can stall. not so if you need to actually cripple or put someone to sleep before he does you
Excellent video
Good ideas but you should add clips of what you're talking about as well.
I usually do with the technique videos but with more conceptual talk I have tried to keep it just audio, but I will try on some future videos adding some B Roll in to support what I am saying
I agree with you 100%. Quick question, do you think it's more difficult to beat a bigger opponent in Gi or No-Gi on average? Genuinely curious
Hmm I think it’s hard to say, I have seen small people in no gi upset bs big opponents a lot. Lachlan at ADCC recently Fabricio Beating Giancarlo. Also in gi you see small guys do it like Lepri vs Kaynan. I’d say it’s close to equal. Personally I feel I can contain them a little better in gi though
Soldier mentality like
Great video
I would love to ask a more experienced practitioner about some of this. I have tried to do so on various groups but I simply get flamed or trolled.
A lot of BJJ (as experienced personally) just does not work against much bigger attackers. I am 200lb, so I agree I am fat and over weight. But many of the smaller ladies cannot dislodge me from a mount. They cannot even bridge. I try to be respectful, I do not resist, other than to allow 60%-70% of my body weight to be dead weight. I am not an AH, I do not use my full weight, that is simply rude and disrespectful.
So I would love to talk to others about what techniques or tactics are less weight /size sensitive. Not sure who else I can ask
Happy to DM, or …. Chat wherever, just looking to learn and be respectful.
I do not want to be ‘that guy’ that simply taps or does not resist at all, I want to be a good training partner for all.
I can answer your question sir.52, 6.0, 180, seasoned grappler (early 2000s).
Some "specific training" starts with the bigger guy on top, so I have no chance to use open guard to keep them away. What is your strategy for that situation? Thanks
They always say the best juijitsu people can use someone's weight against them. You should do a video on how we can misdirect a heavy person's weight for our advantage. Also thank you for your videos.
Its called Judo, origin of JiuJitsu
Yeah I think it’s more about using their force against them more than their weight actually. That’s actually the topic of my next video, I refer to it as push pull, but I go in depth on this and show it in tons of different situations. Gonna be a Greta video
Are rear naked chokes and back takes good strategy against bigger opponents? I am a 63 kg (around 135 pounds) white belt and I find that those often work for me, as I am flexible and nimble enough to sink the hooks in from weird positions and the position seems adventageous enough that even bigger people often struggle with defending the choke. I might just be getting lucky though.
I am the same weight. me personally I like the rnc because I am fast and small its easy for me to excess to the back and besides that rnc is a high percentage choke if its deep enough it almost never fails even with bigger opponents.
Ok but I've been told to go for certain techniques that I want to learn every roll. Example triangle choke and then to chain to arm bar if I can't finish. So I've been rolling with the mind set of I'm going to triangle and maybe arm bar everyone I roll with until I become good at triangles. Is this wrong in your opinion? Thanks
Really like how you break things down even if I don’t always fully agree. However I’m currently only able to roll no-gi, is there anyone you would recommend in no-gi that you see as a kindred spirit?
Lachlan Giles for sure, I’ll eventually start making more no gi content but gonna work on it for a while my self
@@JonThomasBJJmuch appreciated :)
Was about to move up weight classes 😂
Haha well it’s good to move up anyway if you feel you are healthier there
That shirt looks very comfortable
Thanks Jon
No problem
Thank you for this information 🤙 I’m only 5’6” 150lbs.
What about things to do when passing guard?
Once your technique is at 100%, you can add strengh variable. But if you using strengh and have a mindset "I need to be stronger" but you have not perfect technique, then when you will be against a opponent with same strengh or stronger but more technical, it won't work. So yes it's mostly about techniques
But in my opinion, most important thing is to isolate variables and always think about "why it didn't work ?" and "why it worked ?"
And btw shin to shin always work vs bigger people
Absolutely true if you are use to fighting strong people it makes you have to get your technique together quicker, you can’t be imprecise
Level change then run away.. my best move tbh
appreciate content I can learn solely on audio… :)
That’s what I’m going for, a lot of people put something on and listen so it’s nice to have something you can just listen to and learn. Wish I could show technique that way, but it’s pretty hard to explain a Berimbolo with words lol
Great advice for bjj and life!! 😱😱👍👍🙏🙏
When it comes to moves I would say arm drags as well. Shout out Marcelo Garcia
Yeah armdrags are great choice
Please do no gi more often
Slowly starting to work it, will be adding content as I feel more comfortable with it
Thanks
Something that a big guy might not have that a you might is speed, agility and flexibility. So the bigger person might have his size and strength but a small opponent also has an advatage. As a bigger guy, i find it irritating when people say things like "you're so strong" "you only beat me because you're bigger and stronger". Asking a bigger opponent not to use his size and strenth is like asking a smaller guy not to use his speed, or flexibility, or agility.
Very true and honestly mobility can be just as much of an advantage and size can be
@@JonThomasBJJ I think it can be.. as a bigger guy it’s hard to fit in those little gaps, especially when your opponent can put his leg behind his head
idk if this is legal or dirty but if u put ur fist into a locked triangle it doesn’t matter if they stack you get the tap
Can you do a video next on how to get inside position on someone smaller than you please?. There's this annoying little person in my gym that I can't seem to get inside position on in rolls lol
Can you elaborate more, what are you referring to with inside position? You mean in between the legs when you are passing or, underneath in x?
@@JonThomasBJJ when passing to secure side control. Always manages to close space
I started jiu jitsu 2 months ago... Im the weaker guy in the class, first classes workouts i would just finish down in the ground, but i didnt give up im 44 years old and 65kgrs 3x a week, and im loving it, but im the weaker one, even the coach told me to chance class cause its too hard for me, i didnt give a fk... But still lose all and get subed most the time😢😢... Will not give up
Dude im 15 58 kg and train all the time with adults. Dont give up
@@MessMerOfAMan brother last week rolling i dislocated the last ribb, been a pain, but its recovering, i cant do much strenght or explosite stuff, so i just stand guard and wait to get subed, but but i started changing positions just with small tech moves, and im super super happy! Imagine in few weeks at 100% eheh
Im portuguese, im sorry i practice in a BR academy i dont know the names of jiu jitsu stuff in english... Big hug!! Stay safe good practice!
Relax, breath, patients
So Josh I am good at guard retention with gi .but without gi I get passed all the time what's the meta
Because you cannot control them with frames in nogi
I weigh 165, I have a rolling partner who is the world record bench press holder age 40+ at 165, he walks around at 195 lol. He is a great training partner, just hard to submit because he is so strong
Yeah people like that can crazy to roll with sometimes when they bench press out of a lot of positions. I like collar chokes a lot vs people like that
I want to comment on the belief part.
These are often what are called schema in psychology and it may take some real internal subconscious mind work to deconfirm these beliefs. Keep rolling 😁
Yeah it’s really deep rooted stuff that honestly I took for granted since I have always had that mindset when I started, I see how much it’s not common in people who start training.
I'm 125lbs and my gym is full of behemoths. 175lbs is the next smallest guy. They teach big guy bjj and get PISSED when I play spider guard. I'm way faster and more flexible than these guys. I also have a much deeper tank. I concur with all you've said in this video. It all starts with the mindset that these overweight mouth breathers aren't going to beat me.
Yeah it’s funny I have seen that at so many gyms they start hating on more advanced guards, I think it’s because they don’t like losing the ability to exert their force, they are frustrated that they can’t impose their athleticism or weight when you lock them up
Great! Most of the guys are bigger so it is always for me 20-40kg difference.
Same for me I weigh 68kg and I’m often rolling with 95kg
I like going against bigger and strong guys over just bigger soft guys. Rigid bodies are easier for me to deal with so far hahaha.
It can sometime feel more natural if they are more muscle because the weight proportions are more similar, where as someone with more fat has a different weight distribution maybe.
@@JonThomasBJJ that and your frames seem to sink into fat.
If we were all meant to just do jiu jitsu than we would all be the same size
I'm serious about beating Pateta, Robin and Max!
Ahahahahah
What open guard to use for nogi?
I don’t work no gi much these days but attacking the legs and going for heels hooks are great as you can win by submission but also when they defend it’s easier to convert to a sweep, more so than wrestling up vs someone stronger.
I’m 105lbs I’ve beaten some people almost double my weight. It’s possible but definitely hard asf .
👍
The most effective solution is to get bigger and stronger than them! :)
I' m purple belt (60 kg).... I' m fight only black belt 2 degree (90kg)... My life is very hard😂
The difference is often 55 pounds (25kg)
I just want to survive with the 100 kilos guys😪
For sure! You don’t need to roll with them all the time but you want to designs your game so if you had to you can do it. As I am older now I don’t always roll with the ultra heavyweights, but every now and then I do it just to test my game.
To sum in uo: "Get gud" :D
Hahahaah best summary ever
I'm getting smashed and flattened out in mount.
I’ll try to cover this on a video in next few months
I get flattened out a lot in half-guard. I got the underhook...YAY...but I'm smashed flat and can't do anything with it.
@@crokengaming yes, this is till very challenging for me, but I'm getting better at dealing with it. There have been times I've felt like tapping to pressure and was relieved when they took my back. At least I wasn't getting smershed into the mat anymore...always need more RNC escape and counter practice, hahah....
100%😊
Thanks!
I’m no stripe white belt and I beat 3 stripe white belt who is 205 I’m 130 pounds on the dot lol (he was trying) also I don’t think I should be a no stripe white belt but I am
I disagree with most of your moves should work on bigger stronger people body type changes what works and doesn’t work
Great video
Thank you!