Attack, Test, Defend - How do you fight and train?

You fight like you train!

Within BJJ there are three states or modes to the fight game. These states are simply these: attack, test and defend. Each mode is distinctly different and each mode can and will impact way you fight in a tournament. Always remember you generally fight like you train. In some cases guys that fight great in the school freeze on the mat or simply change their focus and fold on the mat. It sounds strange but it happens. Some people enjoy the unknown challenge that awaits them tournament day and others simply don't enjoy the process and experience of a large tournament.

So back to my point. I have been taught a very aggressive style of BJJ, not aggressive like I'm gonna kill you in a street fight but rather aggressive in the sense that in a tournament our team takes the stance of winning by attrition. I simply attack, attack, attack until finally you become board, tired or frustrated and I catch you. It's an aggressive style that nets results.

When you train it's important to focus on the style of fighting you train and do. do you find most often you are sitting back defending, turtling or all together avoiding opening up and taking risks? Are you too passive or being timid in practice? If you think you are you are stuck in defense mode, always stopping an attack, always being cautious and waiting for something to happen.

Conversely do you find in practice you get caught a lot by team mates simply because your are opening up your guard and working sweeps and attacks to find ways to tap your partner? "In order to find victory at times you need to throw the dice" John Munoz my instructor has taught me overtime. Even the best have to open up and take risks. We learn to take risks by testing our game in practice.

If you find daily you are pressing your opponent, always seeking the quickest most effective and efficient finish in your training you are in attack mode. You like the push your matches and see what mistakes are made. You take risks but quickly counter when caught by a surprise counter attack. Your goal is to finish each match with an air tight choke, arm bar, triangle or leverage.

Each mode has it's place and every student trains through these various stages daily or at least through their growth in the art. I have found that I use each stage through out my training. There are times when I will defend in turtle or on my back to see how my opponent will assert their hooks or try to pass. Their attempts may open up opportunities for me to counter and then take a dominant position. Still other times I like to test, I try new escapes, sweeps, passes, submissions. I want to find out what works for me. And yet other times I will enter attack mode and pressure my opponent to find the quickest solution to their game.

I think it's important to realize when you are in a certain mode and learn to switch form mode to mode while training. You will need strong abilities in all three modes if you seek success in the studio or in competition.

enjoy the daily routine of practice and enjoy learning new techniques each day and week. Use your testing mode to work new moves into your game and use them often to master them for your attack mode.

Oh ya and really work on what I call "hitting the reset button" that is to say, sometimes you simply I have to hit the eject button on a failed attack and get back to neutral (closed guard) while controlling your opponents posture. You have to have techniques in place that will allow to get back a neutral position quickly and efficiently if you get stuck or caught in an attack.

Happy training,

KK