Robert Drysdale's Interview About His Documentary on The True History of BJJ

[AnotherOldGuy]

To me, the triangle from closed guard is the most universally effective strategy in jiu-jitsu ( with RNC from back mount a very close second) because it will work 100% of the time against any untrained opponent. That Royce vs. Severn gameplan is to me inexorably linked with what fundamentally makes BJJ unique and effective-- it's not just the technique, but the seemingly counterlogical way it's implemented (slowly, from the back, choking wit the legs rather than arms, seemingly giving up a guard pass)

That's a very good example, and a point I missed - not only did BJJ add far more sophisticated setups, but a major adaption on the whole approach.

Interestingly enough the same applies for judo with throws and wrestling with takedowns. The throws and takedowns themselves haven't changed much in the last century (or I suspect for the last thousand years), but setting them up, and how modern judoka and wrestlers go about the whole match has improved dramatically.

In fact you could argue your point really sums up the difference between judo and BJJ, and in both ways. Both judo and BJJ have basically the same throws and submissions (other than leg locks - interestingly enough those were officially part of judo competition until 1925), but the sophistication and approach of ground work in BJJ and standing work in judo are far in advance of the corresponding groundwork in judo and standing work in BJJ. Its why you can immediately tell if someone is a judoka or a BJJ'er, even when they're using the same core techniques.

A triangle done by a BJJ is (usually) far more effective than one done by a judoka (sankaku jime), an uchi mata done by a judoka is (usually) far more effective than an inner thigh throw done by a BJJ'er, even if the core technique is the same. They set them up, and approach them very differently.