Are you considered "technical"?

Calibur said:
Oh yeah. I get "wow your legs are really long!" more than anything else these days.
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Yeah I get that a lot too. Usually from guys who I just submitted with a triangle choke. :icon_twis
 
I actually got "watch out, this guy is technical" when I was a white belt from Jacare Cavalcanti to one of his bluebelts before we rolled. This, while it could be viewed as a huge compliment coming from a guy like that, is a joke really. It's like watching two kids playfighting in the yard and being like "watch out for your little brother, he's got skills" ... you're just doing well for an infant.

Anyway, "technical" I think accompanies a lot of bigger guys who play guard. I do it and so I get that sometimes. However, if you get top position, even if you're not putting lots of pressure on smaller guys, it's not uncommon for people to say "you're so heavy" or "strong." Relatively speaking that's true, but a lot of people use it to justify not doing as well as they'd like against a given sparring partner.

One thing I often say to those guys to boost confidence and make them rethink a bit is "smaller guys progress better. I was bigger and could often get away with BS technique b/c I was strong and explosive, so I would learn the wrong thing. Then I had to unlearn it at blue belt. If you're small and rolling with bigger guys, chances are you'll ONLY learn the right way b/c often with a size disadvantage you MUST have leverage on your side for a technique to work. So, you will have little/less to un-learn at blue belt and will be faster to purple" Although that will vary for everyone, it seems to make sense as a general matter.
 
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I had one of my instructors recently tell me that he can feel that I'm really strong but, I'm technique and not strength. It made me feel pretty good
 
Yeah, I think "technical" is pretty much the only adjective left (besides "good") that you can call someone in BJJ and not have it be construed as a backhanded compliment. I'm kind of sick of how delicately you have to choose your words when talking to your training partners to avoid bruising their egos. Please don't ruin this one, guys. There's no hidden meaning to calling someone "technical," it just means they have good technique. It's a compliment, period.
 
Most recently the other purple belts at my gym have been telling me my game is annoying. Mixed compliment I think. They have a very hard time trying to pass my guard, and often can't but I probably should be attacking more. As always I am just trying to improve on all parts of my game, peaks and valleys... peaks and valleys :)
 
fiftysvn said:
lol i've always been on the receiving end of the "technical" comment and it's usually said after i get my ass kicked. being "technical" is some crappy consolation prize!
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This is my experience as well. Still, its usually well-meaning. I'd rather be told that I'm "very technical" (meaning in this case that I either don't rely on strenght much, or that I am weak and slow) than just get a "Wow, you suck."

redaxe said:
Yeah, I think "technical" is pretty much the only adjective left (besides "good") that you can call someone in BJJ and not have it be construed as a backhanded compliment. I'm kind of sick of how delicately you have to choose your words when talking to your training partners to avoid bruising their egos. Please don't ruin this one, guys. There's no hidden meaning to calling someone "technical," it just means they have good technique. It's a compliment, period.
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I take it as a pure compliment. I'd rather be a weak technical guy than a weak spazzer. I don't injure people, I have no problem adjusting my pace, pressure and use of strength to match that of my opponent if it s neccessary. When I get submissions, sweeps, takedowns or just plain survive, I can seldom attribute my success to anything but technique, and that feels really good. When I am called "technical", it doesn't mean that I have good technique, but that I am much more reliant on technique than any other of my attributes, and that I don't spazz.

This is a compliment, and I am glad for it. It just doesn't neccesarily mean that I am good, even if it doesn't exclude it.
 
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odd.

i was told i'm technical on numerous occasions and it was always after beating someone up. it might be because i have the physique of aoki and noone in their right mind would call me strong. so when they get tangled up and tapped out, it's the only logical explanation.
 
hustles said:
Most recently the other purple belts at my gym have been telling me my game is annoying. Mixed compliment I think.
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Yep, for me "annoying" is the best compliment a better player can give me!
 
don't separate strength and speed. It's all about power. If you have to use significant power (moving force) to accomplish moves, then you're not using technique, as a rule. You need static strength to do anything in BJJ, but you only revert to power if you are in a position where you can't use leverage, i.e. technique.

I don't know if that made sense or not...just trying to point out that technique is using the right move at the right time to exploit the holes in your opponent's game. It may be appropriate to do it fast or slow, but you shouldn't have to use both a lot of strength and a lot of speed as a rule, if it's a solid technique.
 
being a big guy i get the "Your big" treatment a lot, but when people watch me roll, they do tell me I am technical.
 
I try to be technical, and given I give up weight usually I probably am at least a good deal technical.
 
Never technical, but strong, fast, and "man, you put me in some wierd positions"

All compliments in my book.
 
No but i rarly fight on bottom i usally feet on hips or just try to spin to turtle and charge for a fucking double
 
lechien said:
I totally agree with you.

people that use speed are called spazzers.
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Yea... tell that to Leo Viera, Tyrone Glover, Bill cooper, and a bunch of other top level grapplers that have great speed, technique, and timing.
 
Uchi Mata said:
don't separate strength and speed. It's all about power. If you have to use significant power (moving force) to accomplish moves, then you're not using technique, as a rule. You need static strength to do anything in BJJ, but you only revert to power if you are in a position where you can't use leverage, i.e. technique.

I don't know if that made sense or not...just trying to point out that technique is using the right move at the right time to exploit the holes in your opponent's game. It may be appropriate to do it fast or slow, but you shouldn't have to use both a lot of strength and a lot of speed as a rule, if it's a solid technique.
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Technique and power, speed or strength are not exclusive, technique is the skillfull application of power, strength or speed to achieve and objective in an efficient manner
 
i'm still a noob so no, not very technical at all.
 
I usually get told I move good... I guess that's a nice way pf
Of saying "you know how to roll but still suck"
 
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