Gripfighting

[SummerStriker]

It's not about holding a dominant grip all the time.

The bread and butter is initiating an attempt to gain a dominant grip, forcing your opponent to react to you.

I grab you.
You grab me.
I advance and threaten.
You counter.
I advance and threaten.
You counter.

This is a good deal for me so long as the way in which I'm conducting myself prevents your counter from doing more than evening things out. If I'm doing all the attacking, I'll probably win at some point.

It is hard to hold a dominant grip permanently, but by forcing reactions, you have room to attack.

 

[inverted vortex]

Refer to the 2-on-1. It's a pretty demoralizing grip to go up against. In the gi you can control someone's arms or legs or upper body with the right grips, letting you dictate the pace, range or movements of a roll if applied properly. Is this a real question?

Grips are super important.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

Refer to the 2-on-1. It's a pretty demoralizing grip to go up against. In the gi you can control someone's arms or legs or upper body with the right grips, letting you dictate the pace, range or movements of a roll if applied properly. Is this a real question?

Grips are super important.

In jacket styles, the 2 on 1 seems like it would be best if you were standing on the opponents side, and away from his free arm, but isnt that more about the footwork, and positioning than the grips because once you are on that side you can take any number of different grips.

But I can see what you mean in a non-jacket sense though like high school wrestling.

If you had the 2 on 1 in front of your opponent, can the opponent do the same thing back to you in the jacket of course?

 

[orangeclay]

In jacket styles, the 2 on 1 seems like it would be best if you were standing on the opponents side, and away from his free arm, but isnt that more about the footwork, and positioning than the grips because once you are on that side you can take any number of different grips.

But I can see what you mean in a non-jacket sense though like high school wrestling.

If you had the 2 on 1 in front of your opponent, can the opponent do the same thing back to you in the jacket of course?

I think folk are forgetting that you don't get a dominant grip and then stand still allowing your opponent to then grip or break your grip. You get your grip and then that grip allows you to do something else and you continue. I think this might sometimes get lost in the typical basic grip drills where you grip then your partner breaks your grip and then you grip and so on.... This isn't what happens live where you grip and then you continue to advance your position with the help of the grip.

 

[Thrawn33]

Too much thinking.
Bow on
Get grip
Ostogari
Ippon
Bow off
Repeat

Get medal
Drink Beer

 

[Chr9is]

^^^

Sigh.. if only.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

I think folk are forgetting that you don't get a dominant grip and then stand still allowing your opponent to then grip or break your grip. You get your grip and then that grip allows you to do something else and you continue. I think this might sometimes get lost in the typical basic grip drills where you grip then your partner breaks your grip and then you grip and so on.... This isn't what happens live where you grip and then you continue to advance your position with the help of the grip.

I understand that, but what if he blocks your initial attempt, arent you still supposed to try and keep the grip you have for followups?

 

[FatherSauce]

Depends? If it's still a favorable grip you may keep it.

 

[Kalma]

As a newbie I too think about grips and often feel the instruction is "grab here and here" but there isn't necessarily any explanation as to why we are gripping there and what the pros and cons of that grip are.

I tried judo for a smidge of time and found the idea behind some of the grips seemed more apparent. In bjj it seems hazy and at times I'm unclear as to why I'm doing what I am doing .

OP,...I'm glad you asked this

 

[deadlizard]

Someone should be spending more time training instead of asking stupid questions on Sherdog.

 

[Irenaeus]

TS never did specify which art(s) he practices...

I kind of have to believe he's talking about BJJ. I can't fathom a judoka asking that question. You guy's aren't lazy about your grip fighting.

 

[Lemniscate]

Thanks guys for the very informative answers. I train BJJ twice a week and Judo once a week so slow progress. I was watching a BJJ video that mentioned grip fighting and it made me wonder what grip fighting actually is. I've learnt how to break grips and shit but I was never taught the point of it all.

 

[The Colonel]

[YT]lTOmSjc-yVE&list=PL8B9F45015EDDB3A5&index=46[/YT]

Grip fighting is extremely important, especially in stand up but also on the mat as well. I'm a purple belt in jiu-jitsu who also cross trains in judo, and whenever the judo guys come to jiu-jitsu, they have a huge advantage in grip fighting, even on the mat. With many of them I may be the better grappler on the mat, but I'm very conscious about their grips and do everything I can to keep them from getting a good grip on me. If they get a dominant grip chances are good that they will really make me work to stop their passing game, and if they do pass and pin me it sucks.

Learning how and where to grip is very important, but equally important is learning how to strip and break grips.