What is the most important Attribute for a grappler? Examples, strenght or power, speed, short, tall, stocky, slim, big shoulders or big thighs legs, arms etc. I know it is good to have all of it, but i am just curious what you guys view is the most important aspect of a grappler. Just Curious
internal drive to win...I for one generally lack that killer instinct that makes the good guys really good
Everyone I've ever trained BJJ with likens it to a "chess game." I for one don't play chess. But the point is that the INTELLECTUAL ability to link moves, think multiple steps ahead of the situation, and do it all quickly, is what really makes somebody good at grappling.
Lets say physically and not mentally. I want to my know how i would do in grappling basd on my body style since i am starting grappling after new years. I am a short guy pretty stocky 5 8 210 I have huge arms shoulders and monster sized thighs lol my strenght is avg for my size. So are the taller skinny guys better for BJJ or th shorter stockier guys better suited for grappling
Unless you're planning on making a career out of grappling you shouldn't worry too much about which body type is going to be better. Pretty much every body type hs its advantages. If you train you're going to be better than if you don't train.
i think mentally a positive attiude outweighs everything. you cant be expecting to always win and be over confident. everyone has an off night and makes mistakes the key is learning from those mistakes and applying it to your game. never get down on yourself is the biggest thing
the main atribute a grappler needs is the will to excel and dedication. But physically wise, explosive and techniques beats everything i guess...just need the drive to back it up.
i agree with the 2nd poster. The drive to win, and striving to be better is the best attribute you could have. I lack the killer instinct as well. I kind of just wanting to be smooth and flow easy..
Yes! Grappling offensively, never grappling to not lose (as weird as that sounds). Wrong mentality: Okay, I'm on bottom, I'd better lock up my guard and hope that he doesn't get past it. I hope I don't lose... Right mentality: I have my guard on him. Now he's in trouble. I'm going to be endlessly attacking him with submissions and sweeps. I WILL win from this position, or get to a better one and win from there. The first is probably going to end in you losing. The second is going to improve your chances by a huge amount of winning. The first is also going to make for a long, boring, uninteresting match. The second is going to showcase aggression, technique, and is going to better represent the art and yourself as a fighter. I'd rather lose a war than win a snoozefest.
Wow, some great responses. It's obvious that there isn't ONE important attribute that makes you a good grappler, but a collection of attributes, as well as a self-knowledge of your characteristics.
Nah, that is not a very useful atribute. Your newby skills will let you lose long before your conditioning runs out. I used to have that all the time when I was starting out with grappling, because I was in excellent shape but had no skills.
I can roll with a purple who's been wrestling, literally, for about an hour and half and dead tired, but can still tap me within seconds, even when I'm fresh. It's not all about conditioning. I think the ability to play like a chess game. Think ahead and know what your opponent will do in reaction to your movements.
Clarification of my earlier post... Most important PHYSICAL attribute for grappling: balance, aka awareness of base and center of gravity, of your own body, and of you + your opponent as a unit. Some wrestlers call it mat awareness. If you have a good sense of that, you don't have to rely on much brute strength or force to manhandle your opponent. Most important MENTAL attribute: ability to think on the fly and react quickly to what your opponent is doing ("flow with the go"), but at the same time anticipate his next few moves, as in a chess match.
