Try hard as hell to get that sub, or change my position?

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thesaadishsnake

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I'm a BJJ whitebelt and during one rolling session I was attempting to put the guy in an armbar from sidemount. I had his arm, but it wasn't fully extended because he was grabbing onto his other hand. Now this guy had a really strong grip, and I tried to break it, but moved to mount because I didn't want to go apeshit trying to rip his arm off (it was just training after all).

However, what should I have done instead? I know there are some things you can do to loosen the guy's grip (I just forgot what they were). In general though, should I work on putting all my effort into the sub, or move to a better position instead?
 
thesaadishsnake said:
I'm a BJJ whitebelt and during one rolling session I was attempting to put the guy in an armbar from sidemount. I had his arm, but it wasn't fully extended because he was grabbing onto his other hand. Now this guy had a really strong grip, and I tried to break it, but moved to mount because I didn't want to go apeshit trying to rip his arm off (it was just training after all).

However, what should I have done instead? I know there are some things you can do to loosen the guy's grip (I just forgot what they were). In general though, should I work on putting all my effort into the sub, or move to a better position instead?
Click to expand...

They teach you how to break grips in BJJ. /thread
 
Well, since you apparently haven't learned to break that grip (very easy once you learn it), best to abandon a lost sub and take a dominant position if that's an option. But if you think you can still get the sub, then go for it.
 
i would get a blue belt or better in your class to educate you on finishing armbars...then drill that during your next sparring session.

in your situation, i believe you did the right thing...doing the wrong thing would have gotten you in an inferior position.
 
Lots of ways to break that arm loose, but depends on how he is holding.
 
Try hard as hell AND advance your position.

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Niether, relax. Stay calm in your position, then eventually finish the sub.
 
you should have switched to a mounted triangle.

or learn how to break grips.

you could roll the technical way, if a sub attempt does not work after 5 seconds, just switch to another attack/move.
 
Position before submission was the correct call.

I know how to break grips for armbars, but I don't always have the opportunity to do so, so I have to abandon the attack to maintain control.
 
This is an interesting question, if your just rolling for fun or whatever (ie. to get better) than i would say use a more "catch and release" type of train of thought. Meaning find subs positions and move on.

but recently my instructor has been emphasizing the importance of "being possessive", meaning once you get ahold of an arm, it is yours!!!! You possess it!!! It belongs to you!!!

Makes since since one of his masters nickname is "the arm collector":icon_chee

So sometimes i would work for the finish no matter what or at least make sure you don't give the arm up if you have it isolated!!
 
After you've been training for a while you develop a sense of whether your sub attempt is going to be finishable or not. It's not just about pulling/squeezing, it's about making little adjustments.

With the armbar grip break thing, I try to break the grip for about ten seconds, and if I still can't I try to go to mount or take the back and try for a different submission.
 
redaxe said:
After you've been training for a while you develop a sense of whether your sub attempt is going to be finishable or not. It's not just about pulling/squeezing, it's about making little adjustments.

With the armbar grip break thing, I try to break the grip for about ten seconds, and if I still can't I try to go to mount or take the back and try for a different submission.
Click to expand...

This. Also, as people have mentioned before, position before submission is key. What you did in your situation was correct in that since you didn't know how to properly break his grip, (which should now be on your plate of things to drill) you bailed, but continued to maintain control in a dominant position, allowing you to continue your attack.

Remember that BJJ is a strategic game, much like chess. You don't want to exert so much energy in your attack when your opponent is properly defending because it can lead to you spending your entire gas tank. This can lead to not only not finishing the submission, but because you're so tired, that you lose your dominant position. You must be thinking 2-3 steps ahead.
 
MBGracieBarra said:
You don't want to exert so much energy in your attack when your opponent is properly defending because it can lead to you spending your entire gas tank. This can lead to not only not finishing the submission, but because you're so tired, that you lose your dominant position. You must be thinking 2-3 steps ahead.
Click to expand...

this was a good chunk of my strategy when I first started out.
 
MBGracieBarra said:
This. Also, as people have mentioned before, position before submission is key. What you did in your situation was correct in that since you didn't know how to properly break his grip, (which should now be on your plate of things to drill) you bailed, but continued to maintain control in a dominant position, allowing you to continue your attack.

Remember that BJJ is a strategic game, much like chess. You don't want to exert so much energy in your attack when your opponent is properly defending because it can lead to you spending your entire gas tank. This can lead to not only not finishing the submission, but because you're so tired, that you lose your dominant position. You must be thinking 2-3 steps ahead.
Click to expand...

Good advice.

I will add, why are people so afraid to ask questions to the person they were rolling with? Almost all the times, if I ask a higher belt a question, they'll explain to me, and often show me the proper technique to get out of it. It really a guess as to what is better to do in this scenario without seeing what actual position you were in. If I had to guess, I would say position first because you do not know the proper grip breaks.
 
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