What makes people strong in Jiujitsu

Deltafarce

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somewhat of a strange question but I’ve had guys look huge and very strong and then you roll with them and there’s not much strength. Then I’ve rolled with some tall thin guys that are strong everywhere. Is some of it just natural strength as opposed to some guy who is trying to look a certain way as opposed to lifting for true strength?

Or maybe just Jiujitsu strength and no weights but getting strong by grappling ?
 
I think you’re talking about pure physical strength, but what I’ve noticed as a seasoned newby :) is that there are the technically strong BJJ’ers and then there are those that have strong body awareness and positional dominance. You mentioned the “skinny guy” that are stronger than expected- I think they’re “stronger” because they have a great base and know how to apply a ton of pressure from the top position. Anyhow, once again, this is from a FNG’s “don’t know shit” perspective so apologies to all if I’m all FUBAR.
 
People who are skilled at jiu jitsu can find the right position and use it to exert optimal pressure. There's a 130-pound woman at my gym who feels like she weighs 200 when we roll. She just knows how best to get in people's space and find leverages.
 
Practice. But being strong for your weight and flexible are advantages
 
I've heard John Welbourn (NFL O-Line) describe it as being gym strong vs being field strong, and it makes a ton of sense to me. Somehow at our place the ripped fireman/powerlifter with a 600lbs+ bench press feels weaker than the lanky Senegalese dude who doesn't know what a barbell is, it's just surreal.
 
I've heard John Welbourn (NFL O-Line) describe it as being gym strong vs being field strong, and it makes a ton of sense to me. Somehow at our place the ripped fireman/powerlifter with a 600lbs+ bench press feels weaker than the lanky Senegalese dude who doesn't know what a barbell is, it's just surreal.

I wonder if this is a case of a guy that recognizes he could easily overpower others, so he rolls lightly and tries for technique over using brute force. Or, it could be a case of a guy that doesn’t know how to use his weight to apply pressure.
 
You are mistaking being strong with feeling strong
 
I've heard John Welbourn (NFL O-Line) describe it as being gym strong vs being field strong, and it makes a ton of sense to me. Somehow at our place the ripped fireman/powerlifter with a 600lbs+ bench press feels weaker than the lanky Senegalese dude who doesn't know what a barbell is, it's just surreal.

Of course he feels strong. He’s from Senegal. -_-;
 
I wonder if this is a case of a guy that recognizes he could easily overpower others, so he rolls lightly and tries for technique over using brute force. Or, it could be a case of a guy that doesn’t know how to use his weight to apply pressure.
It seems to me that most often the roidhead dudes just go for brute Force and try to force something impossible and they are just super tired for the rest of the rolls and they are super tense so they carry their own weigth.
 
It's mostly about skill. People who are very good feel much stronger than they are because they're creating a lot more force and pressure than you're used to from similarly sized folks who aren't as good. I've had white belts ask me how to deal with my power, and what I tell them is that it's not power it's proper technique but that they're not good enough yet to know the difference. You have to get to a certain level before you can distinguish raw power from someone just being very good.
 
People who are skilled at jiu jitsu can find the right position and use it to exert optimal pressure. There's a 130-pound woman at my gym who feels like she weighs 200 when we roll. She just knows how best to get in people's space and find leverages.
The 90 pound 16 year old girl that held me down when I started was the reason I knew I had to learn what this art had to offer. Strength is overrated.
 
I wonder if this is a case of a guy that recognizes he could easily overpower others, so he rolls lightly and tries for technique over using brute force.

There's definitely some of this at play too.

There's a guy at my gym who's like the fucking hulk. 6'4", 250lbs, fast, flexible, technical, and strong as a motherfucker... But basically never uses his strength.

It's very easy to forget he's as strong as he is... Until you get him in a bad position and he just bench presses you off him.

But also, what everyone has been saying is true. "Strength" in BJJ is more often than not just good technique.
 
Someone who knows how to apply pressure (ie, grappling skill) will make someone feel helpless and unable to do anything he wants to do.

Feeling helpless and unable to do anything you want to do can be a distressing experience for people who have never or rarely ever faced explicit limitations to their power, and this feeling is so often interpreted as...

'Wow you're really strong (unlike me who is refined and technical).'
 
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When it comes to strength, this kind of strength, functional strength applied with a purpose, I think it comes down to a few things. The biggest, I believe, is using strength correctly so it can be used to the greatest possible effect. In other words, if you think of your mind as the general, and each muscle group as an individual foot-soldier, you have to know which soldier to use, when to use it, how to use it, and which opponent to use it against.

For example, you wouldn't want to put your grip and biceps strength against an opponents hips, legs, or back muscles. Especially not in a straight up one-on-one battle. But in a quick, powerful, unexpected attack it may be possible for your grip/biceps to win a singular battle against those larger muscles groups.

Aside from knowing when to use what muscle groups, I also think individuals have a sort of baseline level of strength that they tend to use when executing whatever movement we're talking about. In the heat of battle, when conscious thought takes a bit of a backseat to instinct and training, some people are hardwired to implement a greater degree of their total strength. These people are also going to feel stronger.

And finally, I believe different individuals possess different kinds of strength. Some possess incredible static strength but not much explosive power. Some are extremely explosive. Some have that ridiculous squeeze. Different people will feel stronger in certain situations.
 
Mechanical advantage
That too. Leverage is extremely important. Some people have a real affinity for placing their joints in the ideal angle to exert maximum amount of pressure. Also, I find that some people also have a natural ability to breathe properly while others need to learn how to do these things.
 
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