The Importance of Body Mechanics

I’ve been spending a lot of time this week focusing on body mechanics. The goal is to teach students how they can maneuver either their own body or their opponent’s body through the use of technique rather than brute strength. For instance, it’s important to learn how to off-balance your opponent. Just as one would do standing up in Judo, the same principals apply on the ground.

I’ve caught myself using phrases such as, “When you’re faced with a brick wall, don’t try to go through it, but rather go around it. When you can’t move your opponent, move yourself.”

“There’s always a path, you must find the right one.”

I’m convinced my students are starting to think I’ve gone off the deep end with my philosophical approach. When I tell them to “be like water,” there has to be a student or two who’s thinking to himself, “Did he just tell me to be like water? Are you kidding me?”

Of course I realize that not everyone will understand at first. It’s a slow process of developing these skills over a long period of time. I imagine a student repeating over and over, “Don’t go through the brick wall. Don’t go through the brick wall. I do not see any brick walls here. Why would I even think about going through a brick wall anyway?”

One of my favorite sayings comes from Roseberry Shihan, “Let it make sense.” I always understood this to mean that I shouldn’t make things too difficult. Instead of getting all wrapped up in trying to think about a new technique so much so that I couldn’t even do it, I should just do it. Don’t think about it too much, just let it make sense.

These examples are but a few. My purpose here is not to try and cover every aspect, but rather simply point out the importance of body mechanics. These same principals are valid in the application of submissions as well. Rather than trying to force on a submission, one must have the proper position. We then must have at least a basic understanding of body mechanics in order to obtain the desired result.

This first short video clip shows Rickson Gracie countering an attempted takedown. Yes, Rickson is an awesome athlete, but if you watch closely, he merely found the right leverage and the correct path. This allowed him to defend and escape the takedown.

This second short clip has Ari Bolden showing how to find a different leverage point when applying the ude garami (Americana). It’s nothing more than redirecting your energy. Rather than focusing on your arms, it is the movement of your body that gets the tap.



Notice how Ari Sensei lowers his hips. This body positioning is often times overlooked because it doesn't feel correct. It's considered to be counterintuitive. What feels right to most beginners is to be up on the knees. The problem is that your opponent will have leverage to escape. Take a look at this short clip of Fedor Emeliananko defending an improperly applied Americana by Mark Hunt. Hunt is supporting his own weight on his knees, thus allowing Fedor the space and leverage to escape. This second part of the clip shows Fedor securing the Americana and getting the tap. Notice how Fedor attempts to get it when Mark has him trapped in half guard. When Fedor frees his leg, he lowers his hips and engages his body to get the tap.



The bottom line is that body mechanics are important. It's not enough to know how to "do" a submission or how to do a movement. You must learn how to "get" the move or submission. This is where all of the fine details come into play. This is where a better understanding of body mechanics pays off.