This past Saturday at Crossroads Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu we drilled a sequence of techniques to create a flow drill. A flow drill is what we call a series of techniques that create an endless loop and allows each person to practice each of the techniques. Saturday our flow drill consisted of 4 techniques which looped through 3 different positions, the guard, side control, and back mount. We started this BJJ class with a very basic stack pass, this technique teaches the top jiu-jitsu player how to improve their position by moving from inside the bottom jiu-jitsu players guard to the top of side control. From side control, we covered a technique to help maintain top position when the bottom jiu-jitsu player has a strong elbow escape and they are able to get onto their side. In this technique the top jiu-jitsu player circles around the bottom jiu-jitsu players head. Once the top player has avoided getting entangled in the bottom jiu-jitsu players legs we covered a technique that moves the top player from side control to back mount. From this position we include an escape for the bottom player in order for them to escape the back position and end up on top inside the guard. This escape to the top position allows the jiu-jitsu player who was on the bottom to new work the same series of techniques that the person now on the bottom just worked through.
The benefits of rolling drills are there ability to simulate sparring in a controlled environment. Often times when we drill one technique at a time it becomes difficult to integrate them into our repertoire of techniques and then use them in sparring. By performing them in a series or flow we can add the elements of timing into each technique and begin linking techniques more smoothly than when technique are practice individually. When you begin linking techniques in Jiu-jitsu they become much easier to execute because the person defending them has less time to react.
Rolling drills also help you stay relaxed while performing techniques because we are spending 15 to 30 minutes doing these drills without stopping. If you are not relaxed, and staying calm you will not be able to move through the drill for such a long period of time, this can be equated to going for a nice jog, as opposed to running sprints, resting then then running more sprints. Staying relaxed while sparring is one of the most important skills you can learn early in your jiu-jitsu training, because jiu-jitsu relies more on feeling your training partners movements than seeing them if you are not relaxed it is much more difficult to accomplish this.
If you are interested in learning Brazilian Jiu-jitsu are live in the New London CT area stop by and watch or try one of our Fundamentals of Jiu-jitsu classes. Each class is designed for Day 1 students to be able to jump right in and understand exactly what we are trying to accomplish and build a solid foundation in BJJ. Stop by see how easy it is to get started.