The better the pressure, the easier the finish...

One of the main concepts in Jiu-Jitsu is pressure. Pressure, in my opinion is one of the most effective ways to show superior technique, but can also show that a person has not yet grasped the fundamentals of the art. Jiu-Jitsu is based on controlling your opponent and eventually incapacitate him/her. This cannot be done without the right amount of pressure and positioning. Now when I talk about pressure I don't mean just plopping your fat ass on top of someone. There is a difference between pressure and just being plain ol' heavy from weight and burgers. Applying pressure the right way consists of nothing but technique, mainly because it involves proper angles and placement of your body. To back up that claim, think back to a time when you have rolled with a 170lb guy that made you feel as if you were thrown in a trash compactor, and at the same time think back to when you rolled with a 220lb guy that felt like a beach ball. It is all in the technique.

The great thing about pressure being a technical aspect rather than a physical one is the fact that anyone can apply it. Like in the example previously stated, sometimes the lightest guys feel the heaviest and it is a testament to the sport, anyone can do it! I got a good lesson in pressure from Prof. Carlos a few months back. He was watching me roll with a guy and he noticed that I kept bouncing from position to position never applying pressure and always missing submissions. He told me what he had noticed and suggested that I control my opponent to the point where he is so uncomfortable that he hands me submissions on a silver platter. This made so much sense to me because around that time I couldn't submit a corpse. So I began to work on applying the most amount of pressure I possibly could in each and every position that allowed it. The best compliment I have ever gotten after that day was "Geez man, how much do you weigh???". Lol.

Which brings me to my next point, the thing I love about pressure is that it affects your opponents mental state more than their physical (but in some cases it can affect both equally). It gives off the illusion that you weigh more than you really do, causing your opponent to question his own sanity. "This guy just told me he weighs 175, but he feels like he is 300lbs...am I going bananas?". Pressure gives a feeling of being trapped and helpless, and when we become trapped we begin to revert back to our primal instincts which usually involves flopping around and hoping we will get out. Have you ever thrown a sheet over a dog and held him? They go fuckin nuts!!! The same thing with humans, we go crazy because when good pressure is being applied and your opponent is settled...chances of escape is slim to none and therefore you go in "by any means necessary mode" to escape. I have had black belts ball me up so bad I felt like I was stuffed in a mason jar and thrown in a well. No matter what I tried to do, I was trapped. This is why they say position before submission, because good positioning almost always involves great pressure, and great pressure almost always will get you the finish. Do Work!