A lot of people think about pressure in BJJ as weight applied to your opponent while in a top position. Of course, this is exactly how I thought about pressure too when I first started training and it isn't wrong, just too simple. During rolling I would hear sideline coaches say "good position, now pressure"...drop your hips, shoulder in his jaw the whole nine. However, as my game evolved I started to notice that pressure meant a ton of things (no pun intended). Even more than my current interpretation.
Lately I have been using the car analogy to explain pressure to a few new folk at my school. Maybe I am completely missing the point, but it makes total sense to me and how I apply pressure in my everyday game.
To me pressure in conjunction with good posture, is the energy applied to your opponent in order to make him react the way you want him to. I think of pressure in 3 different ways: the car chase, the roadblock, and my favorite the dropped piano (lol). These three pressures IMPBO, seem to alleviate the issues I come across when rolling with an unwilling opponent. Sometimes you have to move, sometimes you have to block, and sometimes you just gotta crush.
The car chase is the type of pressure that forces your opponent to make rash decisions. For example, constant hip movement and thoughtful transitioning in cross sides top. In the beginning your opponent may be able to keep up with your movement, but eventually he will make a mistake. The car chase basically means always keeping your opponent on the run...until he eventually falls off a cliff or something.
The roadblock is the type of pressure that makes your opponent feel as if you are taking every available option away from him. Imagine driving the way you normally go home and the road being blocked, how inconvenient right? So you think, and take the second route but that to is closed. Frustrated now huh? Ok, well what about Jackson St...nope. I feel this pressure a lot when I am trying to escape and it feels as if I have nowhere to go, and absolutely no leverage. The person isn't necessarily moving or applying a lot of weight they are just blocking my options.
The dropped piano is the type of pressure where you just can't move out of a position due to well...pressure. This is just someone who knows how to really spread you on the mat like butter on toast. You may be able to swing your legs, wiggle your arms, even upa...but you ain't going nowhere.
I like to think that everyone uses these pressures in their game and to me it is all based on pace. The car chase is obviously the fastest, with roadblock in the middle, and dropped piano the slowest. Of course, these pressures consist of many different elements from blocking out the hip in side control, hip movement during passing or guard work, to proper head control in the harness when regaining back control.
Figuring out when and where to apply certain pressures to your opponent is key to gaining control and getting the fight where you want it.
Thanks for reading,
Jei
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