Alignment is crucial for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and movement in general.
Generating force with a twisted spine is incredibly challenging, if not nearly impossible.
When you visit a gym and observe the major lifts such as bench press, deadlift, and squat, you'll notice they all require you to maintain a straight spine.
Now, let's talk BJJ. You're all familiar with the cross-face, right? That's a prime example of this principle in action. But, in my opinion, we're not using it enough. We need more!
We're always going on about kuzushi at 80/20 BJJ Coach, but we're missing a piece of the puzzle. Unbalancing our opponents isn't just about getting physical. We're looking to shake things up on all levels.
💡 John Danaher loves the word 'kuzushi', right? But it's about more than just physical imbalance.
If you twist your opponent's spine, you're unbalancing them on more than just one level: Not only are you messing with their physical balance (duh!), but you're also messing with their force generation, their movement confidence, and their proprioception (that's a fancy way of saying: their perception or awareness of their body's position and movement).
Some folks think you need a big, controlled twist to benefit from this. Not true!
If you're savvy with your "twist generation" (yeah, I just made that term up 😂), you can make it work, even if you can only keep it up for a hot second. It's all about timing. An arm-drag, for example, creates torque on their spine as you move to the opposite side, momentarily impairing their ability to generate strength and move quickly... this moment is your chance to take their back.
Another nifty trick is to keep on rotating. Don't let yourself get stuck in front of your opponent. This might not seem as obvious as actually twisting their spine, but making them adjust to face us will always cause a little twist.
Remember JD's leg lock DVD? He shows how to close the distance by stepping to the opponent's hip. This gets them adjusting, twisting, and gives us a chance to close in.
In wrestling, constant hand fighting and angle gaining allow you to out-tempo your opponent. The same concept applies here; by generating kuzushi and twist, you can stay one step ahead of your opponent and initiate an offensive cycle.
So, here's your homework for the week. Try generating some spinal torque. Make your opponent weaker, slower. Don't focus on using the "correct" techniques… Just do it! Twist their spine in any way and let me know how it goes.
I'd be thrilled to hear about other ways you consistently generate twist and kuzushi, so hit reply!
Thanks, as always, for reading.
Enrique 👊