Control Based or Movement Based: What’s Effective Path in BJJ?

When you first enter the world of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, you meet with a lot of confusion. There are a lot of confusing points in the solution, of which you definitely need proper guidance. This is the reason it is always recommended to start BJJ by joining an academy or by training under an instructor. This will help solve a majority of your confusion one by one. One of these is whether you should opt for control or a movement path. Both are effective, and both have benefits, but which one should you take, and what is the reason behind that selection? That is the real question that stresses many BJJ beginners. So you don’t need to be confused anymore. The article gives the details of the answer with the logic and facts, which will clear your mind and provide you with the answer for yourself.

The movement based BJJ game is all focused on the movement of the practitioner. In this path, the athlete depends on their movement to make a technique successful, defend against their opponent’s moves, and escape from any trap set by the opponent. They constantly try to keep them in motion. With motion, they do everything from executing a technique to submitting their opponent. It is a very good approach to win the game because if you are moving slowly or showing little to no movement, then it is very easy for your opponent to execute any technique against you and trap you in a somewhat submissive position.

The control based Brazilian Jiu Jitsu game focuses a lot more on controlling your opponent. The control is very important in a BJJ game, whether you are training, sparring, or grappling in a professional BJJ match. You should have control over yourself, your body, and your posture, and in the same way, your opponent should be in your control all the time, or at least most of the time. You should have the whole game in your control. You should not be depending on your opponent; they give you the opportunity to control and lead the game. You need to take the first step yourself and create the opportunity. Control your opponent’s body, their actions, movements, and every other thing, such as the strategy they use or implement in the game. So this is all that control in a BJJ game looks like.

It is easy for you to grapple against your opponent when you know their game strategy. Isn't it right? Yes! Absolutely. This is because you can now make your strategy tailored specifically to them, as you know what they are going to do next and how they are going to do it. So you should know whether your opponent is following the movement or control approach.

Now you know what the movement based game in BJJ is, but you don’t know anything about it in detail. Let’s dive into this in detail.

• Many people think that it is very difficult for you to know whether your opponent is movement based or not. But this is a misconception. You can easily know about your opponent after just a few seconds of the start of the game.

• For this, you should observe the movements of your opponent and the pace or speed at which they are making them. You should also observe at what pace they are shifting or switching their positions and movements from one to another.

• Once you know these things, it is enough for you to know about your opponent. If they are continuously in movement, i.e, they are more in a movement than in a static position, it is their first indication for following the movement based approach.

• You will see them continuously transitioning from one position to another in the hope of gaining a dominant position over you and submitting you. They will be scrambling. You can imagine this as the great Muhammad Ali dancing on the stage all the time. The same thing BJJ practitioners do in the BJJ competition. They will continue dancing until they get what they want. So this is the indication of your opponent being a follower of the movement based approach of BJJ.

• Not all the time should you be moving, and also not every time should you be trying to control your opponent. Mostly, you need to pick one of the two to continue or start leading your opponent. Also, not everyone can do both. So it is more dependent on the person doing it rather than the strategy itself.

• The movement based approach is perfect for people, and perhaps only for the people who are young and very energetic. This approach depends a lot on your energy and your physique. If you are a fat and lazy person with no energy, you cannot do it. There is no question for you to pick between movement and control. So choose this only if you are young and have good stamina. Other things that you need to pick this approach are that you should be creative enough to know what movement you are going to make next. You should not be making random movements without thinking about anything deeply.

• So, better be creative to make effective movements and not random or stupid, which will not be good for you and will put you in a trap of your opponent. You must also be unpredictable. What most BJJ athletes do is continue following the same exact strategy that they had before the match. This gives their opponent a hint for every next move they will make. So the result is they have become predictable. So you should not be predictable. It is very bad for your game. Instead, make random but effective movements against your opponent. This will make your game even more effective. So if you can do this and make unpredictable moves, then follow this approach.

Now you should think about when is the golden time or opportunity for you to follow this approach. The best opponent for this approach is a person who is slow and doesn’t execute quick and robust movements, i.e., the opponents who like to grapple at a slow pace. If you need transitions at the start of the match or for guard retention, you should follow this approach. Another opportunity is when you know the movement will make a good impact on your game or match and make you lead the match.

The following are the pros or benefits of following the movement based BJJ path:

Training and preparing yourself for movement based fighting in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gives you several benefits, such as:

Your physical fitness improves to the next level. While preparing for the movement based approach, the most important thing or quality you need to have is physical fitness. You must be at least physically fit to execute the movements while training. After this, when you start training, your physical fitness starts improving because you are moving quickly and making robust movements. So gradually your fitness levels improve.

The second benefit you gain is the improvement in your cardio. Cardio means your cardiovascular health, which is a common term used in training and workouts. While training, you make such movements that directly affect your cardio levels. Your heart health improves, and your blood circulation becomes better.

Another benefit you get is an increase in your flexibility. Your quick movements, and that too in all directions, make you much better at it, which has a direct effect on your body’s flexibility. Your bones become more flexible and are able to make such difficult movements that you thought were impossible for you to make.

The fourth benefit you get is that your mental health improves. It is very necessary for you to think sharply, quickly, and effectively to make quick movements throughout your match. At the start, you may not be very good at this. You may not be able to make such quick movements by thinking sharply. But soon, with time, you learn this while training for movement based BJJ game. Your mind becomes better each day. Your mental health improves, and your mind becomes sharp and quick with time. All of this starts reflecting in your daily life, too. So this is really a big benefit that you get only by training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, following a movement based approach.

The fifth benefit you get is better problem solving skills and improved self defense. To solve a particular problem, what do you need? A sharp brain that can make quick and right decisions. Throughout your training in BJJ, the one thing you learn is continuously trying to move yourself in a right and effective way. You try to do two things. The first is to trap your opponent and put them in a submissive position. The second thing you do is to get yourself out of a bad position if you are trapped. So you become better with time in both these things, and these are the same things that reflect in your life, and hence you learn how to solve a particular problem quickly and effectively. With such quick and effective movements with a better and sharper mind, you are also able to defend yourself against criminals, such as in street fighting, positively.

The following are the cons or disadvantages of following the movement based BJJ path:

The first common disadvantage is that the risk of injury increases to a great extent. This does make sense because you are making a lot of quick and robust movements. Your game depends on your movement because this is all that you have learnt during your training. So you are prone to injury with every move.

Another disadvantage you can get is that you cannot get proper positional control. This control is very important for you to dominate your opponent. But with movements all the time throughout your match, you cannot develop positional control.

The third disadvantage of using the movement based approach is that you cannot use this approach or path in a real fight or something like that, which is totally unpredictable for you. It is best suited for a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu match, which is not completely unpredictable. But if you do it in street fights, for example, then you will get yourself in more danger by exposing yourself due to making continuous movements.

With a continuous moving pattern, you will automatically develop some movements that you will be doing the most of the time. This will give your opponent an idea about your movement pattern, and they will find a countering strategy against you.

Yet another disadvantage of using the movement path in BJJ is that it is not the best or perfect for self defense. You have to execute the techniques, not only the movements, for defending yourself against your opponent in real life. You have to control your opponent, not just moving yourself all the time.

Now you know what the movement based game in BJJ is, but you don’t know anything about it in detail. Let’s dive into this in detail.

Instead of focusing on as many transitions as you can in a time, you do only those movements that you believe are going to be effective against your opponent in control based BJJ approach. In this type, you make decisions and then do only the right thing. But once you do that thing, such as executing one movement or technique, you will try your best to trap your opponent into that. You put all your energy into that. You try to pin your opponent and keep them in your control, and ultimately submit them. It is slower as compared to the movement based because it does not include making quick and robust movements, and that too in a limited time. Instead, in this approach, you start with one move and try to get the submission from that.

• The two best traits or features you need to have for following this control based approach in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu are old age, which means that you don’t feel that you are energetic and have enough power to execute rapid and continuous movements throughout your match in BJJ. Also, you don’t feel like you have enough stamina to do this for a long time.

• The second thing is that if you are young or old, but you are more focused on learning self defense more than anything else. So if you have both of these two things or at least one of these, then this approach is best for you.

• The third thing, which is also a less important factor than the other two, is that you want to focus, apply pressure, and conserve energy. It is also a very good thing to have because you can utilize all your energy by submitting your opponent, pinning them, and trapping them.

• The first situation in which this is necessary is the longer matches, because in these matches, it is very important for you to conserve your energy so that you can utilize it for submitting your opponent by trapping them into techniques and moves. If you continue making the quick movements, then you will lose all your energy in this, and you will not have any energy left for submissions against your opponent.

• The second best situation is when you are grappling against younger and explosive opponents. In such a scenario, your main goal is to neutralize their quick and rapid movements, and that is the thing you can only do by following the control based approach. You will focus on countering their moves, applying pressure on them, pinning them, trapping them, and executing the submission moves against them.

The following are the pros and cons of following the control based BJJ path:

The following are the pros or benefits of following the control based BJJ path:

The first benefit you get from control is that you are able to counter their quick movements. You can control their limbs and thus their movements. Control gives you the opportunity to deal with the strength of your opponent. If they are stronger than you, then instead of the movement approach, you should prioritize the control based approach.

When you have your opponent under your control or you have their limbs, it will create many openings in many parts of their body. So you have a golden opportunity to make different moves, techniques, and submission attempts on them.

Controlling your opponent saves you from spending a lot of your energy on random movements. This does not mean that these movements are not effective for you. This only means that not all such movements are effective. So in control, you are conserving your energy by executing only the right movements.

With control, your techniques become more effective against your opponent. So you are doing everything the same, but just replacing the movement with proper control. The limbs of your opponent are in your control, so if you make any movement or execute any technique against them, then it will be more effective, giving you higher chances of submission.

Another thing that becomes easy for you due to control based BJJ approach is the transition from one position to another. You can make seamless transitions. It is very important for you to change your position. You cannot stay in a position for a long time. You have to switch it to a better position. Switching or transitioning will provide you with even more control over your opponent, and that can lead to submission. So with control, you are able to make seamless transitions against your opponent from one position to another.

The following are the cons or disadvantages of following the control based BJJ path:

The first disadvantage is that if you are focusing too much or only on controlling your opponent, then it will depict a lack of dynamism. This is not good for your game. When you lose your dynamism or your movements, it shows you are lazy. It will give them the opportunity to use this against you, as they will know you will not make significant movements.

Too much reliance on the control will make you vulnerable to submissions. This is because you cannot always have your opponent in control. They will be making movements, continuously trying to escape from you, but you are only focusing on the control. This will make it very easy for them to apply submission techniques against you and submit.

Another disadvantage is that if your opponent somehow manages to escape from your control, then they will move and take themselves to a better position in terms of dominancy. But in such scenarios, you have to quickly shift yourself also and try to regain control. For this, you have to make robust and quick movements. But you cannot do this because you are focusing only on the control, and this will lead to your loss of dominance and ultimately defeat.

Now the right question is which path should you pick? Should you pick one or both? What is better for you?

This is not a very complex question, and neither is its answer. People make this complex and difficult for themselves. The simple one sentence answer to this question is that you should do both.

Yes! Absolutely. You should try to implement both approaches in your training, sparring, or grappling in a professional BJJ match. The one logic behind this is that both are beneficial for you. When you have two things that both give you more benefits and have fewer cons, then why should you pick one? Why not both? People are making the simplest things very complex.

Now, come to the second question. Is it difficult for you to implement both these approaches at the same time in your training? Is it impossible or is it easy for you to implement one approach in BJJ? The answer is no. It is not at all difficult. You just need to know the right strategy to do it, and everything else will become easy for you. So the bottom line is to learn both these approaches and implement them in your training.

You can easily implement both approaches by establishing a dominant control over your opponent first and then moving to a more advantageous and dominant position by transitioning against your opponent.

Now you have the conclusion that you should implement both approaches in your training, sparring, or grappling in a professional BJJ match. You should not think of implementing one of them. Learn both and implement both. This will help you make a perfect gaming strategy for yourself, which will make and keep you dominant over your opponent throughout the match.