JIU-JITSU FUNDAMENTALS

Fundamentals are taught primarily in No-Gi, and are for all levels of practitioners. As such, this is the default curriculum for Jiu-Jitsu classes. By their nature, the vast majority of fundamentals are the same with or without the gi. At The Way MMA, priority is given to techniques that will be the most effective the most often, all the way from white belt to black belt. As a result, techniques that don’t rely on the gi are taught most often, even while wearing the gi, to prevent students from being dependent on something that may or may not be there in a self-defense situation.

Advanced practitioners will refine techniques, often learning essential details they may have overlooked in the past. Beginners learn details of the basic, correct posture and reactions in each position before doing live sparring. This helps to avoid panicking and using sudden, uncontrolled, explosive movements which can lead to injury.

The first objective in a bad position is to stay calm and survive. Escapes must be executed at the right moment and in a way that does not open one up to being finished. Just because someone passes your guard does not mean it's over—unless you panic, then it might be.

Basic defense and countering can quickly turn the tide on an over-aggressive opponent. Learn the sound defensive skills that can further frustrate an aggressive attacker. Students are taught to see that the easiest person to sweep is the one passing recklessly with too much pressure, and the easiest guard to pass is the one too eagerly hunting submissions.

Great control starts with strong takedowns and leads naturally to submission because submission is the highest form of control! Learn the best paths from top position to progress through the positional hierarchy in a way that accounts for, and exploits, common and even correct reactions.

Learn the most effective submissions. The top six submissions are time-tested and high-percentage finishes at all levels!

1. Rear Naked Choke

2. Guillotine

3. Triangle

4. Armbar

5. Arm Triangle

6. Kimura

Students learn these and other high-success-rate finishes, such as:

Honorary #7 North-South Choke (one of The Way MMA's specialties)

Among the top submissions, chokes are given supremacy due to what they represent in unarmed combat. In a situation where tapping is irrelevant, a joint lock may render someone partly incapacitated, but someone with a broken limb may still continue to fight. Among submission holds, only chokes represent the most absolute finish to a fight—complete incapacitation of the opponent.

ADVANCED JIU-JITSU: COMBINATIONS, SUB-SYSTEMS, MASTERCLASSES

The Jiu-Jitsu classes default to this curriculum whenever all the students in the class have demonstrated adequate fundamentals. Students learn how to use moves in combination and create dilemmas, leading their opponents down an ever-narrowing path. Students are presented with a broad and deep knowledge of individual techniques, how to apply them from a variety of positions and situations, and variations that account for an opponent’s reactions. Students are presented with the big picture of Jiu-Jitsu and begin to build their own game based on their own strengths and understanding of “The Gentle Art.”

MMA: STAND-UP STRIKING, CLINCHING, TAKEDOWNS, GROUND STRIKING

At The Way MMA, students learn striking techniques from the best of Boxing, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, and Karate, as proven effective in the history of MMA. The stance and distance are unique in MMA, with punches creating the most KOs, while kicks, especially those targeting the legs, represent a unique challenge for one seeking to land punches. These and other factors lend themselves to the unique ways that punches, kicks, knees, and elbows come together with clinching and takedowns, creating an approach that best prepares one for the most realistic possibilities of unarmed combat.

Students learn solid defense, precise mechanics, counters, combinations, and longer sequences based on specific reactions. The majority of work is done directly with a geared-up partner for the most realistic range, angles, and timing, as well as learning control and preparing for safe sparring when students are ready. Sparring contact will typically be kept light to keep the focus on strategy, problem-solving and implementing newly learned techniques.

While takedowns are a significant part of all grappling-related programs at The Way MMA, there are specific considerations when strikes are involved. Some takedowns will actually be easier if well-timed as an opponent seeks to strike. Other takedowns can be stifled by a strike that intercepts the line of entry. Learn the interplay of these factors and the specific cage work and takedowns that are the most effective in MMA.

Ground striking is by far the most underdeveloped discipline of MMA, while representing the highest form of domination for those who have the courage and cardio to implement it. The lost art of “ground-and-pound” is ultimately what fully realizes the devastation of positional dominance in Jiu-Jitsu—the ability to strike your opponent unanswered! At that point, submissions become easier—and also a form of mercy.

Students learn how striking can make it easier to pass guard and advance control, how to maximize the ability to inflict damage along the way, and, finally, become proficient in securing positions that trap your opponent and leave them defenseless to strikes. The additional threat of a finish that ground strikes pose limits the amount of time an opponent has to escape a bad position. Students learn this all safely, with light contact.