Let’s Look at Some NoGi Data

Now then. There are times I feel like an old fart, telling people to wash behind their ears. But I keep telling people the same things for NoGi:

1. Get top
2. Stay on top
3. Learn extraordinary pressure to stay on top
4. Get really good at taking and finishing on the back
5. Have a wrestle up game

You see anything you disagree with? No? Well a lot of people do, as they spend an disproportionate amount of time on moves that occur a fraction of the time.

Here’s the data from ADCC, taken from BJJ Heroes. Keep in mind these are the ELITES of our sport.

Yes it’s our old friend the RNC.

What was the most common sub, and has been in every single NoGi event since the dawn of data?

Get the back, and when you get the back, your finishing tool should be sharp. The RNC and it’s slight variations. Hand fighting. Hand trapping. The squeeze. Get it all right!

I remember doing a session once with John Kavanagh in my early days of Jiu Jitsu and he said “You should have good guillotine because you get your opponent’s neck in that position at least once every match”. Well, the stats don’t lie. The RNC might be the king of chokes based on positional dominance, but the Guillotine is the strike of opportunity.

Legs are still a potent weapon, but it’s interesting to see that defence has caught up with attack somewhat. Like the dawn of the tank in World War 1, the enemy just needs to learn how to dig bigger ditches.

Always Have A Wrestle Up

Not that I want this to be the “Things Barry Says” blog, but I do always say “Always have a wrestle up”. The NoGi game doesn’t mean you can’t pull guard, but the path to victory favours the takedown as you can see above. And by a whopping margin.

But let’s look at how people got on when they did sweep-

Sweeps Applied At ADCC 2024:
– 15x Wrestle Up
– 3x Top Player Attacked Foot & Landed on Bottom
– 2x Top Player Attacked Upper Body Sub & Landed on Bottom
– 2x Foot Push
– 2x Butterfly Hook
– 1x Single X Bump
– 1x Kiss of the Dragon
– 1x Overhead Sweep
– 1x Turtle Reversal
– 1x 5050 Bump
– 1x Arm Drag
– 1x Matrix/K-Guard

Not even close. ALWAYS HAVE A WRESTLE UP!

But look at the second and third on the list- attempted leglocks leading to sweeps, and attempted choke or armlock leading to sweep. And people call me boring when I say “Stay On Top”. There’s a time to risk a submission that might get you swept, and it’s when you’re either comfortably up on points, or down on points with limited time to go.

The Single Leg System

Types Of Takedowns Used At ADCC 2024:
– x15 Single Leg
– x13 Double Leg
– x5 Uchimata
– x5 Throw By
– x5 De Ashi Barai
– x5 Generic (slip/push)
– x4 Body Lock
– x3 Knee Tap
– x3 Arm Drag
– x3 Ankle Pick
– x1 Kouchi Gari

Single and Double legs remain the top of the tree in takedowns, and again by a massive margin. We’re not like MMA fighters, we don’t have to worry about running into the knees and getting stuck under elbows. Our sport allows for failed double and single attempts. NoGi upper body control is hard to get in an open mat. Have a good single and a good double!

Be Happy When You Get To Half Top

Oh look, it’s another thing Barry says. This time about passing!

Now this is very NoGi dominant (I’ll put the Gi one up another time), sticky half guards in the Gi are mor threatening and hard to get out of, but in NoGi, half guard top is your chance to begin to create pressure.

The lesson? Get a good half guard pressure pass, and be happy when your opponent settles for closing their half.

Now this is not to say that the game hasn’t developed or advanced in any way. What’s interesting is that it’s developed in a manner that still leads to the same finish line. My metaphor for beginners is that if you started to learn football without knowing what football was, the first thing a coach would say is “Put the ball in the net over there”, and then focus on the hows and whys. “Get the back and choke” to me is a reasonable way to start learning Jiu Jitsu conceptually.

Okay, so long,

See you on the mat,

Barry