Chapter 5: What Is Your Gameplan

Creating a Jiu-Jitsu game plan, especially for competition, involves working backwards from weaknesses and enhancing strengths. Begin by assessing your current game, including your bottom and top play, standing strategies, preferred submissions, transitions, and sequences. Identify moves that come naturally and rank them by ease of execution. Surprisingly, favorite moves might not always be the easiest to execute.

Consider the efficiency of moves in the training room rather than just their ease. An easy move like the tripod sweep may not be efficient in a game plan due to its recognizability and ease of defense by experienced practitioners. To effectively incorporate such moves, they should be hidden within sequences that distract the opponent from the familiar cues of the move.

Physical attributes like strength, speed, or endurance do not directly correlate to Jiu-Jitsu proficiency. Instead, focus on strategic advantages and tailor your game plan to your unique capabilities. For example, smaller practitioners might excel at inversions, close guard, and shin-to-shin guard, using their body type to minimize space and maximize control. Conversely, taller individuals may prefer guards that create distance, keeping opponents at bay to manage the space effectively.

Speedy practitioners might induce scrambles to leverage their quickness, while slower competitors may aim to control the pace and prevent scrambles. Regardless of physical attributes, the goal is to outmaneuver opponents by playing to your strengths and creating a game plan that accounts for your specific advantages and limitations.