When Brazilian Jiu Jitsu first emerged in the western world, it seemed further away from wrestling compared to today’s standards. These days, with the introduction of no gi and points for takedowns, wrestling’s influence has undoubtedly grown in the BJJ world. Not only used for stand up and takedowns, wrestling also has some useful moves which can be used on the ground.
With this said, if you already come from a wrestling background then making the transition into BJJ can fairly easy. However, if you’re looking at adding wrestling to BJJ and wondering “will wrestling help my BJJ?” then you’re also in luck as here are some of the best wrestling moves that can be applied to BJJ. You may also be surprised that some of these techniques are mostly for the bottom guard position, instead of only offering moves for the top game.
For the sake of this article, we will not be looking at wrestling moves during stand up. Obviously, most BJJ gyms will teach moves such as double and single legs as takedowns, even in the gi. With this in mind, wrestling techniques from standing are practically a given anyway. Instead, we shall focus on how they can be applied whilst on the floor.
Table of Contents
The sit out as a turtle escape
The sit out has been used for years in grappling and is an effective tool to escape the turtle position. It is often applied in wrestling when the opponent has hooks around your back and you’re in a seated position. As there are chokes in BJJ, sitting like this may not be wise due to the change in rulesets.
However, it is often done in BJJ against an opponent who is on top of you whilst you’re in the bottom turtle position. The concept of the sit out in BJJ is the same as in wrestling. Here, you should grab an arm, kick out a leg, and pull yourself towards and around the opponent. If done correctly, you can even reverse the position. A great benefit of this move is that it can be taught as a solo drill which can then be applied in sparring. Not all BJJ moves can be learned on your own, but sit outs can be.
The arm drag in guard
This move is also done during stand up and was popularized in BJJ by the legendary Marcelo Garcia. Here, he used arm drags whilst seated in butterfly guard. He would grab the opponent’s wrist with his one hand, and their elbow with his other. He would then drag their arm across their body and step out. From here, he would either use it as a sweep, or even to take the back of the opponent. However, the arm drag is not exclusive to butterfly guard. It can actually be found in most other forms of guard including closed and half-guard, so it’s a versatile move to have.
Not only this, but the arm drag also features variations that can also be done in the gi. For instance, you can achieve a cross-grip arm drag on your opponent by gripping their sleeve with your opposite arm. Due to the gi grips being powerful, you can easily move the opponent about with this to set up attacks and submissions.
The cradle to pass the guard
The cradle is used in wrestling to pin the opponent. However, it is also used in BJJ to pass the guard and legs of the bottom player. This pass was used in no gi heavily by Robert Drysdale and a lapel variation was even created by Braulio Estima. In brief, the idea is to grab a cradle on your opponent, sprawl into their ribs and then pass their guard into side control or mount.
A benefit of this move is that it can also be combined with front headlock submissions such as guillotines and darce chokes. It can also be used from various positions such as the half guard, de la riva and butterfly guard. Interestingly, the cradle can also be used to take the back from certain positions and even set up triangle chokes, proving it is quite a versatile technique.
The single leg as a sweep
As mentioned in the introduction, single leg takedowns are no stranger to the average BJJ practitioner. However, they are also commonly used as a way to sweep the opponent from the guard position. Again, there are also grip variations which include the lapel whilst playing in the gi.
The concept of the single leg as a sweep is fairly simple; if you can grab onto a leg from the bottom then you can possibly hit the sweep. Of course in BJJ, you should be mindful of guillotine chokes and your head positioning when attacking this sweep. This move is often hit from de la riva or half guard and can be used to come on top. Sometimes, it’s so simple that people don’t see it coming.
The funk roll as a sprawl counter
It’s not just Ben Askren who can use this move. The funk roll can also be used as a counter to stop the sprawl pass. Often used in the top half guard position, some practitioners will grab onto your legs and sprawl out, then walk around your legs to get towards your upper body. This can be frustrating from the bottom and it’s a similar pass to how Khabib gets around his opponent’s legs.
In some cases, if you manage to connect your arms around the opponent’s leg, then you can use the funk roll to sweep the passer. With this done, you would end up coming on top controlling the ankle of the opponent. Generally, this move isn’t taught as much in BJJ compared to the others on this list which is because the sprawl pass is only a situational move.
Summary
With these examples applied to your game, you should have a comprehensive BJJ wrestling plan that links wrestling to BJJ nicely. Don’t just take our word for it either, wrestling coaches such as Hudson Taylor and Lyubo Kumbarov are also big fanatics of incorporating wrestling into BJJ and combining the pair. In brief, both are ultimately styles from the same origins of grappling so it’s a good combo to possess. With this said, going from wrestling to BJJ can be made easier by following this set of moves and can help you progress quickly by using moves you may already use from elsewhere.
Want to learn more wrestling moves to implement into your BJJ game? Look no further, Josh Barnett’s Championship Level Wrestling has you covered.
