When it comes to Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, it’s fair to say that Ryan Hall knows his stuff. Such is his success in grappling, he’s also successfully transitioned into a solid MMA career whilst fighting in the UFC. However, before all of this, he was known as a great BJJ fighter both in the gi and no gi. Here, he medaled at ADCC, and won at various other promotions.
Due to his BJJ intelligence, he also gained the nickname ‘The Wizard’, and is best known for his leg attacks and triangle choke submissions. Here are his best quotes, whether for BJJ, MMA or life in general.
“Be relaxed like water, not tense and stiff like ice. You can’t move or control water, but you can with ice”
“When it comes to Jiu Jitsu, people don’t think it be like it be, but it do”
“The Kimura is not a submission, it’s a position. Just like everything that is utilized effectively, it’s not about the thing itself, it’s about what that thing gives me”
“The key to guard passing is not having one pass that you ram down the other persons throat, but being able to transition between a series of viable options until the right on presents itself”
“Most of the things that people spend their time on can be replaced with a way simpler, more direct, and more powerful answer”
“Something to consider is that shorter and stockier people are almost invariably tougher to underhook because they have less space in their stumpy little gnome arms”
“Positions create leverage, they create control and shapes that I can effect and can be effected through other forces”
“A coach is so much more than an instructor and that’s a huge leap. That’s something that I think people need to understand when they go into martial arts”
“The more that I’ve been able to understand Jiu Jitsu, it’s given me a look into how we learn languages”
“Someone has to take that leap. One of the things I’ve noticed as a martial arts teacher dealing with adults is that kids don’t argue”
