One of the most recognizable parts of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is tapping out. Typically, this is done by making a flat fist and tapping the body of your opponent several times in rapid succession. Remember, when tapping, you’ll want to be as obvious as possible and make it clear what your intentions are.
It goes without saying, the harder you tap, the more likely they are to process your request – which is to release the submission immediately. However, sometimes there are other ways to tap out – and this is through verbally submitting. Here, we shall go through what a verbal tap looks like whilst training.
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How to do a verbal tap in BJJ
To perform a verbal tap, you should basically shout a word to let your training partner or opponent realize that you’ve tapped. Sometimes people will shout out ‘Tap’ or even ‘Yes’ quite loudly to signify quitting. Although this may sound extreme, it goes without saying that the louder you shout, the better chance of your opponent releasing the submission is. If you whisper ‘tap’, then they may not hear it. However, if you shout loudly then they should get the message loud and clear.
As well, try to actually say ‘tap’ instead of other words. Sometimes, during the heat of the moment you’ll shout whatever comes into your head first. However, the literal word ‘tap’ is about as clear and obvious as it gets.
Screaming counts as a verbal tap
So far, we’ve looked at when someone performs a verbal tap as a conscious decision. This means they’re in charge of what they’re saying. Now, we shall look at a verbal tap as a natural reaction. Imagine thinking you’re safe and then your opponent locks in a straight armlock from nowhere. Before you even have time to think, you let out a primal scream. If you’ve trained BJJ for a few years then you’ll have probably experienced this and it’s perfectly normal.
This is also a verbal tap and should be treated as such by a referee. In other words, if you compete and find yourself screaming (even if you’re not in pain) then the ref should stop the match instantly and count it as a submission. Sometimes, people even get mad at referees for doing this. However, these are the rules and as a competitor you should know this. Obviously, safety is paramount and you’d rather that than go on to get your arm snapped.
Other ways of tapping out
Aside from verbal taps, there is the obvious physical tap that has also been mentioned. There is another way which is hitting the floor. In terms of rules, this also counts as a tap and is a good way to tell your opponent to stop if you have no other way of tapping.
For instance, imagine you’re locked in a rear naked choke with both arms trapped and the opponent’s arm covers your mouth. You literally can’t tap with your hands or your mouth. So, the next best thing to do is to stomp on the floor with your foot, as hard as possible. In a competition, the referee should stop the bout immediately. In training, anyone with common sense should count this as a submission and also stop immediately.
Sadly, this isn’t the most reliable way of tapping though and some people have even been choked unconscious by tapping the floor with their training partner being oblivious to what’s going on.
Remember, when you’re applying the submission you should always look out for your opponent. If you do let go and they claim not to have tapped then who cares? It’s better to be safety conscious and avoid a potential injury than mindlessly chasing the submission.
Verbally tapping against deaf people
Most of the time, the verbal tap will suffice. However, against deaf people that roll – this will not work. It sounds obvious but this is an area where BJJ can actually become pretty dangerous. If you train with thousands of people then the chances are you won’t train with a fully deaf person, so you’ll probably be ok to verbally tap.
Nonetheless, it only takes one time. With this said, the emphasis should be on the deaf person to take the initiative and release the submission if they can’t hear anything. This relies on good manners and common sense.
Conclusion
When it comes to BJJ, the most common and best way of tapping is by physically patting your opponent on their body so they’re sure of what is going on. After this, the verbal tap is also effective but less reliable in certain circumstances.
Whether you’re rolling as a hobbyist or whether you’re a serious competitor, applying and respecting the verbal tap are two things that you should always keep in mind when it comes to submissions. It could just save your body.
