Learn Pressure And Control In BJJ From Marco Barbosa

By Matt Bryers, February 16, 2019

2 Devastating Techniques From Marco Barbosa

If there is one thing that can be said about Marco Barbosa it is that his pressure is devastating. If you do not know who Marco is you probably know at least one of his students. Marco is a legendary Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, who has produced legends such as Murilo Santana. Marco is considered by many to be one of the best coaches in Brazil. He comes from a lineage of legendary martial artists such as Mitsuyo Maeda, and both Helio and Rickson Gracie. Marco’s academy, “Barbosa Jiu Jitsu” is the top Jiu Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) school in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

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Marco Barbosa has been involved in martial arts since he was a kid. He started taking Judo classes with he was only 13 years old. At the age of 18, Marco became a professional competitor. His Judo Master, Mr Umakeda, took him under his wing for the next three years of his life. It was strict and grueling training but it paid off for Marco when he received his Judo Black Belt in 1986. Marcos would start training Jiu Jitsu 9 years later in 1995. Only four months into his training, Barbosa entered his first competition and placed second as a purple belt. As time went on Marco had continued success as both a competitor and an instructor, eventually decided to open his academy in Sao Paulo.

We are lucky to have a ton of great techniques from Marco Barbosa’s new instructional series “The Pressure Passing Manual.” Top level BJJ players from all around the world seek out Marco’s tutelage, and for the first time ever, every one of us can get access to some of his most secret and coveted techniques. Marco Barbosa is 53 years old, but he can generate an unbelievable amount of top pressure. Let’s take a look at two devastating techniques from Master Marco Barbosa. Check out the videos below!

#1: Stabilizing The Mount

The mount position is a great position when it comes to dominating your opponent. It gives you access to their entire body, especially their limbs, giving you many opportunities for submissions. But if you have terrible technique it is likely you will just get tossed from the mount. If you do not know how to stabilizing yourself it will be easy for the guy on bottom to break down your posture and control where the fight goes. So have a look at Marco Barbosa’s advice for this very common problem.

Barbosa recommends you stay low and connected when mounting your training partner. You want to keep your head close to his. Use your stomach to pressure down. When your opponent bridges you can go in any direction with him. Keep in mind that if you are rolling against an opponent who uses explosive technique they can still bump you off. To avoid this, Barbosa climbs higher up on his opponent. He wants most of his torso to be pressure down on his opponent’s face. His hips are crushing his training partner’s chest. This takes away all of your training partner’s ability to easily bridge. He will not be able to turn because his head it stuck on the ground. From here pressure forward and control your opponent’s hips with your feet.

#2: Finishing With Lapel Choke

Okay, so this is an extremely uncomfortable lapel choke. This one is sure to make your opponent tap. You can’t be lazy with your technique though if you want to utilize this choke effectively. You will see that it takes your entire body to generate the pressure that makes this choke tap over 95% of all BJJ players. Take a look at the video below.

Marco Barbosa starts this one out with a high and tight side control position. He has his training partner’s arm trapped and he is using his knee to pressure and feed his arm through. Marco moves quickly around his opponent’s head, putting himself in top north south position. Pay attention to his feet. His is up on his toes. Marco stays active with his entire body, using his hips to generate an immense amount of pressure. This is going to make the guy on bottom very uncomfortable. Keep in mind, Marco still has his training partner’s arm trapped, which sets him up for a triangle, or a lapel choke. Barbosa’s opponent is completely stuck in this position, giving him no other option than to tap. Even if your training partner gets up to his knees you have complete control of his upper body, forcing him onto his back.

If you love pressure passing and crushing your opponent while on top, you might want to check out more of Marco Barbosa’s techniques on his instructional series “The Pressure Passing Manual.” Knowing how to use leverage and force to generate pressure can turn you into a completely different grappler. So keep this in mind the next time you are on the mats, and remember these two devastating techniques from Marco Barbosa!