The Tricks for Wrestlers to Get Good at Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

When you are a wrestler and you start training BJJ it can be very frustrating.  This is because you have been a grappler for such a long time and now you are learning a completely different approach for grappling.  Some people will just quit and other will stick with it and learn how to implement their wrestling in bjj.

Wrestling is very difficult to implement in your BJJ but there are specific ways to allow you to use your wrestling.  Check out our article “Wrestling for Half Guard.”  In this article we go over how to properly apply wrestling from half guard.  If you want to learn how to use your wrestling the best way is to learn how to play the half guard.

The half guard is one of the best positions to utilize wrestling.  You can use single legs, double legs, ankle picks, and so much more from the half guard.  The half guard can be a wrestler’s best friend.   So how do you learn to use the half guard for your wrestling?  Well there are several ways.

Learning How to Use Your Underhook

The underhook is one of the best things a wrestler can take from wrestling to Jiu Jitsu.  The best place to use the underhook from is when playing the half guard.  Almost all of the sweeps that you are going to use your takedowns to finish will start with an “Underhook Getup.” 

The Underhook is your best weapon when developing a half guard and you can use the underhook to use your wrestling.  The only thing you have to learn how to do from half guard is use your underhook to get up into a dog fight position, now if you are a wrestler, this will be a position that you are familiar with.

The trick to learning how to implement your wrestling as a BJJ practitioner is to find a way to get yourself into positions that you are familiar with.  Learn how to get into dog fight position, single leg, and double leg position.  All of the finishes are the same and if you are a good wrestler, chances are your wrestling is better than a BJJ guys.

Check out this video on how to finish a single leg take down from Hudson Taylor below.  Hudson is a guy that got promoted to blue belt in 6 months and won the blue belt worlds.  He was a division-1 wrestler with one of the highest pin records.

If you want to learn some of Hudson taylor’s tricks that helped him win the worlds at blue Belt, check out his 4 DVD Set, “Wrestling for BJJ.”