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The 50/50 Truck – Improve Backtake

The Truck is one of Jiu Jitsu’s most interesting positions and ways to take your opponent’s back.
Mastering the Truck can be one of the quickest ways to improve your level and understanding of Jiu Jitsu.

It’s also one of the more “flashy” positions. So Bonus Points for style 🙂

There are two downsides however:

1). The Truck is a bit complex and can be hard and scary for a beginner to master or even begin.

2). The Truck is a 50/50-like position; you and your opponent have equal options. If you fail in your entry or the opponent simply has better posture, grips, timing or transitions, you end up giving your back instead of taking your opponent’s.

The Drill in this video aims to fix both of these issues by focusing and explaining what happens in the middle part of the Truck.

Understanding the moment where both you and your opponent have equal options is the key to understanding every exchange in Jiu Jitsu and in this case the Truck Backtake.

Equal options for both players, 50/50 Truck



Have a look at my video and led me hear your thoughts in the comments!

This is part 1 of a new series on the Truck. Stay tuned for part 2 “The Most Complicated Drill in Jiu Jitsu” in the next few days 😉

 

If you would to see a whole class dedicated to the concept of 50/50 games? I highly recommend you watch the following class as well: “What I learned from Backhold Wrestling”.

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Complexity in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and The Unbreakable Arm

Complexity in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 

The Unbreakable Arm

 

When people talk about Posture in Jiu Jitsu, they usually mean “alignement of the spine and back engagement“.

In the following article I will talk about “Arm Posture“; how to engage and move your arm in order to make it seemingly “Unbreakable“.

Complexity in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu BJJ Wim Deputter The Mirroring Principle The Unbreakable Arm Armbar Defense

 

Jiu Jitsu is seemingly very complex.

 

Imagine all the possible motions a human-body can make. The number of possible motions, if not unlimited, is at least very high.
Now imagine the number of possible motions your body can make, combined with all the possible motions of another body.

That number is truly insane.

However, there is a way to break down this complexity in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Let’s use chess as an allegory.

 

Shannon's Number Chess BJJ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Wim Deputter The Mirroring Principle

A conservative estimate of the amount of chess games possible, is 10^120.

This is more than the total amount of atoms in the visible universe! Shannon’s number.

Even though chess is so complex, it can be understood by breaking down the movements of each individual piece and the rules.

I would dare to argue that the total number of possible jiu jitsu matches is higher than the possible amount of chess games (possible infinite). 

And yet, all this complexity arises from just two “groups” (bodies) moving their “pieces” (head, shoulders, arms, hands, fingers, hips / core, legs, feet and toes).

Just as chess, Jiu Jitsu is impossible to solve and completely fathom. 

Yet, it becomes easier to understand if we look at Jiu Jitsu in therms of the movement of our individual pieces / bodyparts.

First the movement of our bodyparts by themselves, then in combination with eachother and ultimately in combination with our opponents moving bodyparts.
To understand Jiu Jitsu and to be able to teach it better, The movement of the human body can be broken down in

core-, arm- and leg movement.

The core movements are quite easy to understand, and so are the arm and the leg movements.

Indivually, the movement of core, arms and legs are not that complex. But it is in the combination between the movement of our parts and those of our opponent that give rise to the complexity in Brazilian jiu jitsu (and all other movement arts).

In this video I will break down the motion of our arms and the relation between our arm motion and core movement (and hopefully give you an “unbreakable arm”).

In the second part of the video, I will show you how the arm and core motion relate to the armbar attack.

Understanding the armbar as an attack and how our arms and core can move individually and in relation to this attack, makes you both able to do, teach and explain late armbar escapes.
If you have very good late game armbar defense and armbar escapes, if not truly, your arm will at least seem “unbreakable” for all intents and purposes

In that sense “The Unbreakable Arm” is not an ultimate statement, merely a goal.

 

Want to learn more about the armbar?
Check out the following playlist!

Complexity in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and the unbreakable arm

 

 

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The King’s Gambit – Baiting The Triangle Choke

The King’s Gambit – Baiting The Triangle

Chess and BJJ’s most “aggressive” opening

The King's Gambit in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu BJJ Baiting The Triangle Choke Wim Deputter The Mirroring Principle Jiu Jitsu Offensive Defense

Do you want to see Wim Deputter’s way to defend the triangle choke and use it to pass the guard in action and explained? Click here!

 

“A gambit in chess is a move where you sacrifice material in order to gain structural, positional or other advantage”

 

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu we have “gambits” as well.
If your defense is well, you can bait your opponent with a submission and use his or her eagerness to your advantage.

My favorite BJJ gambit, the core of my game, and the one I have practically made my “career” on, is baiting the Triangle.

If the Footlock is the sneaky Thief, the Armlock Queen and The Choke King, we can consider baiting the Triangle “The King’s Gambit” of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu”.

Gambit’s can played if you know the position, structure and possibilities well. If you have a system to answer the different reactions the opponent might throw at you.
And all of this has to rest on a solid, systematic defense in case you make a mistake in your system.

For years I have understood the top part of the triangle better than the bottom. My Triangle Choke Defense was better than my choke itself.
I always found it easier to beat the triangle than to finish it. Something was missing on bottom, something didn’t make sense.

I have been willing to make an instructional on this topic for a long time. But to bring something out, you have to understand all aspects to it. One important ‘piece of the puzzle’ was missing on the bottom triangle.

Until today. Today I discovered something new. Something not generally known and used.

I will start filming the next installement of The Mirroring Principle “The King’s Gambit” this week.

And where there is a King there is a “Queen’s Gambit” in the future as well.

“The Thief’s Gambit” is, for now, still a work in progress 😀

Check out the link in bio for an example of “The King’s Gambit” in action.

 

In the mean time, here you can see an example of The King’s Gambit in action on competition and a basic intro.

 

 

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Sneaky Hip Throw And Back Take Combo From The Body Lock

Sneaky Hip Throw and Back Take Combo By Wim Deputter BJJ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

In this video I go over some options from the Body Lock position.
I show an easy setup for a Hip Throw and a way to Enter the Truck from standing, as well as some other options.

Sneaky Hip Throw and Back Take Combo From The Body Lock by Wim Deputter BJJ Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

A Hip Throw Setup from the standing Body Lock, a standing truck entry and more! Click to watch!

Hip Throws are often hard in Jiu Jitsu.
To execute a proper Hip Throw, you need hip connection first.

This is quite hard to achieve, given the fact that many BJJ Practicioners (at least on training and competition) prefer a bent over posture and often pull guard before a meaning full hip connection can be established.

Because of this, it is often hard to train hip throws. Much harder at least than the more common Wrestling Take Downs that work from Headcontrol and / or Single and Double Legs.

What I offer with this video, is a very functional, logical and systematic approach from the Body Lock position, resulting in a Hip Throw or Back Take.
I’m not going over ways to get to the Body Lock. This might be the topic of another video, in case there is demand for it.
One common scenarion to get there, is after you established an underhook from half guard bottom, managed to get to Dogfight and your opponent stands up.

This particular setup has been part of my game for many years. I hope it may help you out as well and give some incentive to train a very often underdeveloped part of many a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practicioner’s game.

Stay tuned for my upcoming video and article. I will cover The standing Back Take more in-depth!

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Counter for the knee cut pass (Wim Deputter / Brazilian Jiu Jitsu)

Enter ‘The Rocking Chair’ – Counter for one of the most common passes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 

 

Are you a half guard player? Does your guard often get passed with the knee cut?
Do this adjustment and turn the situation to your advantage!

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Knee cut slide slice guard pass Wim Deputter knee cut pass half guard mirroring principle

An analysis of one of the most common guard passes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu: The Knee Cut Pass

The knee cut, knee slice, knee slide, cut through pass,… however you call it, it’s a guard pass every half guard player will have to learn how to deal with. It’s one of the most common passes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at every level.
The regular way to play deep half guard, is to fight for the underhook and reach for an undergrip on the far leg.

Once the opponent starts to cut his knee through, there is a gap behind his leg. This allows you to let the far leg go and instead weave your bottom arm behind the cutting leg. Congratulations! You just entered “The Rocking chair” 🙂 Not only did you counter the knee cut guard pass, from here you can also transition to a modified Dogfight.

From Dogfight you have a lot of options, which I will explain the next few weeks in my “The Rocking Chair”-series.

Stay tuned! 🙂 

Check out part 1 Wim Deputter‘s next series: Enter “The Rocking Chair” 

 

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The hidden framework of Jiu Jitsu (a bjj hack by Wim Deputter)

The hack to make you understand Jiu Jitsu and improve faster

There is a hidden framework in Jiu Jitsu.  The red line through all of your techniques. The bjj unifying principle that all techniques have in common. Learn this and it’s like a hack that makes you understand jiu jitsu faster.

What do all techniques have in common?

The way your core, your body moves.

Wim Deputter Mirroring Principle BJJ Fanatics The hidden framework of jiu jitsu the hack to make you understand BJJ and improve faster hack to improve faster in bjj

Watch this short video by Wim Deputter and learn the hidden hack!

In jiu jitsu we have to learn to exert strenght with our core. Our frames (arms and legs) are merely conductors that transmit the pressure from our core to our opponent. If we keep our frames rigid and our body connected, every movement we make, will be felt by our opponent.

If we realize that movement is so important, it makes sense that we have to move as efficient as possible. The most effective way to apply pressure on our opponent, is by using rotation from the core.
If our frames are conductors, then our core is like a battery; it’s the one part of our body that can generate strength most efficiently with minimal exercition.

In this video I will show you how to rotate as effectively as possible. It is shown here from a defensive perspective. The challenge for you is to see the applications in offense and reactions on top that counter it.

This is a perfect introduction to my BJJ Fanatics instructional: ‘A General Introduction to the Mirroring Principle and the Babybridge’. 

In the next video, you can see an example of how this sequence can by used offensively by Cody Maltais.

A common problem, and serious threat, when holding the guillotine in bottom side control, is the Von Flue Choke. Cody shows how you can not only use the Babybridge to defend the Von Flue Choke, but also use ‘Head – Shoulder – Knees and Toes’ sequence, to get back to your knees, while mantaining the guillotine. This way you can keep a constant threat.

Be sure to check out the rest of my channel. Don’t forget to give a thumbs up and subscribe!
If you see other applications of this concept or anything else I show on my channel, feel free to send me 🙂

 

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Did you know that sweeps don’t work? ;) (unsweepable by Wim Deputter)

Wim Deputter defending a sweep by planting his head, sweeps don't work, unsweepable, sweep defense , the mirroring principle, BJJ Globetrotters Zen Camp 2020, become unsweepable

Wim Deputter defending a sweep attempt with a headstand at the BJJ Globetrotters Zen Camp 2020, foto by Crisitiana Theodoli

Sweeps don’t work!

…or they get easier to defend at least if you have a great headstand 🙂

Check out the video’s in my “Unsweepable” series and learn how defend and counter the most common sweeps!

Become Unsweepable

In this playlist I will go over the mechanics of a proper headstand, how you can use that headstand to become much harder to sweep, a counter to the classic scissor sweep and much more…

Let me know what you think in the comment section. Sharing is caring 😉

The Mirrorring Principle 
Unsweepable by Wim Deputter

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