The iron law of posture – FOR EVERY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, THERE IS A POSTURE THAT MAXIMIZES YOUR ABILITY TO PERFORM THAT ACTIVITY WITH THE LEAST effort AND MAXIMAL EFFICIENCY. In jiu jitsu and indeed, all efficient physical activity, EVERYTHING BEGINS WITH POSTURE. I assure you, ANY DEFICIENCIES IN POSTURE WILL COST YOU IN PHYSICAL EFFORT – as that cost increases, your performance will deteriorate through fatigue and the chances of your opponent successfully attacking will rise. If you are to make progress in the sport, you must make a deep study of the main scenarios you find yourself in and research the various postures that will form the foundation of success in those positions. The problem is that jiu jitsu is an extremely dynamic game – in just a short time there can be a vast number of different positions and scenarios and you must, if you are to maximize your performance, be able to switch seamlessly from one posture to another in response. THE INTERFACE BETWEEN POSTURE AND MOVEMENT PRESENTS A CHALLENGE IN LEARNING THAT WILL OUTLAST YOUR LIFETIME – it is oceanic in its scope and complexity – BUT IT IS THE ONE WHO NAVIGATES THESE DEEP WATERS BEST WHO WILL PREVAIL IN JIU JITSU. In the early stages of development in my students, I PUT FAR GREATER EMPHASIS ON POSTURAL INTEGRITY THAN INDIVIDUAL moves. A single move will always be of very finite value, but a posture-centric mindset will give birth to an infinity of well executed moves and create excellence far quicker than any given move. Here, ten year old Mikey Wilson and fifteen year old nicky Ryan work their postural drills from seated butterfly guard, finding exactly how a given posture can improve or detract from their goals in that position – one in which they both already excel through this kind of training.
