The two most dominant grapplers I ever saw had something in common – they were devastating pinners: Over the many years I have spent running classes in the basement in NYC, the two most dominant grapplers I ever saw were Gordon Ryan and roger gracie. There are many commonalities between them and some important differences, but the thing they share most in common and which is important for YOUR development is that both men were truly devastating in their application of the various pins of Jiu jitsu. Having either of them on top of you once they had passed your legs felt you had a Cadillac parked on your chest while you attempted to do escapes. The pressure was so immense in any one position that you almost hoped they would move to another position to score, just to get a temporary reprieve from the pressure. A minute under a mount like theirs felt like an eternity. There is no question that a simple pin can be among the most devastating weapons in your arsenal if applied to its full potential. Learning to shut down escapes and generate pressure while moving from pin to pin is perhaps the single most important skill in raising your submission success rate – particularly at the higher levels. You must begin to pay attention to your posture and how certain subtle changes in posture can make you feel lighter or heavier; how a shift to one side can sit down a potential escape, how moving up or down an opponents body can change how he tries to escapes. Pinning is perhaps the most subtle part of the entire game. The movements are very small but have deep consequences for your success or failure. Here, Gordon Ryan makes someone's life totally miserable with one of his trademark mounted pins. Ask yourself what is he doing with his posture at this moment ? His foot positioning? Head position? Near side elbow position? Learning to answer these questions is part of your journey to developing a truly devastating arsenal of pins – from which your submissions game will greatly benefit!
