Different kinds of pressure: People talk all the time about PRESSURE in jiu jitsu – they do so for a good reason – because pressure is one of the most important factors in deciding winner and loser in a jiu jitsu match. If you can out your opponent under more pressure than he can apply on you and for longer periods of time, you are very likely to win the match. Understand however, that the most commonly understood notion of pressure – which is the pressure of weight – is not the only form of pressure. You can create tactical pressure by getting ahead on points so that your opponent is forced to increase his work rate or lose. You can create SIDE TO SIDE pressure, where instead of using linear weight application, you threaten one side of the body to force a defensive reaction left and then jump to the right with another attack until the constant defensive side to side movements exhaust your opponent. You can create BOTTOM pressure by constantly threatening to stand or heist up from underneath, forcing the opponent to work hard from top just to hold you down. You can create PSYCHOLOGICAL pressure by making an opponent emotional, or fueling unrealistic performance expectations set by him being the favorite or underdog in ways that distract him from tactically sound decision making. Pressure is indeed among the most important elements of victory and defeat – but make sure you go beyond the common perceptions of pressure and try to incorporate more aspects of pressure to make your use of it more effective
