Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is often referred to as human chess. Improving at this martial art requires a mix of physicality and intellect. Athleticism and strength are respected, but the crafty, technical, smart practitioners are universally recognized as the best representatives of the sport. BJJ is unique because it does not just attract athletic people. It attracts nerds, bookworms, philosopher and thinker types. Yes, yes. No wonder the best BJJ coach — Jon Danaher — is a philosophy PhD. People often make parallels between BJJ and chess, mostly because of the importance of strategy and tactics. Here is another similarity, which is not discussed very often — the importance of calculation. In chess, a player who can see 3 moves ahead will almost always beat the player who sees 2 moves ahead. How far you can see is infinitely more important than how much theory you know. Similarly, in jiu-jitsu, we marvel at the ability of some practitioners to almost read the opponent’s thoughts. No matter what you try, they are ready. They give you this cheeky smile and you know you are in trouble. Of course, unlike chess, jiu-jitsu has the speed factor. In chess, each side makes only one move at a time. But in BJJ you could execute several moves before the opponent can respond. Sure, many factors play into this other than the speed itself — cardio, the level of fatigue, the mental state we are in during sparring, and so on. But in any case, in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, it pays to have an elaborate game where you have a plan, then a response to each of the possible reactions of the opponent, and then answers to their reactions to your responses, and so on (Marcelo Garcia is a strong proponent of this). As your “jiu-jitsu tree” grows deep and wide, your skill level increases. You start “seeing further” and doing precisely what you admire in high-level practitioners. You can calculate further and further. You guide your opponent exactly where you want them to go. You set cunning traps and trigger reactions to which you already have well-prepared responses. Yes, jiu-jitsu has a certain level of chaos to it — after all, your opponent is not a training dummy and has his or her plans, moves, tactics, and strategies. But having a plan is almost always better than not having a plan. Those of us whose game and skills are best prepared for multiple possibilities, usually end up winning. In this article, I want to describe a concept that I have used, successfully, in both offensive and defensive positions. It is relatively simple, hence something that can be practiced and mastered reasonably quickly, even by white belts. It is simple but difficult to counter — so the time you invest in practicing this pays off in sparring and matches. Enter the 1–2–1 principle. Essentially, it is an advanced trap setting. You use two different moves that have different and usually opposing directions of force. Think about the push-pull principle, or creating dilemmas that Jon Danaher and Gordon Ryan often talk about. You probably already do this — you try a move, which, when countered, opens an opportunity for the second move. You try to push, the opponent resists, then you pull. You attempt a sweep to the right, and as the opponent adjusts the weight and positioning, you sweep to the left. BUT. I see a lot of people who stop at move two. They are missing out. Let’s take it one step further: Do the first move, As the opponent reacts, do the second move (in the opposing direction), And as the opponent reacts to that and overcorrects, go back to the first move. The logic for this is simple: First move — EASY TO COUNTER. Second move — HARDER TO COUNTER if followed right after the first move, but can still be done by a decent opponent. Back to the first move — QUITE A HEADACHE. Let’s look at a few examples. Example 1. Mount Escape 1.1 Try the Elbow Escape As part of the elbow escape (for the sake of the example, let’s say you are turning right), you have to turn a bit sideways and start bringing your head and your knee (on the side you are trying to escape) closer together. One of the most annoying and effective ways to counter this is a cross-face. As the top player uses the cross-face to straighten you up (towards your left) and move your head away from your knee, it is easy to give up on the elbow escape — because it has no chance of succeeding. And that is precisely what most people at white and blue belt levels do. But let’s think about what is the opponent giving you—the arm under your head. 1.2 Switch to Trap and Roll Now that your opponent can’t easily post, use your right hand to block the opponent’s arm under your head, trap his left foot with your right foot, and execute a bridge over your right shoulder. All of a sudden, your opponent has a different problem. Sometimes this is enough to reverse the position. But most of the time, the opponent (sometimes violently) pulls the arm from behind your head to post or raises the left leg to prevent the reversal. You failed. At Trap and Roll. Yes. But what opportunity opened up? Now there is a lot of space to work with on your right side. 1.3 Switch back to Elbow Escape! As the opponent counters the threat of reversal by trap and roll, you know have a lot more space than you had the first time you tried the elbow escape. This time, it is going to be significantly easier to execute it. Give it a try. Rather than just trying singular moves — which are easy to stop, once you connect the moves that have opposing directionality, things become very different. Suddenly you are practicing jiu-jitsu at a much higher level. Example 2. Butterfly Guard elevation 2.1 First attempt to elevate Get a 2 on 1 grip, let’s say on the opponent’s right arm. As you move your hips close and attempt to elevate, a decent opponent will resist. They may move their hips back, or use a cross-frame, but a frequent reaction is to move their upper body backward. Faced with this, a lot of people give up on trying to elevate. But look at how the opponent’s body is misaligned. 2.2 Switch to a push to takedown The second you see the opponent’s shoulders directly above the hips, or even behind the hips, stop pulling and start pushing. It is simple and very effective. People will just fall and you may score a takedown. However, if the opponent is agile and quick enough, they may recover their balance and use their arms on you to start leaning, or even pushing forward to prevent the takedown. Now the opponent’s head is moving ahead of the hips. What does that allow us to do? 2.3 Second attempt to elevate Switch to 2 on 1 again and make the second attempt to elevate. In my experience, this is when if you are not careful, your opponent may fly over your head. :) This is because, unlike your first attempt, here you are starting not from a static point where the opponent can relatively easily stop you, but from a situation where the opponent’s body is on a forward trajectory. Whether from here you enter into leglocks, take the back, or whatever else you are into — up to you. Do you see where I am going with this? Example 3. Triangle and Reverse Triangle 3.1 Triangle Say you have locked a triangle from the bottom. And while you can control the opponent’s posture, their frame is strong enough to provide space and they also don’t let you get the right angle by not letting you get to a perpendicular position. If you have already locked a triangle, be patient. You can try different things to tighten the lock, to get rid of the frame, to get the right angle. If all of it doesn’t work, let’s see how we can take advantage of precisely what makes it difficult to finish the triangle — the stubborn frame. 3.2 Switch to Reverse Triangle Remember, make sure you keep control of the head at all times. Now switch to Reverse Triangle. Once you do that, you change the direction of the attack. The very frame that was saving the opponent has suddenly become the problem. With the reverse triangle, you can attack a kimura, an armbar. The opponent will now focus on protecting the arm, radically changing the arm’s position. Often, the arm goes across, precisely where you were trying to get it in the previous step. I’m sure you know what comes next. :) 3.3 Switch back to Triangle As the opponent is trying to hide the arm, it is likely that the overcorrection will now make the regular triangle deadly. Swing back (make sure to control the posture!), switch to a regular triangle and you will, most likely, have a much easier time finishing the submission. Example 4. Single Leg X Sweep 4.1 Single Leg X sweep attempt So you get into the Single leg X position, wrapped around the opponent’s leg, your hips high, everything is tight. You try the sweep and the opponent shifts the weight the other way in order not to fall. In the process, the leg you are wrapped around becomes light, but sweeping is close to impossible. Problem? No. Opportunity. 4.2 Push in the opposite direction You could try a false reap, or try to attack with a heelhook, but let’s keep the feet where they are. Just push the opponent in the direction OPPOSITE to the direction of the original sweep attempt. If the opponent falls, great, get on top. But usually, the opponent will try to push back and will put the weight back on the leg that you are wrapped around. 4.3 Re-try the Single Leg X sweep As he opponent’s weight shifts back, it usually goes a tad too far. There is also the momentum of course. Now, try the sweep again and most of the time, you will find that it is much easier to make the opponent fall since you will go in the direction toward which the opponent’s body is already moving. Example 5. Snap-down and Takedown 5.1 Snap-down attempt Snap-downs are tough against an opponent of the same size and strength. But there is a good reason to try it — at the beginning of a BJJ match, both opponents’ bodies are bent forward to be ready for a potential takedown attempt. With the head far ahead of the hips, a snap-down is a real threat. But when you try a snap-down, there is an instinctive reaction where the opponent will try to stand straight and align the head and shoulders with the hips. This creates a new vulnerability — now the legs are accessible. 5.2 Double-leg takedown attempt As the opponent straightens up, feint a double leg takedown. You could fully commit, of course, that is another option. Once you feint, the opponent will immediately bend back down and aim to put arms low to protect the legs. Again, like in previous examples, the momentum and the overcorrection help you. 5.3 Second snap-down attempt Try a snap-down for the second time. This time you are far more likely to succeed as you will catch the opponent’s head during the downward motion. Be careful, because opponent can face plant into the mat — that’s how effective this can be. Whether you want to try the guillotine, attack the turtle, go to the back, your choice. ··· You can, of course, apply this to a wide array of different positions. You can also, instead of the 1–2–1 schema, go for 1–2–3, 1–2–1–3, or any other combination of moves that work for you and for the position you are working on. In fact, you should. If I know that all you do is 1–2–1, it will be progressively easier to defend it. This is just one option to expand your repertoire, you can add many others. The point I am trying to make is, don’t just go 1 and that’s it — anyone can counter that. Or 1–2, where most decent practitioners will be able to deal with this too. 1–2–1 is one of those things where you make a claim that you are serious about becoming an advanced practitioner of the art. Now. How to make it work? You have to drill it. No avoiding that. You drill it first, against a cooperative opponent. Then, when you get reasonably comfortable, try it in sparring against lower belts. Then try against the higher belts. Take the feedback and see how to improve. Maybe you need to adjust your grips. Maybe a slight change in body mechanics will help. Drill again. Try again in sparring. You can see from the examples, you don’t need to be a black belt to apply this method. And you will find that it works quite effectively even against higher belts. The reason it does — it overloads the opponent’s processing capacity. It also immediately elevates your level by helping connect different techniques into a coherent approach where one technique flows from another. We usually learn all techniques in relative isolation, so it needs work to connect things. Good luck!

This, in the photo above, is my tribe. My community of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners. My team. It includes my son, some of my best friends, my work colleagues, people from all walks of life, some of which, if not for jiu-jitsu, I would have never met. People of different ages, genders, and backgrounds. United in their quest to become a better version of themselves, by putting their bodies and minds through a grind of regular martial arts training. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a team sport. That’s right. You compete alone, sure. But you train and grow together. Whatever your reasons are for training — you want to improve your self-defense, you are a competitive athlete, you are just trying to get some physical activity in and de-stress — the training environment builds the team chemistry that has a significant impact on our growth both as jiu-jitsu practitioners as well as human beings. As I wrote in one of my other articles: “The people you will meet come from different parts of the world, cultures, religions. There will be the random 110 kg man who wants to lose weight, the 50 kg woman who wants to learn how to defend herself, an 8-year-old who wants to be able to deal with a school bully, a 55-year-old who just wants to be fitter — all in the same room with, say, a professional fighter preparing for his next bout.” Think of your first impression when you walk into a BJJ gym. You see everyone sparring in pairs. It is easy to see the sport as a one-on-one activity. But while you are winning or losing alone, you cannot grow and improve without everyone else on the team. Your Team is the Key It is straightforward in training. You drill, you roll with your teammates. We all have tried to do more solo drills, but let’s face it, they are boring. Have you tried to work out with a wrestling dummy? Boring again. There is no substitute for training with a live and resisting opponent. You get realistic reactions, pressure, and resistance. You can communicate and ask to reset the position. You observe their movement and adjust your own. You learn something every time, whether you are submitting or getting submitted. You go light if your teammate obliges. Or you can go hard if your teammate is game. You can try different modes of training depending on your objectives, or levels of energy. You will find a willing sparring partner for each situation. You roll with lower belts and you can practice your attacks, you can experiment, and test your defenses by putting yourself in bad positions. You roll with higher belts and they will guide you, let you work in some positions, and even put themselves in dangerous spots because they know how to protect themselves. Sometimes just one small tip, one adjustment from a higher belt can change the way you see the position and improve your game instantly. Similarly, you can give one tip to a lower belt and they can instantly and visibly improve. You roll with big strong guys and lightweights. You roll with the teammates who are strong and those who are flexible. You roll with men and women, children, and older teammates. You roll with someone with long limbs, and someone else who is short and stocky. In our team, Barbaros brings speed, Shahab brings size and power, Zafer and Ozan have very long limbs, and Kivanc is insanely strong — each one of our teammates does something that is different, sometimes unexpected — since most people cannot do some things that they do. Some are intense, others are always chill. Some come with slick technique, others with crazy cardio. The move that works on one, may not work on another. And so you learn, adjust, improve in real-time, and get better at applying your techniques to different types of opponents. My favorite sparring partner is my 18 year old son, Alp Arslan — he is like water — you cannot rattle him, you cannot tire him. He just keeps coming and almost every time he springs some new technique at you. Since he has done countless sparring sessions with me, he knows my game all too well, so I have to be on my A-game to do damage. He sees my attacks coming a mile away, and that, in turn, helps me get better. Training follows a class structure. You need it to be systematic — but we don’t keep things too rigid, everything is light-hearted and fun. Then there are open mats that when handled correctly, can promote creativity and sometimes unexpected lessons. I love open mats. Anyone can match up with anyone and just have fun. Sometimes it feels like I am in a workshop with fellow craftsmen trying to figure things out together. Share the knowledge and elevate the team as a whole, not just myself as an individual. Show my signature moves to my teammates and make it a little bit more difficult for me to hit these moves next time — forcing me to upgrade my game and avoid getting complacent. Here, this is how I do my guillotine, my footlocks, my kesa gatame, my butterfly guard. I will happily share whatever I feel I am good at. And I must say, the same goes for my teammates. Generosity in sharing knowledge is one of the key things that define our team. All this helps build team spirit, the spirit of collaboration, and respect. We rely on each other to learn, to practice, to get a serious workout. We share the knowledge and all this prepares you for the competition, after all — the way you train is the way you fight. In Competition When you travel to the tournament venue with your team, you feel like you are marching into battle together. When you think about it, the only time you are truly alone is when you step on the mats for your match. You warm up with your teammates, you leave your stuff with them, and you ask them for time, updates, and tips. There is someone to hold your towel, and hand you a bottle of water. You are never really alone. Even when your match starts, you can hear your teammates screaming their lungs out from the stands as your coach yells out instructions (if you are paying attention of course). After the match, there is someone to pat you on the shoulder in celebration or console you after a loss. You go out after the tournament and have a good meal together. Travel back to your home town together. And the very next day perhaps, it is time for the next training session again. Competitions can be very stressful events. Having a support network like this is immensely helpful. Your Coach matters Our team founder and main coach, Devran Umut Tuzla, a black belt, is the heart of the team. Having trained for more than 12 years, he started building the team with a handful of students. I remember the first time I dropped by the gym, there were only four of us and Devran was a purple belt. :) He patiently built and rebuilt (after COVID-19) the team in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye. Humble beginnings. And now, this is one of the strongest BJJ schools in the country, with the students regularly competing and bringing home bags of medals. Devran is incredibly skilled, yet humble. He shows his students by example that he treats the art of jiu-jitsu very seriously, all the while not taking himself too seriously. He is a warrior in spirit, yet one of the kindest people I know. I will never forget his fight against a 160 kg competitor in the absolute division in an ADCC event that he unfortunately lost but on points — 2–0. That fight left a huge impact on me and has been an important motivation to keep going despite difficulties, injuries and life desperately trying to pull me away from jiu-jitsu. Our second coach, Deniz Kucukozdemir is equally committed to the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. As much as many of us love training in no-gi, Deniz keeps the love for the gi training going. He is a warrior through and through, and it is a shame his injuries have not allowed us to see him in competition. Healthy, he is a menace. Yet he has a light and fun side to him, often commentating on the sparring sessions, cracking jokes, and being there for his teammates in both training and competitions. Our coaches help create an atmosphere of respect and collaboration in the team. Everyone who joins the team either follows this path or does not stick around long. What Devran himself was able to learn in years, his students can now learn in half the time, if not less. Today, anyone stepping into our school has a black belt instructor in front of them. We support each other on and off the mats The bond training together builds is strong. Sure, not everyone gets along. But seeing someone go through adversity, through one opponent after another, and still being available for the next roll — that tells you a lot about that person. That is how you give and earn respect. In some cases, teammates become like family. They are there to support you when you have a personal problem. They are there to listen when you need to talk. They are there to help with all kinds of things whether it be moving apartments, supporting a good cause, or finding your lost pet. Every time when I am going through something, I know I will feel better after training. Even when injured. Beyond your team And all of this goes beyond your team. The whole BJJ world “is your oyster”. You open up a massive community of like-minded weirdos across the world. Almost any place you go to, you can find a jiu-jitsu gym, and the local practitioners will welcome and embrace you. Even when you meet world-class athletes, champions, and best coaches, they are simply people who are in love with BJJ and you can attend their seminars, train with them, and have a meal or a chat. I have often seen how people who just fought each other in a tournament match become friends. This unspoken bond between those who train jiu-jitsu is visible all the time. Be a good team member Whatever your motivation for training jiu-jitsu, you are helping your teammates. You may be a competitor or a hobbyist, but you can push your teammates to get better. Your unique style and specific knowledge can help others improve. Someone who competes helps everyone crank up the intensity. The hobbyist helps remind all that BJJ is not be all end all. It is not an exaggeration — every time you show up in the gym, you are helping everyone else. So show up. Keep your gi and rashguards clean. Pay attention to your hygiene. Cut your nails. Be respectful to your teammates. Behave. If someone asks a question, try to help them to the best of your ability. It is also ok to say — I don’t know. Your stand-up is not great? Point them to someone with good wrestling or judo. Someone asks you how to escape from this position, but maybe you don’t know? Ask the coach. Give your time freely. Be kind. Be focused. Do the work. Over time, your role may change — from white belt to a competitor, to a teacher perhaps. As you get better, you will start helping others improve, giving useful tips and pointers. Embrace being a member of the team. After all, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a team sport. :) The team a few years back. I am still a white belt here. 😁 We train, we fight and we have fun 😃