Constant Movement Drill - Top Game (Video)

**jasculs** · Posted On: 1/26/2010 8:58am

What's up everyone,

Just wanted to share a drill that I had my students to do help them build conditioning and work on their positioning at the same time. The purpose of the drills is so they can practice the concept of movement while on top. It will also help them train their cardio specific to jiu jitsu.

In this video the partner on the bottom is doing a ton but there are variations you can do with it. The partner can do random thing such as lift arms, up turn into you, turn away from you, turn completely to their stomach, scoot their body, etc. You can also progress the resistance and move the drill up to a situational live drill.

YouTube- Constant Movement Drill - Top Game (Jason Scully - Monmouth County BJJ)

Thanks for watching and hope you enjoy,
Jason

**CoffeeFan** · Posted On: 1/26/2010 6:27pm

I like to do a similar drill for warm ups, although usually it's going from certain positions rather then just keep flowing on top. I will have to try that in class and see how people do.

**sambosteve** · Posted On: 1/30/2010 7:56pm

We do silimar stuff. Great drill! Sometimes I will call out positions they must get to as well.

**Ryno** · Posted On: 3/10/2010 8:59pm

Bone damage, are you commenting on him looking "floatey" as opposed to playing "heavy"? And if so, how does this compare to your club's style of play? I'm asking this due to the fact that my club tends to really tends to play a heavy positional control game, and many of the visiting BJJ guys seemed to play much lighter.

**RandomTriangle** · Posted On: 3/10/2010 11:37pm

I strive for constant movement when i roll, transitioning from position to position, as well as attack to attack.

Maybe if i was competing and trying to be cautious i would try to hold a position, but when i'm training i don't. And if i do it is because i'm tired and need a minute.

Don't force any attack and take what the guy on bottom gives (in terms of both submissions as well as position).

What sacrifice of "technique and dominance" are you talking about?
Did you not see all the the technique and dominance in his movement?

There is nothing wrong with playing heavy. Just understand one day you will grapple someone who is stronger and/or better than you and you will not be able to keep them in any one position. And the only way you will be in any dominant position is by continually moving.

***jnp*** · Posted On: 3/11/2010 12:09am

Missing posts moved here: Missing the point - No BS MMA and Martial Arts

**Bone Damage** · Posted On: 3/11/2010 12:47am

Originally Posted by Ryno

Bone damage, are you commenting on him looking "floatey" as opposed to playing "heavy"? And if so, how does this compare to your club's style of play? I'm asking this due to the fact that my club tends to really tends to play a heavy positional control game, and many of the visiting BJJ guys seemed to play much lighter.

I think that would be one way to say it, my school is known for a pretty heavy top game, I play that style too, but I also really like to stay mobile, which was why I was interested in this drill. I would agree with the fact that other schools sometime play a much lighter top game, and actually, the lighter sense of contact resistance permeates their whole game sometimes.

Could it simply be a difference in "sparring styles", rather than "BJJ styles"? I wonder. On my previous post, which missed the point (discussed the pros and cons of the drill in the thread title?), I was more comparing this drill to a somewhat similar drill I've done which focused on knee on belly along with a specific emphasis on staying very heavy as you go around the head. That downward, mobile pressure is a big weapon in my top-game.

I wasn't critizising the technique, I guess I worded it wrong. I was more wondering about the intensity, he's moving really fast and decisively against a co-operative partner, does that make sense? I can't think of many other drills with such a disparity in movement, the guy on the bottom looks like he just had a nice glass of warm milk, and he's settling in for the night, while the guy on top is seriously turning up the volume. I guess it just threw me off, started looking like a lock-flow, which is VERBOTEN at my school.

**jasculs** · Posted On: 3/11/2010 8:48am

Hey everyone...thanks for the posts...this is one of may types of drills we use...this was done as part of the warm-up for class and was not a "technical discussion" part. I like to have my students warm-up a lot with drills that are related to jiu jitsu. We also do a similar drill where they are required to be heavier and tighter along with similar drills where the partner gives a little more resistance moved up to pretty much full resistance when now you have basically situational rolling.

Just an example of some of the drills we do in the warm-up portion.

**Vorpal** · Posted On: 3/11/2010 10:09am

Is "heavy" really the best way to describe the opposite of the more "floaty" style? I prefer to think of it as "constant pressure" vs "fast and loose" and find that the people who vacillate seamlessly between those two styles to be maddingly hard to defend against.

**tao.jonez** · Posted On: 3/11/2010 11:30am

Whenever I'm working out at home, I do this type of drill on a heavy bag that I lay on the floor. It works great and is one of my favorite solo JJ drills.