Evolution is constant. As the sport progresses, certain techniques that were once common have proven ineffective or even dangerous. BJJ black belt William Tackett has identified five techniques that practitioners continue to use despite their ineffectiveness, offering better alternatives for each.
Wrapping Hands Around Your Opponent from Bottom Position
A common mistake, especially among beginners, is wrapping hands around the training partner when stuck in bad positions like mount or side control. This instinctive reaction actually pins you to the bottom position, making the situation worse.
“You never want to lock your hands around your training partner because that just pins yourself to bottom position,” Tackett explains. “Whenever you’re in bottom, the main thing you want to establish is frames and create space.”
By locking your hands around your opponent, you not only restrict your own movement but also put your arms in vulnerable positions where your opponent can attack with armbars, Americanas, kimuras, and even chokes. While this technique might have limited application in MMA to prevent an opponent from posturing up to strike, it serves no beneficial purpose in BJJ.
Instead, Tackett recommends establishing proper frames to create space and work toward escapes.
Dismounting for Arm Triangle Finishes
Another common error involves dismounting to side control when attempting to finish an arm triangle choke. While this technique can work against less experienced opponents, it creates opportunities for escape.
“The problem with going to side control is that your opponent can now reach down and hold their own leg, use that to peel their shoulder away from their neck, turn to their side and then start to turn back in and face you,” Tackett points out.
Staying in mount provides a much more efficient finish. Tackett recommends wedging your hand below your opponent’s shoulder blade, using your head and neck to push their shoulder into their neck, and then sprawling your weight down while in mount.
“In my professional opinion, there’s really no reason you want to go to the side control to finish the arm triangle rather than the mount,” he says.
This approach maintains the dominant position while securing a clean blood choke finish.
Standing Up Against a Seatbelt Grip
Many wrestlers entering BJJ try to apply the wrestling standup technique against an opponent who has secured a seatbelt grip on their back—a critical mistake according to Tackett.
“The main reason this doesn’t work is because they don’t have a body lock grip—it’s not the same as a seatbelt grip,” Tackett explains.
The seatbelt position places the opponent’s arm over your shoulder, preventing them from sliding down your back when you stand up. This allows them to insert their hooks and potentially secure a submission.
Tackett suggests two alternatives: either out-pummel the seatbelt grip by controlling their wrists and bringing their hands lower on your hips before standing, or shake them off by doing the opposite motion—bringing your hips back and head down instead of up and forward.
“If you shake them off the top and pull their head down, they’re more than likely going to land in bottom side control, bottom north-south, and you might even get their back,” he notes.
This transforms a defensive position into an advantageous one.
Jumping Closed Guard
Tackett is particularly emphatic about eliminating this dangerous technique:
“Everyone has seen the horrific videos of people jumping closed guard, their hips landing straight into their opponent’s knee, hyperextending their knee and making it go the way it’s not supposed to go.”
Beyond the significant injury risk, closed guard has become less effective in modern No-Gi jiu-jitsu.
“We just don’t see a lot of closed guard utilized today in No-Gi because it’s just hard to make grips, it’s hard to keep their posture broken, things get sweaty, and guys just stand up out of our closed guard,” he explains.
Instead, Tackett recommends establishing a two-on-one grip (cross-side wrist control with near-side elbow control) before pulling guard. This allows for entry into more effective positions like half guard, shin-on-shin, or single-leg X, providing better control and more attacking options.
Cross-Side Foot Lock from 50/50
The final technique Tackett wants eliminated is the cross-side foot lock from 50/50 position. This submission attempt often places the grip too high on the opponent’s calf, making it difficult to apply breaking pressure to the joint.
“We want submissions that work against everybody, submissions that are efficient and that have good breaking mechanics to where we don’t have to gas ourselves in pursuit of the submission,” Tackett states.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NPtBTv0dto
