“People are really going to complain about this? What’s a d**k move? It’s jiu-jitsu,” Tom DeBlass stated. “She used her foot to push off the face or the neck. Who cares? We’re talking about jiu-jitsu, not soccer.”
In a strongly-worded social media response, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Tom DeBlass has defended a controversial submission technique that has divided the grappling community this week.
The technique in question was demonstrated by Jasmine Rocha, daughter of grappling standout Vagner Rocha, in a video that quickly went viral across martial arts platforms. The clip shows Jasmine using her foot on an opponent’s throat to break their defensive grip during an armbar attempt.
“Imagine being so soft you complain about this? Give me a damn break,” DeBlass wrote on social media. “If this bothers you please go play handball and find something else to entertain you. We don’t need such cowardice in our martial art.”
In the original demonstration, Jasmine Rocha explained that the technique is particularly useful against stronger opponents:
“When your opponent is being really tight and annoying, and you can’t break their grip, this creates an immediate reaction. It usually causes a panic response where they let go of their grip, making the armbar much easier to complete.”
DeBlass continued his defense by suggesting he wouldn’t object if one of his own students were on the receiving end of such a technique. “If that was my student getting armbarred and someone put their foot in their throat, I would not complain at all. Give me a break. It’s literally sickening to see people complain about this.”
Nobody’s disputing the fact that Jasmine Rocha is a talented competitor and has solid technique however people do constantly complain in a variety of BJJ gyms about various ‘d**k’ moves from kani basami to knee on neck variations.
While some practitioners view such moves as innovative solutions against resistant opponents, others question whether they cross ethical lines especially in training.
DeBlass concluded his statement with a reminder about the fundamental nature of the sport: “I swear sometimes Jiu-Jitsu people forget what Jiu-Jitsu is. It’s crazy to see people in MMA smash one another, then the same ones who call Jiu-Jitsu a ‘fight,’ complain about a foot in the neck. Grow up.”
The technique’s adoption in competition settings remains to be seen, as tournament regulations and cultural norms within academies often dictate which techniques become widely accepted in the evolving landscape of submission grappling.
