Chaining attacks: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guide
How a threat from one attack sets up the next: choke, arm, turn.
A single attack is easy to defend. A chain is not. When you attack the choke, they defend with their hands, and that opens an armbar or a turn. When they defend the armbar, you return to the choke.
This is the key idea behind advanced jiu-jitsu: every defence creates another opening. Learn two or three links and drill them until the flow is natural.
Key points
- Pair attacks that need opposite defences: choke and arm, triangle and armbar.
- Keep your position while you transition. Do not give up control for a half-chance.
- Use their defensive reaction as the cue to switch.
- From the back, if they defend the choke, the arm is open: bow and arrow, or a seatbelt to the other side.
- Know three chains well, from guard, from the back and from mount.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Forcing one attack. If it is blocked, change. Pushing harder gives them the sweep.
- Chaining without control. Keep a clear position before switching. A chain that loses position is a gift.
- Always switching, never finishing. Commit to the attack when the opening is clear.
The rest is in the app
The step-by-step breakdown, the timed drill with the coach calling the shots and the quiz are part of Become Fighter Pro, where this lesson sits in the Back attacks and chains module of Jiu-jitsu foundations.
Get it on Google Play. Coming soon to the App Store.
More from Back attacks and chains
- Taking the back: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guide
- The rear-naked choke: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guide
- Defending the back: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu guide
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Combat sports training is hard on the body. Warm up, stay within your limits and check with a doctor first if you have a health condition. Practise in a clear space and stop if you feel pain or dizziness. Learn partner work only under a qualified coach.