Note: tori = person doing a technique
uke = person having a technique done to them

There are a number of famous sayings in grappling circles, but an oft-repeated Rickson Gracie classic is “Jiu-Jitsu is perfect. It’s humans who make errors.” The meaning behind this is obvious: if a technique is not working, it is because tori is making errors, not because of a flaw in Jiu Jitsu itself. I have no intentions of arguing against this statement; I believe in it wholeheartedly. However, I also believe that this “perfect” Jiu-Jitsu does not exist in the real world, no matter how fervently we aspire to the ideal. Indeed, as long as there is a human component to grappling, there will be human error. But error comes in many forms, and I would submit that those different forms can be clearly defined, and that doing so is beneficial for understanding and rectifying them. To that end, I would propose that we separate these failures into four categories: “flubs”, technical errors, technique errors, and total failures.

I would define “flubs” as what occurs when tori’s understanding of a technique (and underlying principles) is up to par, but they have made an error while performing it. Of the four categories, this is generally the easiest to correct, as it usually only means that tori needs more practice time. This is one of the reasons the presence of a skilled instructor is so important in early development, and why garage gyms with novices learning from instructionals rarely produce results: raw novices don’t really get to make flubs, because they don’t know the difference between good technique vs not. The influence of a coach is often needed to draw those distinctions, so that students can reach the point where they recognize their accidents. With more advanced practitioners, these types of errors tend to get ironed out with time. In a good gym, advanced ranks should have both solid theoretical knowledge and a baseline level of executional skill, as well as a drive to correct these unforced errors they commit while rolling. All that is to say: these flubs are what keep a lot of grapplers up at night and frustrated with their performance, but after a certain skill threshold mindful practice combined with patience can mostly rectify this issue.

What then do we call it then when a technique fails to work even when all the pieces appear to be in order? If a technique is executed properly according to a student’s understanding and still does not work as intended, then it stands to reason that either the technique itself is flawed, or that tori’s understanding of it is. Special cases (that we’ll get to) notwithstanding, the latter is almost always case. What I would call “technical” failures, then, are what occur when tori has misconceptions about the essential details of a given technique, or demonstrates a poor grasp of grappling concepts. This can manifest itself in obvious ways, such as when a white belt attempts a scissor sweep without controlling the posting arm, or it can be more subtle, as with a brown or black belt angling their hip incorrectly during a guard pass. These sorts of errors are much more difficult to correct; with each imperfect attempt, tori is building bad habits that can take longer to relearn than they would have to learn correctly in the first place. This highlights the importance of taking charge of your own training. Certainly, it is the duty of instructors to correct their students’ technique, but it is unrealistic to expect a coach to have the time or energy to spot and correct every flawed technique one of their students might attempt. Furthermore, for advanced practicioners, many small technical failures are “invisible”, or at least difficult to see. These more subtle mistakes are corrected not by grabbing “their other left” wrist, but by small adjustments to weight distribution or posture. This can be virtually impossible for an onlooker to observe, and can often be corrected only through intensive, self-focused study. This is the type of error that advanced practitioners will spend the majority of their time working to correct, and also explains why so many high level grapplers are more enthusiastic about learning new details than they are about spending time on the newest techniques.

Next, I would be remiss if I didn’t cover technique failures, but realistically this category is both the simplest and most contentious. Put frankly, what I’m calling “technical failures” would usually just be called “bullshit moves”. These are the things that whitebelts watch on Instagram or other short-form video platforms and terrorize other beginners 50lbs lighter than themselves with, but would never work against someone competent is who is currently both alive and awake. This topic is inherently contentious because there are always disagreements on whether or not certain moves are “bullshit” or not, but in my humble experience, if you are spending a lot of your time on techniques that others question the legitimacy of, you are either doing leglocks before ~2015 or you’re an insufferable contrarian with a severe case of misfit syndrome. For an example of a classic technical failure, enjoy this video of the infamous lugnut

Finally, “total” failures could be defined as tori moving in ways that are not only incorrect, but outright pointless or ignorant. This is what is happening when someone (usually a newer or exhausted grappler) grabs at something with no real understanding of why they are doing so, and even worse, they often do so with no explainable goal in sight. While this is understandable in brand new students, it is also sometimes seen at slightly more advanced levels. Almost always, this is done as the result of panic or desperation brought about by extreme anxiety or discomfort that the student has failed to control. Simply put, these are “total” failures because they not only fail to benefit tori in any way, but they also stand to put potentially place uke in unnecessary danger, as even the most grizzled among us can be on occasion vicitimized by flailing limbs. People prone to these errors are the archetypal “spaz” of the gym, and often find themselves without a training partner when it comes time for sparring rounds. If you find yourself making this kind of mistake, and you are not a brand new grappler, I implore you to shift the primary focus of your training towards stopping them from occurring. Unlike the other sorts of mistakes, the solution for this has very little do with technique and is instead almost entirely mental. Focus on staying calm and making only disciplined, purposeful movements, and these “total” failures should disappear in time. Moreover, by eliminating this kind of error, your training will invariably become much more productive for both you and your training partners. Even better, moving past this stage is a major step in the transition from outsider “new guy” in an academy to becoming a more respected, well-liked training partner.