The Pebble In the Shoe Effect

One of the biggest aspects of jiu jitsu is controlling your opponent by proper body alignment to put them in an isolated position. Through this control we focus on managing our space between ourselves and the opponent. If too much space is created and improperly maintained, the opponent has the ability to escape. By immobilizing the person’s core power, we can reduce the possibility of them being able to create space.

Typically we do things such as flattening out the individual onto their back or prevent the hips from being able to bridge, but all of that is easier said than done. Against a bigger and stronger opponent, it is going to take some serious effort to successful immobilized their key points of power. No matter how large or small an opponent is, the pebble in the shoe effect creates the perfect opportunity to stay in control of your opponent.

You are walking through the woods or down the street when you come across an area that’s heavily riddled with pebbles. Some time goes by and you realize there is some sort of pain on the bottom of your foot. You stop and take off your shoe to find the smallest of the stones has worked its way to the bottom of your foot. Such a tiny object, but it creates a large impact.

Think of the pebble in the shoe as your fist that you hold under their shoulder blades generating enough pressure and control to take the mount from side control or the old school style pass that forces your opponent’s arm behind their back creating enough pressure for your to open and pass their guard. This object acting as a wedge creates that flattening of the back or the immobilizing of the hips without fully holding the shoulders/hips flat on the ground. It becomes an angular force that pierces through the comfortability factor of your opponent’s typical stalling period. Turning in or away as the normal way to generate space becomes impractical due to the obstacle in the way of movement.

Using this same method, one can amplify the amount of pressure they can produce on a resisting opponent from all your typical top positions. Through the timing of your opponent’s breathing patterns, you can begin to not only cause a soul crushing pressure, but reduce their breathing capacity. This can be the ultimate secret in wearing your opponent down faster and more efficiently. It has been a battle-tested method one of my coaches used to use all the time and it can be used not only as a diaphragm attack, but a key component to controlling a transition.

Moving between positions doesn’t have to always be a scramble. If you can successfully control the individual and lock them in a position where they cannot follow your movements, the transition becomes funneled into your own game. A similar idea of this is keeping your opponent’s upper half facing the opposite direction than the direction of their lower half. This creates a misalignment of their spine which reduces their ability to move. In a recent blog post I had mentioned something similar about re-directing their head for the same effect. Where the head goes, the body wants to follow. So by keeping their body out of alignment, they cannot and will not have proper function in their kinetic chain.

Through consistent training, you start to realize that no matter how an individual uses their body to play the game of jiu jitsu, having a conceptual approach to the roll will offer you the greatest success. Breaking the posture, attacking the base, and managing space will help you to gain control of your opponent. Creating a pebble in the shoe effect will help maintain the control of the individual and create an open through their reaction. Once the opponent reacts wrong, we capitalize on their own movement. This will reduce movement waste and maximize our ability to dominate our opponent.