The philosophy that I bring in to all of my classes is the idea of finishing your opponent. Not by points. Not by advantages. Not by a yuko or penalties. A FINISH, meaning an ippon or a tap out. The sentence I always repeat to my students is this: “If you want to play for points, play golf. We’re here to finish people.” But it’s so much more than a slogan, it’s a mindset.
With the growing popularity of submission only tournaments like the Metamoris Pro, Want vs. Need‘s Purple Belt tournament, and Lloyd Irvin’s Brown Belt Kumite, I feel that it’s something that the BJJ community needs, a reminder that the finish is the only true victory. Granted the point system is in place for tournament usage and I understand the fact that a point system allows the sport to progress and be judged fairly. I’m not against the point system. What I am against is the point system mentality.
With that being said, below are my current top 5 favorite finishes, also, take notice that they are all executed in a tournament setting. Clutch.
#5 Edwin Najmi vs. Wayne Ashford
It’s a shame that people are so quick to throw Ashford under the bus for getting caught, it happens to us all. The main reason why I chose this submission is because the initial catch of the triangle is brutal. Once Najmi had the bite for the triangle it was game over.
#4 Vitalii Dudchyk vs. Flavio Canto
Flavio Canto is one of my all time favorite judoka and he recently was featured on my heroes post. This arm bar took place in the 2011 World Championships and on the biggest stage, Canto delivers.
#3 Rafael Lovato Jr. vs. Kayron Gracie
The best thing about this finish is that Rafael has personally showed me this move on two occasions. Once when I trained with him at his school in Oklahoma (before he used it in the Metamoris Pro) and another time when I attended one of his seminars in Oregon (after the Metamoris Pro). It’s a money move and works at the highest level. Also, I’m a just a huge fan of Masahiko Kimura!
#2 Yasuyuki Muneta vs. Hidekazu Shoda
When thinking about some of my favorite finishes I already knew that this massive sasae tsurikomi ashi was going to be on the list. I just didn’t know where it would land. This throw is the definition of ippon.
#1 Xande Ribeiro vs. Tussa Alencar
Everyone loves to see a flashy finish and when it’s executed by someone with the credentials of Xande Ribeiro it makes it even sweeter. 6:08 is where the magic happens.
andynewazalife 
January 11, 2013 at 10:17 am
The riddle of this mystery in tricky packaging is this (for me anyhow): Finishing people in training stresses relationships. The bottom line for me is that I prefer the good relationships of my training partners to most anything else. It all makes the notion of “being a finisher” in competition difficult.
I’ve come to the realization that I really get just as much out of a “finish” as I do executing a positionally dynamic maneuver. Playing position is fun.
January 11, 2013 at 10:24 am
Tim,
This is a great comment and I agree with you for the most part. Where I disagree is the idea that finishing people stresses relationships. When you step on the mat to practice or compete, you know what you’re stepping in to. You’re stepping on to a mat to practice an art that was originally created as a self defense. It should be no surprise then that when you agree to train with your partner, you’re agreeing to train with a “take your life” mentality, but NOT IN A VIOLENT SENSE. Secondly, the only reason why being finished would affect a relationship is if you first, let it, and secondly, have a problem with your ego. These two things should already be in check by the time you step on the mat.
January 11, 2013 at 10:32 am
I have no problem tapping TO people – I’ve proven that a bazillion times. And, in theory, I totally agree with you. I guess I like to think of it as a skate video – eat shit, pull something awesome. Doesn’t matter so long as you do it with style.
Big respect!
January 11, 2013 at 10:24 am
Stalling is an art.
January 11, 2013 at 10:26 am
I have fallen victim to this style before. SO FRUSTRATING!
January 11, 2013 at 11:42 am
The world BJJ heavy weight match was interesting because it looked a lot like judo refs, and the scoring was familiar (the hand signals). Neat-O!!
January 11, 2013 at 11:56 am
Kenny, it’s my feeling that they should do that for all BJJ matches!
January 14, 2013 at 3:05 pm
Reblogged this on ON THE WIRE.
January 19, 2013 at 3:25 pm
Found your blog through wordpress and your grappling CV is impressive, I bet me and my friend can learn a trick through you. Just thought that “Finishing” mentality is pretty characteristic of judo and less of the stereotypical “laziness” of BJJ. Does that finishing mentality ever provides a mental block for players though or generate too much “spazziness”, where it’s all GO GO GO vs. sometimes the slow methodical approach that some BJJ players take on.
January 19, 2013 at 9:41 pm
I think you can still be methodical with your approach as long as your end goal is to finish your opponent. The finishing mentality does not necessarily mean “spazziness”. Also, thank you for your kind words, hope you enjoy the blog in the future!
February 1, 2013 at 10:32 am
During the Metamoris match Gracie was facing a stronger faster opponent with a long time limit. I think that his strategy was the best possible given these circumstances.
This being said, I think that there is a place for both of these mentalities, the closer and the survivor. As a beginner, you have to learn to survive before you can submit. As an intermediate or advanced grappler, it gets more complicated. I find if I am always looking for the finish in training, it prevents me from experimenting and progressing. I begin to travel the same pathways over and over. If I am rolling for position or without worrying about time or points, I tend to take more risks. I push the very edges of my mental and physical capability in doing this. I feel that I progress faster. I also find a lot more joy in training. If things work out well, I will get the sub anyway. Additionally, I think that there is a lot of merit in surviving a roll with someone much larger or more advanced than you; for example, during a roll Regardless of Size (ROS). Survival in such a situation is a mental and moral victory. The opponent may even stagger off at the end of the match confused and angry, a little like a Sasquatch.
That being said, when I get closer to competition, I roll to finish. About a month out I stop adding new moves to my game. It is time to streamline what I have learned in my more experimental training matches. It makes sense to put everything into finishing with a submission or escaping from a bad position if a match is only 7 or 8 minutes. There is no time to hesitate. This is a rolling style that I think belongs in competition team practice or in a tournament. If you only focus on the finish, I think that you miss a lot of the opportunities for evolution along the way.
February 1, 2013 at 10:48 am
Leah,
I agree with you on several of your points and I especially like what you said about beginners learning to survive before they learn to submit. Where I respectfully disagree with you is on the point where you explained that surviving a larger opponent is a mental and moral victory. It is. BUT, wouldn’t submitting that larger opponent bring upon a larger victory? Would you rather just survive the attack or would you rather overcome the attack and finish your opponent? This is the question I ask myself and it is one of the reasons why I believe that merely surviving is not enough, overcoming and finishing is the true goal.
April 19, 2013 at 3:41 pm
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