To better understand the concepts below, please read the following article first.

The Spectrum of Control – Part 1

If you control your opponent’s ability to have stable postures, the rest of the body loses power. In Mathematical Jiu-Jitsu, I often refer to the spine as a throttle for aggressive and strong opponents (If you hear me yell “throttle them”, I am saying to attack the spine). All power the body generates is spread through here, and anything that puts it in less-than-ideal positions plays a factor in the body’s ability to move everywhere.

There are four levels view the spine (Y-Axis) through.

1. Aligned                             (Bad)
2. Bent                                  (Good)
3. Twisted                            (Greater)
4. Bent and Twisted          (Supreme)

An aligned spine means their body can generate power and strength through movements, utilizing their athletic potential. We DO NOT want to allow this as much as possible. We should always seek to find ways to take them out of alignment.

A bent spine has lost some power and movement. This is great for us when we are looking to make an opponent downshift all their explosive movements and cardio or really want to make them work harder mechanically to escape. For anyone asking, “How does it lose power and movement?”, I encourage you to (don’t do it) lift your 1RM deadlift with a bent back. I will also (not) encourage you to bring your knees to your chest, rounding your back and try your 1RM bench press. It doesn’t work because the body cannot handle the load with the spine out of alignment. The more bent the spine is, the greater the effect over the body.

                  For moderate throttling of an opponent’s power, bend their spine out of alignment.

                                    Great example: Cradles.

A twisted spine is probably what we see most in sport Jiu-Jitsu. Everyone knows it sucks. No one ever said, “I like to get chiropractic treatment from my opponent on the mat!”. The interesting thing about twisting – it’s everywhere. Hard cross facing is twisting the neck, thus the spine. The thing is people don’t really look at it for what it does outside of “it just sucks to have done to you”. So, what do we need to know about twisting the spine?

The axis adjacent to the part of the spine twisted will have more substantial power throttling based on the amount of twisting, while the further ones will have more moderate throttling.

Example: If I give you a significant cross face, putting your cheek to the mat (controlling the Z-axis) while the rest of the body is flat-back to the mat – your upper X axis (shoulders) will have substantial power throttling through the neck (Y-Axis). The hips, however, will have moderate throttling at best since they are further away from where the twist occurred.

Example: If I twist the center of your spine, both upper and lower X-axis are adjacent to the twist. Both will have substantial power throttling.

                  For substantial throttling of an opponent’s power, twist their spine adjacent to the axis you are seeking to control.

Finally, we have twisted and bent. Simply put, if I put both of those together, you are fucked. When used together, such as a twister, power is severely throttled across the body.

                  For severe throttling of an opponent’s power, make your position twist and bend their spine at the same time.

My Recommendation:

Look at the opponents spine as a throttle to reduce the opponents power. At all times, look for ways to capitalize on this critical vulnerability with as much throttling as possible.

Mathematical Jiu-Jitsu teaches concepts as fundamentals with accompanied techniques. Throughout the student’s journey, the concepts are emphasized to ensure students gain the necessary insight and understanding to develop and apply techniques as necessary.