Author: cmcdevi2

Tap out before your ligaments do: The mechanics of Jiu Jitsu joint submissions

Take a look at one of your limbs and straighten it as much as you can. Notice that your elbows and knees each have a clearly defined limit of rotation – these are called “joint limits”. While you might not think about them much, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighters see our joint limits as exploitable weaknesses. Martial artists have been inventing and refining ways to hyperextend their opponents’ joints for hundreds (if not thousands) of years. These “joint submissions” are executed by acting as human levers or torque wrenches, trying to rotate joints past their limits. 

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