I sacrificed four hours of my Sunday for the Jiu-Jitsu Times readers to give a little breakdown of the latest Eddie Bravo Invitational (EBI) event, EBI 7.
The results of the individual matches can be found elsewhere. Here, I want to make a few points about the trends I observed in the matches themselves.
The rounds are 10 minutes each, regulation time. If the match is a draw after 10 minutes, they go to overtime tie breaker rules
Round 1
sub 4
* draw 4
—————————
Quarterfinals
sub 3
* draw 1
—————————
Semifinals
sub 1
* draw 1
—————————
Finals
sub 1
* excluding submissions that occurred in OT
This resulted in nine submissions out of 15 regulation rounds – a 60% submission rate that far surpasses the submission rate that we see in many other events. Eddie Cummings, for instance, who the most recent EBI event, won all of his matches via submission.
In contrast, the most recent Metamoris event, Metamoris 7, featured a single submission in the entire event, despite 20-minute rounds.
What this means is, in a sport that is struggling to gain viewership, EBI is probably far better at showcasing the best grapplers in the world.
The most significant strategy in IBJJF rules competitions might be sweeps. Many competitions are won by two sweep points or even an advantage for “almost” sweeping the opponent. When you eliminate the points for sweeps, the sweeping games are radically reduced in importance.
Many of the competitors seemed to care little if they were on top or bottom position in EBI.
Many of the battles involved the guard player attacking and the top player defending submissions and attempting to pass.
The most common guards used were:
– butterfly
– closed
– half / Z-guards
– inverted
The successful submissions were but a handful of the many possible subs :
– RNC
– heel hook
– triangle
There was also a straight armlock in overtime.
Many competitors were unsuccessful with guillotine chokes and Kimura attempts.
I was reminded of a recent match I watched at an IBJJF competition between two of the most highly-ranked grapplers in the world: Marcus Almeida ‘Buchecha’ vs Leonardo Nogueira at the IBJJF Pro League GP Final
Unless I missed it, I didn’t see a single serious submission attempt in the entire 10-minute match.
As far as overtime goes at EBI, the competitors alternate starting in their choice of either “spider web” or rear mount.
You can see the specific rules at the EBI website.
I am undecided on how much I like this format, but it is undeniably effective at eliminating the unsatisfying draws that plague so many submission-only events.
The EBI appears to lead the way at present with their submission-only format and it will be interesting to see what innovations and future events bring the world of jiu-jitsu.
Read also on Jiu-jitsu Times – Leg Locks – Dominating Recent Sub Only Events
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