All About Berimbolo (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) BJJ – [Guide 2021]

Berimbolo is a BJJ technique in which one’s body has to bend in order to gain a dominant position or at least sweep to a top position. The name Berimbolo was given by Andre Galvao which means ‘scramble’ in Portuguese.

The act or action is called ‘Berimbolar’ and position is called ‘Berimbolo’. On the other hand, BJJ is a martial art that is known for its notorious complexity. Since you are reading this article, this means that you are willing to learn more about Berimbolo BJJ. Below you will find some useful information about this that you could use to implement this move in your game.

History of the Berimbolo

The Berimbolo was named by Andre Galvao, a BJJ legend that means ‘scramble’ in Portuguese. He gave this name for the move once he observed. However, it is a bit difficult to figure out the exact origin of the Berimbolo. It is said that the origin of the Berimbolo was traced back to the early nineties.

How to create a Berimbolo?

The two common entities to the Berimbolo are from either De La Riva or double guard pull. Sometimes the double guard pull may be a more progressed position of De La Riva. It will be more progressed if the legs are in the same entanglement. This also means that you have done the half work by getting the opponent’s hips to the mat.

Moreover, from the De La Riva, the bottom player holds his opponent’s nearside armor belt and either nearside ankle. The upper player has his leg on the bottom player’s hip, near leg hooked, and near the thigh.

The next step is to put the bottom player’s hips on the floor. For doing this, move your hip upwards near the hook and pull the opponent’s sleeve or belt. Control the opponent player’s nearside sleeve so he cannot escape the sweep. Lastly, when you hip the opponent’s player to the side, it generates pressure on the player’s leg which will make him fall.

How does the Berimbolo work?

The berimbolo begins with the DLR guard, where the player at the bottom works to upset the balance of his/her upper player. When the upper player sits on the mat and loses his/her balance that the bottom player spins upside down and either takes the upper player’s back. Moreover, the bottom player gains some other advantageous position or obtains full mount.

The effectiveness of the Berimbolo technique has led to an increase in popularity since it emerged on the BJJ competitive scene.

How to do the Berimbolo?

Follow the following steps to do the Berimbolo:

First Step: Establish De La Riva (DLR) Guard

Most Berimbolo attacks start from the DLR guard. So first of all establish a DLR. There are many ways to enter the DLR guard, which includes entries from sitting as well as standing. It depends on you which entries you use. However, for establishing De La Riva follow the following steps:

• First of all, control the opponent’s right ankle with your left hand.
• After that, place your left leg around the outside of your opponent’s right thigh.
• After placing the legs, insert your left foot between the opponent’s legs.
• Lastly, control the opponent’s belt, lapel, right sleeve, or left sleeve with your free hand.

Second Step: Force your opponent to sit on the mat

The next step is to force the opponent to sit on the mat. For doing so, there are many ways. However, the best way is to obtain a slight angle on your opponent and push his/her waist with your free leg.

By doing so, you will force your opponent to sit down on the mat. This allows you to do the Berimbolo. Keep in mind that this step is not that important in a double guard pull situation. On the other hand, when two players pu;; guard at the same time, then establish the DLR guard from the seated position and move forward with the technique.

Third Step: Invert

Due to the reversal required to complete the technique, many players find it a bit difficult to try out Bamboo. However, you do not have to worry about it; you can successfully invert this with a little practice.

Moreover, the best way to practice the inversion which is required for the Berimbolo is by drilling wall spins. These spins will get you comfortable with the movement while improving your fluidity as well as speed.

Once you have obtained a grip on your opponent’s belt and forced your opponent to the mat. This means that at this point you have a strong grip on your opponent’s. When the grips have been established, invert in the direction of your opponent, stopping him/her halfway.

Fourth Step: Finish the technique

Once you have completed the above steps, the next and the last step is to finish the technique. There are different ways to finish the technique. However, the best way is to take the opponent’s back. For doing so, here are the steps to follow:

• First of all, switch the hand gripping your opponent’s ankle to his or her other leg.
• After that, kick your legs and force the opponent to expose his/her back.
• Next, pull your opponent’s leg against your upper leg, temporarily moving it.
• Try to climb up your opponent’s back and reach for the top of his/her rear collar.
• The next step is to establish a seat belt grip.
• Lastly, set the back mount by bending your upper leg around your opponent’s waist.

How do I escape the Berimbolo?

Many people don’t know how to escape the Berimbolo. The best and the common way to escape the Berimbolo is excessive rotation as your opponent kicks you in the legs. Instead of fighting in this position, it is best if you roll with them, you sometimes end up in the original position. Excessive rotation can sometimes get you to the top before your opponents know what you are trying to do.

The next way to escape the Berimbolo is to win the battle of the hip line on the floor. For doing so, grab both hips of your opponent’s and try to put them under your own. It is possible to do so. This means that an experienced Barimbolo player can sometimes take the attempt to retreat.

Moreover, if you do not allow the initial sweep to begin, you can avoid the Berimbolo. For doing so, you must constantly compete with your opponent’s head in the De La Riva. As long as you stand, you can’t get your opponent close to the deep hook under the thigh, nor can you make a big side angle. This means constantly moving your legs to face your opponent.

If you are fooled by a good Berimbolo player, you can get on your knees and avoid DLR altogether. If your hips are never on the floor, you will never be bruised.

Criticisms on Berimbolo

People mostly like Berimbolo, but still, some people criticize it. There are two main criticisms of the berimbolo which are as follows:

• It is not that good for self-defense. This criticism of Brambolo is somewhat true as it is used in MMA, but was not that helpful.
• Many people say it does not work. However, it is not true, as Barimbolo became more common, people learned and adapted to defend it better.

Some Notable Athletes Famed because of Berimbolo

There are many athletes that became famous due to Berimbolo. However, some notable athletes are:

• Ary Farias
• Caio Terra
• Samuel Braga
• Levi Jones-Leary
• Guilherme Mendes
• Joao Miyao
• Rafael Mendes
• Mickey Musumeci
• Paulo Miyao
• Gianni Grippo

Conclusion

To conclude here, Berimbolo is a bit of a difficult position to master. The good thing about Berimbolo is that once you have learned it may be an ideal option for back takes. Moreover, it is also quite helpful for creating an amazing De LA Riva (DLR) game because it brings many other options to the position.

Berimbolo is an ideal tool and it is normally used in IBJJF competition settings and point fighting. Keep in mind that it is rarely prominent in MMA as there is a risk of setup strikes. Furthermore, without Gi, it is even more difficult because the grip is not strong which is difficult to complete.

Keeping this in mind, it is a quite good option for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu players who use Gi as it is normally used to attack the back. I have explained almost everything about the Berimbolo, if you still have any questions regarding this, feel free to leave a comment below. I will solve your query regarding Berimbolo as soon as possible.

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