Process or Results Oriented Approach to Jiu-jitsu

In communication and psychology, the terms Results Oriented and Process Oriented are used to describe people's approach to communicating with others, tackling tasks and competing. Although neither approach is inherently good or bad, it is best to know which approach is more useful when training in sports.

Before discussing how the Process or Results Oriented approaches relate to grappling, think about what type of grappler you are. Remember, there is no right or wrong here; you will just be assessing your approach.

When you consider your overall grappling mindset are you more concerned with progress or winning? Are you concerned about being the best you can be or being the best? In practice do you work on parts of your game you consider weak or do you only rely on your strongest techniques against your rolling partners? When you compete, does a loss cause to you to descend into a funk or do you recognize the good points of your performance?

Results Oriented Grappler

Results Oriented (RO) people are concerned with the outcome. They want another victory in the win column; to be called champion and most importantly they don't want to lose. Their desire to win is so great that the Results Oriented person may adopt a win at any cost approach and not consider who is hurt or damaged in their pursuit of success. Results Oriented people as coaches can sometimes be the 'in your face,' 'no excuses' type.

In the academy many people take the RO approach. The new student who thinks that losing a grappling match makes them less of a person, the guy who always refuses to tap and the person who always wants top position or whose guard is so good that they always want to be on the bottom. What about the person who will hold one grip the entire roll and you end up in a five-minute stalemate?

All of the behaviors listed above are Results Oriented approaches. It is difficult to say if it is the right or the wrong approach because it leads to mixed results. A win at all cost mentality often leads to victory in both practice and in competition. I’ve tapped many times to grappling partners who have exploded into an arm-bar or a foot-lock technique in practice. I’ve tapped to choke attacks that lasted well over two minutes in regular grappling sessions. I’ve even had guys place their toes over my mouth in attempts to get an arm-bar and after escaping I had to look for the camera to see if someone was shooting a fetish video. 

In other words, I’m saying that I have tapped to a lot of what I consider slightly out of bounds techniques and approaches. In those situations I believed that my rolling partners wanted the tap even though it didn’t seem like fair play and at the risk of my personal safety. Did I consider them bad people? No, not a single one, but I did consider some of their actions as misplaced in the training environment.

In the competitive arena, Results Oriented grapplers are right at home. A RO approach makes the grappler determined. It makes them work harder when it counts; choose the best strategies for the moment and it makes them a formidable competitor.

Process Oriented Approach

The Process Oriented person, although concerned with success, is also concerned with how that success occurs. They are concerned with their performance during their pursuit and will ask themselves questions such as: Did I perform better than last time or did I improve in the areas I was focusing on? I won, but did I play by the rules and show good sportsmanship? If I keep improving the way I am, will I be a champion?

It is easy to recognize a Process Oriented grappler once you know their mindset. It is the person in class who continually works the weak spots in their game, even when they know they will lose or will be dominated in a grapple. It is the guy who is calm during rolls even when the other person may be ‘raging’ for a tap. As a coach the Process Oriented grappler is more concerned with their athletes doing their best and improving as opposed to getting the victory.

You can also say that Process Oriented people focus more on the future while Results Oriented people focus more on the now.

Which approach is better?

In reality, both can be successful and of course there are winners of all types. Common sense would dictate that when dealing with people you are close to (i.e., training partners and teammates) you have to use a Process Oriented approach because you have to respect each other's well-being and treat each other how you would like to be treated. Going all out, at all times, and using the Results Oriented approach in your academy can lead to injuries, loss of training partners and being banned. Yet, Results Oriented approaches can be useful in establishing a pecking order when first grappling with someone or during an in-house competition. It can also give the false appearance that someone is better than he or she is (which can lead to promotions) because they are always tapping people out. But as a general rule, it is my contention that it will leave a grappler with holes in their game as the concern is with winning and not developing an overall game.

However, always using the Process Oriented approach can lead to a person never developing that “win at all cost” mentality that is sometimes necessary in competition and absolutely vital in self-defense situations. It also can lead to people gaining a mental advantage over the Process Oriented grappler because ultimately a tap is a tap. Once people tap you a hierarchy is established whether or not you let them tap you or placed yourself in a position where you would likely be tapped. (I believe that this approach can hinder rank advancement as well.)

So, which is best? It depends on your aims and goals? But how you approach grappling will determine your longevity, your relationships and your overall success.

Ultimately, the approach you take depends on the context and on you.

This is by no means settled. What are your thoughts? What type of grappler are you and how do you think it affects your training and overall success?