Carry Your Own Weight
Here's a rule for any time you're using jiu-jitsu against an opponent that's legitimately trying to harm you.
Never allow your opponent to carry your weight.
If your opponent is strong enough to pick you up, they are definitely strong enough to put you back down forcefully.
The force of your own body weight falling independently is enough to cause injury. Add your opponent's weight and any downward pressure they apply, and that force becomes even more damaging.
Perfect Examples
You don't need to look through MMA highlights for very long to see what I mean.
Famously, when Ricardo Arona attempted a triangle choke from guard against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Rampage lifted Arona over his head and slammed him back down onto the canvas to end the fight immediately. Despite being a skilled fighter with an admirable record, Arona is now most well-known for that moment.
More recently, we watched Kron Gracie jump to full guard against Bryce Mitchell, only for Mitchell to drop Gracie on the back of his head, which led to a knockout.
The list goes on: Matt Hughes vs. Carlos Newton, Gerald Harris vs. David Branch, Gabriel Benitez vs. Humberto Bandenay, etc.
Surface Matters
There's an important factor to consider in these scenarios. MMA fights take place on a surface that's matted or at least has some give to it. On surfaces like concrete, the results of a slam are even more dire.
Simply put, if you allow an opponent to pick you up in a self-defense situation, you risk permanent brain damage that can alter the course of your life or even end it.
The idea of losing your quality of life or your life itself during a physical confrontation is unsettling, if not terrifying. But that's exactly why it's necessary to discuss. If you want to apply jiu-jitsu in a self-defense setting, you absolutely must consider the harm a slam can cause.
Why Are Slams a Problem in the First Place?
To start, go back to what defines jiu-jitsu as a martial art. Unlike most striking-based styles, jiu-jitsu's primary objective is to form a physical connection with your opponent and use it to methodically increase the control you have over them. Every grip, position, and transition serves that goal in some way.
In isolation, that approach is not inherently riskier than any other fighting style. If that were the case, every grappling-based art would essentially be useless. Instead, grappling remains an incredibly useful way to control an individual aggressor.
Still, jiu-jitsu practitioners appear especially vulnerable to slam attempts. So, let's consider why that's the case.
Typical Jiu-Jitsu Training Does Not Account for Slams
Issues arise through the misapplication of techniques or the failure to adapt them to the specifics of each combative scenario. The standard approach to jiu-jitsu training does little to account for some of the most dangerous attacks that an opponent can attempt in a self-defense or MMA context.
If you've rolled, you know exactly what I mean. A typical roll involves no strikes, slams, and plenty of other potentially damaging attacks. Many jiu-jitsu classes rarely involve learning how to bring opponents to the ground while requiring rolls to start from a seated or kneeling position.
There's a good reason for this norm. Jiu-jitsu coaches are wary of injuries that could reduce student enrollment and give their academy a reputation as an unsafe environment.
Despite that reasonable perspective, if you never practice how to react to strikes and slam attempts, you will never be prepared for them when they occur in real life.
Again, coaches have a legitimate motive to avoid the most dangerous maneuvers in a standard jiu-jitsu class. However, it's irresponsible for those same coaches to claim that the style of training they enforce will lead to proficiency in self-defense.
Strong Opponents Can Perform Slams
We who promote the value of jiu-jitsu advertise it as a way to overcome an opponent that may be bigger, stronger, and more athletic than you. Since that's the case, we need to account for one of the simplest attacks a strong person might try, picking you up and putting you back down hard.
If your opponent is a regular gym-goer, they may have plenty of experience moving weights that are heavier than you. Without any combat training, they can use that simple ability to defeat a well-trained jiu-jitsu practitioner if the jiu-jitsu practitioner has no idea how to respond.
When Are Slams Available?
To defend against slams, you need to start by knowing when they are most available. Let's outline some common jiu-jitsu scenarios in which a slam could happen.
The first ones that come to mind are present in some of the MMA examples I mentioned earlier. Both triangle choke attempts from the bottom and the full guard position itself can permit a larger opponent to slam you. The same can be true for armbars and guillotine chokes from the guard position.
However, there are other positions that leave you vulnerable to this threat that you might not expect. For example, imagine you get back control on your opponent only to find that they are strong enough to stand up from the ground with you still attached to their back.
Although you can still attempt a rear naked choke from that position, what's even easier is for your opponent to fall backward onto the ground. Although you have the supposedly advantageous position, you'll also absorb the full impact of the fall.
The threat of slams in that position is part of the reason I make a distinction between general back control and what we can refer to as back mount. If you're unfamiliar with that distinction, my article on the Best Position in Jiu-Jitsu gives a more thorough explanation.
Other positions could present slam opportunities, but those are the most common. What you'll notice about all of them is that they involve a submission threat. Often, the allure of a successful submission causes jiu-jitsu practitioners to hold onto their attempts for too long, making slams more accessible.
A Simple Response
So, what's the solution?
The most straightforward response is to let go of your opponent before they ever lift you off the ground. No submission attempt is worth the risk of brain damage.
We can look back to Rampage Jackson's MMA career for more examples. Ricardo Arona was far from the only person he tried to pick up and slam, but he didn't always have success.
For instance, years before he fought Arona, Rampage made his Pride debut against Kazushi Sakuraba. In that fight, Rampage tried the exact same tactic.
What allowed Sakuraba to survive those slam attempts? At first, the answer was luck. Early in the fight, Rampage did slam Sakuraba, but for whatever reason, he wasn't able to generate enough force to knock him out.
Then, rather than enduring more slams, Sakuraba made the smart decision to rely on strategic defense rather than good fortune by letting go of his submission attempts. At that point, even though Rampage lifted Sakuraba off the ground, he couldn't fully slam him back down.
Throughout the fight, there were moments when Rampage nearly managed to smash Sakuraba's head into the floor. However, Sakuraba's willingness to let go of his submission attempts was part of what prevented fight-ending damage.
Thanks to those defensive tactics, Sakuraba survived and went on to win the fight via rear-naked choke. That performance alone is a valuable lesson for all grapplers about how to prioritize defense when necessary and employ patience to eventually find victory.
There are many more technical details that will allow you to counter slams. But if you're ever unsure of what to do when someone tries to slam you, just let go and do it sooner rather than later.
No Self-Defense Without Slam Defense
Ultimately, everyone chooses their own path in martial arts, and there's plenty you can get out of jiu-jitsu without focusing on the most dangerous combat situations.
That said, if you're not training to counter the most dangerous moves your opponent can attempt, you are not practicing jiu-jitsu for self-defense. If that's not your goal, that's fine. Just don't expect your jiu-jitsu to work well if a self-defense situation does arise.