The 3 Cycle Model of Jiu Jitsu Technique

Understanding How Techniques Survive... and When They Fail

It was on the mats, discussing the value of some techniques over others that prompted the birth of this model. Not in concept, mind you. 25 years of training gets credit for that. It’s articulation, however, created a great lesson shared with my students some time ago, and led to the article you’re about to read.

Not all techniques are created equal...

Some collapse the moment they’re recognized. Others hold power for months, even years in some cases. A few, however, survive generation after generation without losing their edge.

The 3 Cycle Model explains this difference... not just by how long a technique remains effective, but by how much time it buys the initiator before the defender can adapt and shut it down.

A technique’s “cycle” measures both its reliability over time and the speed at which the opponent can build a counter to neutralize it.

If you understand the cycles, you stop relying on tricks and trends... and start building a game that survives exposure, adapts intelligently, and thrives even under maximally pressured situations.

First Principle: Execution Must Outpace Reaction

Before breaking down the cycles, you must understand the universal law behind every successful technique:

A technique succeeds because the practitioner's execution is better leveraged, faster, and/or more precise than the opponent’s ability to counter it... NOT because the opponent is unaware of it or any other reason.

Better leveraged covers positional superiority.

Faster covers timing superiority.

More precise covers application superiority.

Knowledge alone doesn't prevent defeat.
Only execution that outpaces reaction can.

This principle explains why some techniques die quickly after being seen, while others continue to finish fights even when fully expected.

Defining Cycle Length

Cycle Length refers to the amount of time a technique remains reliably effective before defenders adapt enough to consistently counter it, reducing the battle of action-reaction to a timing battle.

It measures two things:

• Reliability over time - How long can the technique continue to succeed once it becomes known?
• Adaptation pressure - How fast or slow does the opponent develop effective counters once exposed to the technique?

The 3 Cycles Explained

1. Short Cycle Techniques

Fast Window, Fast Expiration

Definition:
Short cycle techniques are effective because of surprise, ignorance, or temporary unpreparedness.
The window for success is extremely small. Once the technique is seen and countered a few times, its advantage disappears.

Examples:

• Flying armbar from a clinch.
• Wrist lock off a basic lapel grab.
• Scissor sweep without grip control.

Cycle Length:
Very short.
Defenders adapt almost immediately once exposed.

Why They Work Despite Awareness:
Initially, they catch the opponent off guard.
After exposure, success relies on executing faster than the opponent can recognize and react, with an increasingly lower probability over time.

Strategic Role:
Short cycle techniques are tactical weapons.
Use them to disrupt or surprise, not as pillars of your overall game.

2. Mid Cycle Techniques

Innovation Peaks, Specialization Extends

Definition:
Mid cycle techniques dominate during periods of tactical innovation.
They exploit gaps in the field’s current defensive training and can offer reliable success for a time before widespread adaptation occurs.

Examples:

• Berimbolo back attacks during their prime.
• Deep half guard sweeps.
• Inverted guard entries before systematic counters were developed.

Cycle Length:
Moderate.
Takes defenders sustained training cycles to build reliable counters.

Why They Work Despite Awareness:
Specialists, by investing deeper than the general field, maintain a reliable execution advantage even after awareness spreads.
Their depth overwhelms basic counters.

Strategic Role:
Mid cycle techniques are valuable during their rise.
To remain effective after widespread adaptation, deep specialization is required. (examples: Miyaos’ berimbolo, Jeff Glover’s deep half, Marcelo’s arm drag backtake)

3. Long Cycle Techniques

Reliability Through Fundamental Superiority

Definition:
Long cycle techniques are grounded in mechanical and strategic fundamentals: leverage, structure, timing, and control.
They endure because no amount of knowledge completely removes their threat.
Counters can delay, but not deny, success.

Examples:

• Rear naked choke.
• Armbar from mount.
• Kimura from side control.

Cycle Length:
Long.
Defenders adapt slowly, and even then, timing, not structure, becomes the true battleground.

Why They Work Despite Awareness:
Superior execution of Long Cycle techniques reduces defensive options to small timing windows.
Since the mechanical advantage remains constant, defense relies on perfect reactions, something that erodes with fatigue, pressure, and time.

Strategic Role:
Long cycle techniques are the foundation of any enduring game.
They are the base systems you can trust at all levels of experience and physicality.

Application in Training

The correct training philosophy aligns with the reality of the 3 Cycle Model:

• Invest deeply in Long Cycle techniques.
  These are your foundation. They resist exposure, aging, and evolving tactics. No other investment in Jiu-Jitsu pays greater long-term dividends. There’s a reason Roger used to mount and cross choke the best players in the world and Rickson would RNC all comers.
• Stay aware of Short and Mid Cycle techniques.
  You don't need to chase every fad. But you must recognize them, understand their structure, and train enough to avoid being caught unaware. I once installed a flying knee with a unique setup in one of my pro fighter’s fight plan. We codenamed it “Monkey”. Come fight time, I called it, he executed, and the highlight made it to cable news. Check it out here.
• Always go first.
  Coined perfectly by Sayoc Kali’s principle of "Be the Feeder," you must initiate pressure and actions that force your opponent into the reactive role.
  By moving first, you frame the battle on your terms and reduce their ability to launch effective counters, regardless of the cycle.

The Philosophy of the 3 Cycle Practitioner

My model student of Jiu-Jitsu does not simply survive trends...

He operates above them. He:

• Anchors his game in fundamentals that endure.
• Maintains enough awareness to neutralize tactical threats without being distracted by them.
• Initiates the engagement, forcing opponents into reaction, keeping them one step behind.

This practitioner understands that every technique faces the pressure of time, adaptation, and counter-development.

By investing where it matters most, staying alert to shifting threats, and always pressing the fight on his terms, he builds a game that remains dominant not just today, but for decades to come.

The man who owns the cycle owns the fight.

Pressure to Power.

-MC

PS: As much as I love when you value the content, I also lean on you to help me make it even better. Is there a question, comment or maybe even a correction that this article has inspired? If so, email me directly at masterchim@masterchim.com with any feedback you’d like to share. Gratitude, always!