Keeping your elbows in is a fundamental concept in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for a few key reasons, primarily related to protecting yourself, maintaining control, and improving your ability to move and submit effectively. Here’s why it’s so important:

1. Protection Against Submissions

• Armbar Defense: One of the most common ways opponents attack the arms in BJJ is through the armbar, and keeping your elbows in tight to your body significantly reduces the chances of them getting isolated and extended. If your elbows are flared out, it becomes much easier for your opponent to attack with submissions like armbars, kimuras, or Americana.
• Control & Escapes: When your elbows are too far out, your opponent can more easily control your arms, making it harder for you to escape from bad positions like side control or mount.

2. Energy Conservation

• By keeping your elbows in, you use your body’s structure more efficiently. When your elbows are out, you’re using unnecessary muscle energy to hold your arms in awkward or vulnerable positions. This can tire you out faster, especially in longer sparring sessions.

3. Posture and Balance

• Keeping your elbows in helps you maintain better posture, especially in positions like guard or top positions (like side control or mount). This balance is essential for effective pressure, control, and the ability to react quickly to your opponent’s movements.
• It also minimizes openings for sweeps or submissions, making you a more difficult target.

4. Improving Offensive Opportunities

• When your elbows are tucked, you can use your arms more efficiently to maintain grips and manipulate your opponent’s movements. For example, in guard, keeping your elbows in helps you maintain a stronger closed guard, keeping pressure on your opponent and making it harder for them to pass.
• It also opens up a variety of submissions, such as the kimura, where a tight elbow position is critical for setting up the lock.

5. Preventing Injuries

• When you flare your elbows out, you place more strain on your joints, which can increase the risk of injury over time, especially during transitions or scrambles where you’re trying to fight for position.

In short, keeping your elbows in is essential for maintaining good structure, controlling the fight, avoiding submissions, and conserving energy. It’s one of the basic principles that can make a huge difference in both defense and offense in BJJ!