Analysis: Cobrinha's Brutal Efficiency At ADCC
Analysis: Cobrinha's Brutal Efficiency At ADCC
This series of breakdowns kicks off with an analysis of the flawless performance of 66kg Champ and 'Super Grand Slam' winner Rubens 'Cobrinha' Charles.
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Psst. In case you haven't heard, ADCC 2019 World Championships – the biggest event of the year –is just mere weeks away.
Training camps are in full swing, and we're also gearing up for the momentous occasion here at FloGrappling, and what better way to prepare for the biggest event of the year than comprehensively reviewing the champions of 2017?
The series kicks off with a breakdown of the flawless performance of 66kg Champ and 'Super Grand Slam' winner Rubens 'Cobrinha' Charles.
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Hit the video below to watch a compilation of all the best bests of Cobrinha's gold medal run.
Watch the Supercut of Cobrinha's Matches from ADCC 2017
Key Stats – Cobrinha's Brutal Efficiency
After reviewing the match footage, Cobrinha's economy of effort is abundantly clear– the man never goes backward.
Case in point: In his first two matches, Cobrinha pulled guard and swept his opponents in 30 seconds– he never played guard again in either of those bouts.
His passing efforts were a sustained, methodical progression forward. ADCC's stringent scoring criteria prevented Cobrinha from actually obtaining points for his passes, but he does clear the legs and control the hips of both Zhakshylyk and Witkowski. From there, Cobrinha obtained the back and maintained the position for over three minutes in his bout with Zhakshylyk; he finished Witkowski withan armbar after controlling the position in the 'spiderweb' position for two and a half minutes before the submission.
Out of four matches, AJ Agazarm was the only opponent who managed to escape a bad position and reset the match to a neutral position. The match Miyao did not see any scoring positions.
| Opponent | How | Pts for | Pts Agst | Passes | Guard Pulls | Sweeps | Mount | K.O.B | Back takes |
| Uranov Zhakshylyk | Points | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Kuba Witkowski | Submission | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paulo Miyao | Points | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AJ Agazarm | Points | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
A note on points: Among ADCC's many unique rules, the first half of each round features no scoring, ADCC scores back control as three points.
Wrestling – ADCC's Critical Element
Given the fact that takedowns and standup grappling are so strongly emphasized in ADCC rules, Cobrinha's wrestling stats have been given their own table– and it should be noted that the numbers don't do Cobrinha's efforts justice.
| Opponent | Takedowns Scored | Attempted | Defended | Conceded |
| Uranov Zhakshylyk | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kuba Witkowski | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Paulo Miyao | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| AJ Agazarm | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
ADCC's criteria for a successful takedown is akin to collegiate wrestling: the opponent's back (both shoulders) must touch the mats for 3 seconds. Taking someone down into turtle, or an attacking half guard position where one shoulder is on the mat, will NOT count for points.
No points were awarded in the scene above
Make no mistake though, Cobrinha's wrestling played a pivotal role in his victory over the Gracie Barra lion in the 66kg final. He made extensive use of the single leg to bring the match to the ground; from there Cobrinha heavily relied on the cradle position to control the position and attack for the back.
A Note On Style and Approach
Cobrinha is a proponent of classical jiu-jitsu – position before submission / sweep, smash, submit. It's rare to see him attack for a leglock, and he also addresses leg locks quite well.
Cobrinha opted to pull guard immediately in his first two matches (there is no penalty for doing so in the first five minutes of regulation). Only Paulo Miyao beat Cobrinha to the punch for pulling guard– their match is an excellent display of balance and control from the Alliance superstar as he tries to pass the guard.
Cobrinha smashes a leglock attempt from Zhakshylyk
As noted above, Cobrinha's wresting was a key ingredient to his success – he bested Miyao in overtime by dominating on the feet (Miyao was eventually penalized for sitting to guard). Cobrinha dictated the pace of the final with strong use of stand-up grappling.
In a perfect world for Cobrinha, all routes lead to the back, and he was clearly looking to get to the position in all of his matches.
Watch Every Match in Full from Corbinha's Run at ADCC 2017
- Rubens Charles vs Uranov Zhakshylyk
- Rubens Charles vs Kuba Witkowski
- Rubens Charles vs Paulo Miyao
- Rubens Charles vs AJ Agazarm
Stay tuned for future installments of past champions' performances at ADCC.