What does "smash" mean in BJJ?

Question

What does the term "smash" mean in a BJJ context?

Examples:

1. I had to get beaten up by better guys to get good and the current whitebelts deserve to get smashed too.

2. The upper belts I rolled with have all tried to smash me.

3. I'm delighted when a lower belt asks me to roll, I'll never be offended by it, and I won't smash them for their audacity.

4. Just remember not to constantly smash them. If you've already tapped them a couple times in a round, let them work their stuff for the rest of the time!

5. Smash me! Smash me!

   Some people will have tantrums if you destroy them, others will be fine with it so long as you're nice about it and don't do it all the time. I was the happiest camper in the world the first time one of our smaller guys said "I'm competing this weekend, do you mind if I turn up the intensity this roll, I really want to work on getting my submissions nice and crisp". Maybe I'm just crazy, but it was pretty fun to get tapped fifteen times in ten minutes.

I can infer smashing is done while rolling and full-speed in some sense. Is smashing simply quickly defeating an opponent? Is it mean? Does smashing imply a skill gap, or do you smash someone of equal skill as well?

Answer 1

I've seen two contexts for "smash" in BJJ. One is the context you have above where it's used as a synonym for "overwhelm" or "dominate" or, more colloquially, "crush" as in "crush the competition". That usage does not indicate a lack of skill, but maybe a slight lack in sportsmanship, although it can be a legit way to disabuse someone of false notions, or to get them to chill out.

The other usage I've seen is in context of a "smash pass", "the strategical implementation of pressure and weight to pass the guard", i.e. finding a position to employ your full strength and weight against an opponent rather than trying for more fine manipulation. Because of the use of weight and strength, it's sometimes used to hint at someone "powering through" a technique through superior size, but really, it's about using your weight efficiently to apply it to its full purpose to break through a guard, to slow the pace, or to conserve energy.