Always engender to acquire positions of disparity, whereby you have dominate actionable offense, and your opponent is at disadvantage when attempting to generate their own offense
-When in doubt always consider whether your position has better performative properties than your opponent, you should be able to rationalize what your advantage(s) are
-If you can account for more advantage then disadvantage you are likely in the better position
-if you find your advantages and disadvantages are reductive, then you are likely in a neutral territory, and should seek to further advantage
-if you find few or no advantages and primarily disadvantage, this is the time to create frames, space, and off balance, for repositioning.
-High level analytic is reserved for times when not in serious contest, thus it is valuable to consider your roll outside of the actual engagement
In the Purest sense, Jiu-Jitsu is a battle between the Under-hook and the Whizzer (or equivalent counter), so long as it is countered the fight for positional dominance can persist. Where not countered, position will be quickly overtaken.
Where the head goes, the body follows. In all situations, Standing, Passing, Guard: control of the upper body/shoulders/head, offers the most control over your opponent.
-When in Guard, never cede control of your upper body
-When Tight Passing, seeking upper body control will open up flattened half-guard passing
-When Loose Passing, upper body control can cut-off reaction opportunity of the Guard Player, and force positions such as Supine.
-When Standing, Upper Body Control, will force defensive posturing, and open up takedown and entanglement opportunities.
-As a Universal, or Near Universal Rule, having Upper Body Control will force your opponent into a purely defensive cycle
-Locking your hands together for Cross Faces while valuable, may slow, or prevent your ability to create necessary posts, consider especially, in flattened Half-Guard passing positions, that if you are attempting to win upper body control, that you must also win the lower body position. When in contestation, be aware of your opponent's unbalancing strategies, and create wedges, and or power props accordingly.
From closed guard, whomever dominates grips, will control the course
He who controls the inside position, controls the contest
-The combatant who controls the inside position, has domain over that spatial position.
From back mount:
-the person with wrists on-top is controlling the grip fight
-the person who is controlling the grip fight, is controlling the fight for the strangle
When inside an opponents closed guard offense is extremely limited
-It is almost always best to stand, and work to break the closed guard, making sure to minimize the amount of time you apply direct weight to your opponent
Sheering forces are an optimal way to break grips
-When breaking armbar grips, always consider breaking at the wrist, by pulling your opponents elbow horizontal to your body
Whether in Guard or Passing, consider the value of your legs, as frames and wedges.
-an unweighted leg, is a leg that can be used to create frames, space, initiate unbalance, or used as wedges to isolate your opponents vulnerable limbs from the rest of their body
-Conversely a weighted leg, will hinder mobility, this can be used defensively, to prevent passing, offensively to prevent escaping; but can also act as double edged sword, where a weighted leg becomes as a sort of pin.
When caught in a reap (in-so-much that you can no longer remove or displace your opponents wedges) you have one viable strategy, which is to accept the reap, and allow your knee to move in the direction the reap imparts. To defend the reap by forcibly straightening your leg is a clear path to potentially severe leg injury, and should never be attempted willfully.
Extension is a paradox of Jitu-Jitsu, extension at the wrong moments are vulnerabilities, where at certain times are unavoidably necessary, and sensible.
-on the path to success you must become aware of when extension exposes you to risk, and where and whether it is a necessary risk.
The primary advantage of passing is mobility, and subsequent ability to dictate distance management
-when settling into a pin, or tight pass, it is critical that the passer maintains either mobile advantage, or gains an asymmetrically dominant position, via wedges--where possible both
-when conducting loose passes, always attempt to retain a medium range distance with your opponent, giving yourself arm reach, but denying your opponent's reach, always attempt to initiate contact, and keep your grips dynamic, where possible avoid grip fight entanglements that interfere with mobility
-when in Half Guard Passing scenarios, never attempt to fight feet positioning head on (Teep Kick position), instead exploit the physiological weakness, of knee curling, by acquiring your own inside knee position
-exploit the limited feet and hand contact a seated or supine player has with the mat, these points are their only contacts that they can generate mobility from, outside of attaching, or pushing off of you.
-be aware that while posts are valuable in disrupting unbalancing tactics by your opponent, they may leave you vulnerable to counter-attack.
The primary advantage of guard play is the additional set of limbs which can be used to create wedges and frames
-when dealing with a passer in a loose passing scenario, always move to the void the passer just vacated, never attempt to out maneuver someone when they have mobile superiority (e.g. backwards butt-scoots)
-never accept medium range distance from the passer, if the passer can reach you with their arms but you cannot reach their legs, you must change the distance
-When stuck in a defensive cycle, your ability to create meaningful frames, and establish space between your opponent, will be critical in breaking out of the defensive cycle