What comes next? If you can count on one thing for the rest of your time in Jiu jitsu it is this – every opponent you face will strive to resist every attack you make upon them. ACTIVE INTELLIGENT RESISTANCE is the fundamental feature of all combat sports and what makes them so challenging, so frustrating, so rewarding – and so effective. How well you do in Jiu Jitsu will come down to one thing – HOW WELL DO YOU DEAL WITH YOUR OPPONENTS RESISTANCE IN COMPETITIVE SITUATIONS? A great first step is to begin with a question. For all your favorite moves, list the most common responses (usually a very manageable number) and list a strong follow-up move to enter into when your opponent stymies the initial move. Just this simple act will greatly improve your performance on the mat. NEVER THINK IN TERMS OF SINGLE ATTACKS BUT ALWAYS THINK IN TERMS OF CLUSTERS OF ATTACKS so that as resistance escalates you can automatically go around that resistance into a follow up attack. Look at this photo of talented squad junior Frankie Rosenthal beginning to lose control of a nice initial triangle attack – where would you go from here? How long did it take you to formulate an answer to the question? Your two answers to these questions will say a lot about your current ability to deal with resistance and go on to victory.
