When you can break your opponents stance you can dominate from anywhere – even underneath an opponent: One of the most essential principles of good Jiu Jitsu is this: EVERY ATTACK UPON YOUR OPPONENT, WHETHER IT BE A POSITIONAL ATTACK OR A SUBMISSION ATTACK, SHOULD BEGIN AS AN ATTACK UPON HIS STANCE. Your stance is the foundation of your strength and ability. If it is broken your effectiveness will be severely curtailed. Knowing this, you must make the undermining and breaking of your opponents stance your first priority. This is particularly important when working from bottom position. Use trips, blocks, foot sweeps etc to constantly break his balance and force him to base hands on the floor in a compromised stance. If you can do this all your attacks will be MUCH more successful. Here, Gordon Ryan uses a classic X guard to drop his opponents hands to the floor and break his stance. His opponent can do nothing offensive until he recovers his stance – and in that time Mr Ryan can launch attacks uncontested. This basic insight is the key to success in the sport. Remember always – your first target is your opponents stance – after that the other targets will be easy to hit
