Approach what you really want indirectly: We are involved in a sport where all the main moves and all the best counters to those moves are known by both parties – so how the hell so we ever get moves to work? One of the main methods is subterfuge – concealing your real intentions until it's too late for an opponent to stop them. Whenever you want something in Jiu Jitsu it's often a good idea to convey to your opponent that you want something else and as he pulls away from that false advance, you take what you really want. This principle must underlie most of your game. You can get away with direct approaches in beginner class, but as you go with better people you will find a much greater need to make use of indirect attacks. Here, Gordon Ryan comes to grips with the very talented Roberto Jimenez. Even in this early exchange you should be thinking in terms of indirect approaches. If you want a collar grip, fake a sleeve grip – as your opponent pulls his hand away to thwart you he leaves open what you really wanted all along – his collar. Let this kind of thinking permeate your game from start to finish and you will find yourself getting past resistance that used to stop you.
