Position and standing technique: From the first day you begin Jiu jitsu you got told the importance of POSITION. Probably you were told that position is more important than anything else and should precede (upper body) submissions. There is a reason why you were told this – because in the vast majority of cases it is true. However, when you were shown standing techniques, all the talk about position was abandoned. You were just shown some random takedowns and told to do them from wherever you were. This is a mistake. THERE ARE JUST AS MANY DEMANDS AND NUANCES IN THE STANDING GAME AS THERE ARE IN THE GROUND GAME – and just like the ground game, getting good position first makes applying the techniques much easier and more successful. Just as position usually precedes (upper body) submission on the floor, position precedes most takedowns on the feet. So what are the dominant positions in the standing game? There are several, but the one I always like to teach first is to constantly seek to get a dominant position OUTSIDE YOUR opponents ELBOWS. If you can get an advantageous position outside an opponents elbows, most takedown techniques will be easier to apply. When you go to grip up with your opponent – seek to get outside his elbows and either attack directly from there or as your opponent tries to recover and square up with you – having that initial positional advantage will make the takedowns so much easier to apply. Don't think that position is just something that only applies to the ground game. It's just as valuable on the feet. Start your journey with the idea of seeking always to get outside your opponents elbows and play from there
