Ideal vs reality: When it comes to practicing submission holds we usually practice them in the ideal finishing positions. That certainly makes the practice easier. However, the reality is that against a tough opponent who is trying to escape you will often have to finish in positions that are far from ideal – upside down, next to the perimeter, turning through three hundred sixty degrees, stacked up on head and shoulders. Your training should address this reality. You have to get a feeling for finishing in awkward, unanticipated situations or at least maneuvering from there to a more conventional finishing position. The ability to follow evasive defensive movement through all manner of twists and turns and get to your finish distinguishes the athlete who dabbles in submissions from one who truly specializes in them
