When you're close to a win you've got two options – speed or control: There are quite often situations in Jiu jitsu where you are close to total victory – say for example, when you are starting to apply a rear strangle, or when you have an opponent totally immobilized in a tight ashi garami with the heel exposed – or in this case with Georges St Pierre, a locked in arm bar. Your basic choice now is this – you can either rush to apply the finishing move and get it completed before the opponent can get himself defensively organized, or, you can take your time and control your opponents movement so that you can make adjustments and even multiple finishing attempts over time to get the breakthrough. Both can work. As a general rule, however, I favor the control option. My reasoning is that speed options are almost always more likely to injure students in training and time lost in training makes victory in competition less likely. More importantly, speed creates momentum and looseness that can be used by a crafty opponent to aid an escape. Unfortunately the speed options almost always prevent you switching the a second or third attack option because everything is put into the quick application of the first attempt. Control methods allow multiple attempt and combination attacks that tend to do better at the higher levels. Speed attempts tend to work well up to a certain level or not work at all. You need to be able to apply both, as you may be attempting the move with very little time left on the clock or in a rule set that gives very limited time to attack (eg judo), but if time is available, make sure you can work at controlled pace that enables you solve any puzzles the opponent presents to you, work through multiple attacks and variations before getting to the finish
