Do you remember the first time you successfully applied a submission hold? What was it? Did it become one of your main moves? When you first begin Jiu jitsu is probably fair to say that the positional moves are easier for most people to apply than the inherently more complex submission holds. Most of us successfully apply guard passes and pin transitions long before our first submission. I remember my first submission clear as day – it was an arm bar from guard – it was a move I struggled even to drill well as a beginner. One day I was sparring from guard with another white belt and I clumsily threw my legs around his head and yanked with lots of enthusiasm and zero technique – to my shock and amazement he tapped! Probably he tapped more from caution than the actual effect of the move since it was poorly applied – but it didn't matter! Now the arm bar was my freaking move!! ??? For the next month I began in guard and that's the only damn move I tried ?? This focus actually made my arm bar considerably better and by the end of the month I was actually having a lot of success with it! Remember: SUCCESS BEGETS SUCCESS. If you have early success with a move that is considered fundamental (not some crazy move that works once a year) – take it as a sign that you ought to focus on it for a while and see how far you can push that early success! You will often find that your body has its own way of showing where your talents are independent of your mind – when it speaks to you with initial success – sometimes it's good to listen!
