Perceptions: How your opponent perceives you has a HUGE impact upon their behavior towards you in a match. If they do not perceive you as dangerous towards them, they will engage with total confidence and use their full arsenal of weapons without any concern for you. If, on the other hand, they believe you are a substantial threat to them, they will engage with trepidation and hold back from using many of their moves for fear of bad consequences if they don’t work. It is MUCH easier to engage an opponent who is more worried about what you can do to them, than what they will do to you. The single best way to create this perception of danger in your opponents is to build a strong submissions game. Nothing induces fear and respect in grappling as well as the ability to finish an opponent. Develop your submissions as a strong point and opponents will immediately take you seriously and show a marked reluctance to over commit to their favorite moves and shy away from even using many other moves that they would normally employ.
