back system – the battle for head position: Jiu Jitsu is a subtle art. Very often there appears to be a certain battle going on between two athletes, yet the thing that actually determines the outcome of that battle is something completely different from what most onlookers think. In the case of strangles without the gi (naked strangles – but that sounds a little strange ), particularly on the side opposite the strangle arm (what most people consider the “weak side”) there is a battle for head position that is probably the single biggest determinant of success or failure. Look at how Outstanding junior squad athlete Frank Rosenthal keeps his head between his opponent's (10th Planet stand out Marvin Castelle) head and the floor. Failure to maintain this head position will almost always result in failure of the strangle. JIU JITSU IS A GAME OF PREREQUISITES – WITHOUT THE NECESSARY PREREQUISITES NONE OF THE MOVES WILL WORK AGAINST RESISTANCE. Your job as a developing athlete is to learn exactly what the main prerequisites to your favorite moves and develop the skills to satisfy those prerequisites every time to the point where don't even think of the move you want until those prerequisites have been satisfied. Understand that often those prerequisites are not obviously related to the skill they set up – you must think deeply about WHAT REALLY MAKES THE MOVES WORK. When you do this, soon you will be applying perfect strangles like this one!
