Submissions – It's an all or nothing game: There is a temporal order to Jiu Jitsu that is emphasized from your first day in the sport – first get your opponent to the floor, then get past his legs, then work your way through the various pins, and finally submit your opponent. Before you even get to attempt a submission, quite a lot of work has to be done. There is nothing more frustrating then, than doing all that work and getting halfway through your match winning submission hold and then having your opponent slip out just before you could close the deal. Failed submission holds are like missed punches – they had potential, but score nothing and if thrown too often can exhaust you. It is critical therefore that your study of all your favorite submissions be in great depth to minimize the chance of losing them while in the act of applying them. Here, I am coaching the one of the last steps in the arm bar (juji gatame ) from bottom position. A LOT of arm bars are lost at this final stage. As always THOROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF THE ENTIRE PROCESS OF THE ARMBAR FROM SET UPS TO BREAKING MECHANICS IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS AND THE ANTIDOTE TO FRUSTRATION AND DISAPPOINTMENT. Submissions are a chain of moves in a sequence – and as the old saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If you are losing more submissions than you like – IDENTIFY THE MAIN AREAS OF weakness IN YOUR CHAIN AND TRY TO BRING THOSE up TO THE STRENGTH OF THE OTHER LINKS OF THE CHAIN.
