Pins and transitions: Very often when I coach Jiu Jitsu i see players get into a mindset when they get to a dominant pinning position such as side or mount or north/south – they tend to use it as a STATIC PLATFORM FROM WHICH TO LAUNCH ATTACKS. There is nothing wrong with that approach – it is a time tested and valuable method. However, don't ignore an alternative that can be very useful for tying together your positional game with your submissions game – this involves strongly emphasizing TRANSITIONS BETWEEN PINS RATHER THAN THE PINS THEMSELVES. Constant movement from one pin to another is one of the very best means of generating limb EXTENSION in an opponent as he tries to respond to your movement and escape. WHERE THERE IS EXTENSION THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY OF SUBMISSION. When you emphasize movement between pins you will generate many move opportunities for submissions – it can come at the price of stability if done poorly – SO KEEP THOSE TRANSITIONS SMOOTH AND TIGHT. Here, outstanding junior squad member frank rosenthal shows excellent skills going from one dominant pin to another to get around a wary opponent's defense and shift to a strangle from the back at a recent grappling tournament in England. This kind of pin transition is something we should all be building into our game.
