time: Of all the critical factors that go into success in Jiu Jitsu the one that gets talked about the least and yet which probably ought to be talked about the most is the effect of time. There are three main ways in which time plays a decisive role in outcomes. The first is SPEED OF DECISION MAKING RELATIVE TO YOUR OPPONENT. Your job is to make better and faster decisions than the other fellow. If you can do this consistently you will almost always win. You want to solve the problems he creates for you faster than he can solve the problems you create for him. The second is the time lag between MAKING A DECISION AND ACTING UPON IT. We all constantly second guess and procrastinate. You don't have to be the fastest man out there in a physical sense, but the faster you can go from DECISION to action the better you will do. The world is full of people who know what they ought to do but delay pulling the trigger – that's why failure is so prevalent. The third way in which time plays a role is more pertinent to competition. HOW MUCH TIME IS LEFT IN THE MATCH? This will heavily influence your choice of technique and tactics. Make sure you have techniques that are divided up by how much time it takes to execute them and there is considerable variation in this regard. Here, Gordon makes a quick time check on the clock as he enters a strong attacking position. This will determine our selection of technique – in this case, lots of time so a time consuming but very high percentage moves such as a rear strangle is appropriate – and in this case, an excellent path to victory.
