grey zones: Most of the time in Jiu Jitsu we like to push the game towards certainties. We like the idea of positions where it's known by both sides who has dominant position, who is winning and who is learning. However, as you rise in skill level there will be more and more occasions, the majority of most matches in fact, where the picture is much more grey. It is unclear who has advantage or disadvantage and the two athletes will have to improvise from unorthodox positions where it could go either way. Learning to navigate from uncontrolled scramble to dominance is not easy when you start. There are a thousand different directions you can go. My advice when this type of issue first arises in your training is simple. YOU CAN NEVER GO WRONG WITH THE BACK. Make the goal of every scramble your opponents back. This will give DIRECTION to your scrambles when everything just seems like a tumbling confusion. It's not the ONLY option – there are many – but all things considered it's probably the BEST option – so make that your first goal whenever your positioning is confusing and ambiguous – you can't go wrong.
