Don't be afraid to take a step back sometimes: Jiu jitsu is a game of pressure. As such it's natural to want to always pressure forward and let the other fellow feel the heat. However this is also a game where sometimes an opponent can get into a sequence of grips that spell danger and you get the feeling that you can't break all those grips before the first attacks will come. In these cases it can be a good thing to break out of there completely and briefly disengage and then step back into the fray with renewed focus to get a better start. Generally the athlete who starts better in a given engagement will tend to dominate the rest of that engagement as they have the tactical momentum in their favor. If you feel this is the case – disengage to break the momentum and start again on your terms. Don't be too quick to use this tactic as it can lead to negative play if overused, but acknowledge that there is a time and place for it when you get off to a bad start and it can definitely save you some grief down the line
