As long as you've got a heart beat you've got a hope – Hope and belief are powerful tools in combat sports. If you believe in your mind that you have no hope of victory, you will almost always prove yourself correct with your body soon after. Hope for the future has kept many a struggling athlete in the fight longer than he would have done otherwise and brought about many against the odds victories when all seemed lost. Athletes that lose all hope lose matches. Of all the many skills of Jiu jitsu the two that I associate the most with HOPE are escapes and submissions. Escapes give you the belief that no matter how grim your current position you can get out and fight again. Submissions give you the belief that no matter how far behind you've fallen in a match, you have the ability to win it all with a match ending hold. IF YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN ESCAPE ANY SUBMISSION YOUR OPPONENT MIGHT TRY AND APPLY YOUR OWN SUBMISSION SUCCESSFULLY ON HIM IF GIVEN THE CHANCE – YOU'LL FIGHT TO THE LAST OUNCE OF YOUR STRENGTH UNTIL THE LAST SECOND OF THE MATCH. If you feel that you lack the ability to stay the course in tough matches, I often counsel a strong focus on escapes and submission training as a great way to foster a sense of hope that will keep you mentally in the fight longer when you come to believe that he can never finish you, but if you got a chance, you could definitely finish him.
