A solid start makes an easier path to the finish: Jiu jitsu is a lot like life – we always hope for the best but usually have to dig ourselves out of disasters. The good news is that the strong defensive emphasis of jiu jitsu allows us to get out of bad situations in most cases. Nonetheless if you can get off to a good start, it makes the job of control leading to submission considerably easier. The two factors that determine how good or bad your start will be in jiu jitsu are usually DISTANCE and GRIP. As a general rule it's easier to control distance from top position. The idea behind distance control in jiu jitsu is to place yourself in a position where you can get to grips with your opponents but he will find it difficult or risky to get to grips with you. You can use this initial advantage of distance to compound your advantage by taking a grip upon your opponent that gives you more control over him than he has over you. Going from one form of advantage (distance) to another (grip) sets a direction where you can try to keep advantage from start to finish – this is an ideal – obviously you won't be able to maintain this at all times in every match – but it's the ideal we strive for; and that ideal requires a good start. Make DISTANCE and GRIP dominance your first goal when engaging with opponents and the rest of the game will generally run smoother as a consequence
