Beginnings – stance, distance, grip: Every grappling exchange has a beginning. How well you do overall is often affected by how that beginning goes. It's important you get a decent start. How decent that start is is determined by your STANCE, your ability to control DISTANCE and your ability to get a good working GRIP. Every time you engage with an opponent you should have an internal memorandum running through your head – stance, distance, grip. Failures in any one of these three prerequisites will inevitably cause problems as the action continues. There are a thousand things to take care of in a long jiu jitsu exchange – but make sure you take care of first things first – stance, distance and grip
