Nothing beats the back: in a game where talented opponents can you in a heartbeat with strangles out of head and guillotine positions or sprawl so heavily on top of you that wish you'd never shot on them in the first place, there's a lot to be said to first getting behind an opponent and taking him down from dominant to back positions where you don't have to worry about those strangles and sprawls. At the top are never EASY per se, but they certainly be EASIER, and that's all you ask for. Keep your eye open for the opportunity to get behind opponents at all times in standing and you'll find the subsequent takedowns are generally a lot less stressful.