The real test of match intensity control is when you're in trouble: You'll often hear me advocating a fairly relaxed demeanor when engaged in a grappling match, even a very high intensity one. Anyone can be relaxed and calm when they're winning and in good position – the real test comes when your in trouble and your opponent is attacking well and has you under pressure and close to scoring or even submitting you – THAT'S when you'll see if you can control your physical intensity levels well. We all have a natural tendency to tighten up and over exert ourselves when we feel a threat, and more threatened we feel the worse it gets. Learning to relax so you don't burn out and can make good decisions in these situations is a good differentiator between average and very good athletes. Next time you're in trouble on the mats see how calm and relaxed you can be rather than just trying to instinctively explode out of everything – it's an attribute that'll pay big dividends the higher you go in the sport.
