Making resistance work FOR you rather than AGAINST you: The fundamental feature of all combat sports is working in a competitive setting against a resisting opponent who is actively trying to defeat you as you try to defeat him. This means that every move you attempt upon him will be met with strong resistance. The natural tendency we all have when we encounter strong resistance is to TRY HARDER and if that fails, QUIT THE MOVE. Learning to go beyond this “try harder/quit” approach is one of the biggest developmental stapes you will have to take. Many never take this step and leave the sport frustrated and disappointed. You must learn to start seeing RESISTANCE AS OPPORTUNITY rather than as a barrier. Every act of resistance has a DIRECTION OF FORCE. When you can read that direction of force you can start to use it to your advantage by adding a second move that goes in the SAME DIRECTION AS YOUR OPPONENTS RESISTANCE. This creates a spectacular effect where your opponent's strong resistance suddenly compliments your new move and an effortless follow up occurs. Here, Gordon Ryan goes hard to his right for a sweep variation I invented many years ago to allow powerful sweeps out of underhooks and arm lock attacks. His opponent, Dillon Danis has done a good job of setting his hips against the strong right side attack, but as a result will be easy to move back the other way. Gordon Ryan did exactly that – elevating left to enter into a cross ashi garami heel hook – unfortunately time ran out before the heel hook could be finished but the lesson remains. For all your favorite attacks you must be able to launch a strong initial attack that creates a big defensive reaction and then have a small set of complimentary moves in the opposite direction that will enable you to flow WITH resistance and get resistance working FOR you instead of AGAINST you.
