Do you know the future? What if I told you that Jiu Jitsu gave you the ability to see into the future? Would you think I had lost my mind (actually you have thought that already )? In fact it does – to a limited extent. If an opponent stands in front of me there is very little i can tell you about what his future actions will be since I have no physical control over him. However, when you put your opponent into a controlling hold, the manner in which you hold and control him greatly limits his movement options and you can often make very accurate predictions about his future movements as long as you have that measure of control over him. It is this limited insight into the future that makes genuine control possible. When you know ahead of time what your opponent will do, combat becomes a LOT easier. For all your favorite holds and locks, you must have the main defensive responses mapped out and your reactions to those responses figured out shared of time. As your knowledge of his limited options and your responses to this options becomes more elaborate you are starting to construct a systematic approach to Jiu Jitsu that will enable you to control an opponent surprisingly easily. Here I have a secure ashi garami variation locked in place that limit an opponent to just a few defensive movements that I know well and each of which can be countered the second they are employed. As options are eliminated over time an opponent can be restricted to fewer and fewer options until they simply run out and submission is the result. This is the kind of approach you ought to aspire to in Jiu Jitsu
