Freaking out isn't going to help: It is natural when you find yourself in a bad situation in Jiu Jitsu to feel some degree of panic – no one likes losing, even in the gym, and so the intensity always goes up as the danger of losing increases. Now, as this feeling of foreboding starts to escalate into genuine concern, the danger of it degenerating into total panic increases. It's at this point that one starts to see chaos break out. Students will start exploding in various directions in order to affect a breakout. This can definitely work in many cases at beginner level, since most beginners lack the ability to control and immobilize a wildly thrashing opponent. It can also work if you are bigger and stronger than an opponent. However, as size discrepancy decreases and skill levels rise, this will work less and less. If you were given a complex math problem, would it help you to solve it if you began by freaking out? No. In fact if we look at almost every daily problem we have to overcome, from flat tires, to navigating through an unfamiliar part of town, to paying bills over the phone, we see that it is almost never the case that wild emotional or physical reaction aid our ability to solve and overcome the problem. Jiu Jitsu is no different. Just as the solution to any complex math problem is best found with a calm mind that calmly and methodically searches for the solution, so too in Jiu Jitsu. Make your first reaction to a difficult hold in Jiu Jitsu be a grounding breath, and then a mental commitment to the idea of staying as calm as you can and THINKING your way out rather than FREAKING your way out. Look how calm Nicky Ryan as he works from a particularly tricky leg lock situation. This is the spirit you want to operate in whenever you find yourself on the defensive. This will ensure you prevail in all situations rather than just against smaller or less experienced opponents
