Fighting until the last: In Jiu Jitsu it's natural to get a sense that a battle has been lost and stop fighting. Sometimes it's tactically smart to think this way – for example, you can recognize that one battle has been lost so stop fighting that battle so that you can reserve your forces for the next one. Other times however, you'll want to fight to the end and concede nothing. This is often the case with guard retention. understand that until your opponent has completely cleared your legs and pinned your head and one shoulder down for three seconds – he has not passed your guard. That gives you a lot of leeway for last minute, last second scramble defense that can prevent a score and keep you in the game. Here, Garry Tonon fights to keep his shoulders off the mat to prevent a score even though his opponent has cleared his legs. This is the kind of spirit you usually want to exhibit in guard retention battles!
