Physical pressure: Submission is the aim of our sport. There are two paths to submission. The first is through mechanical and tactical expertise in execution of the the move. This method is usually the one scene when the submission is performed early in the match when both both athletes are fresh. The second path is through unrelenting pressure that undermines the opponents ability to defend a submission that under normal circumstances they definitely would be capable of defending but in a state of exhaustion they cannot. This is the kind of method usually seen late in a match. Both paths are vital for you to master. As the skill level of your opponents rises however, you will inevitably find that it is the second path that you employ more often and with better results. Physical pressure will gradually degrade an opponents skill level due to the simple fact that skills require physical energy to execute, and when energy levels fall below a certain threshold, even well trained athletes can no longer perform them well enough to be effective. Learning to create and maintain physical pressure over time to a point where you can degrade an opponents skill level to a level where they are no longer effective in executing techniques is one of your biggest long term goals in jiu jitsu. At the higher levels it's not how good your technique is per se that counts; but rather how good that technique is after ten minutes of grueling grappling that will usually determine winner and loser.
