Positional advantage: A core element of Jiu jitsu is the notion of advantage. As much as possible, students are encouraged to seek some form of advantage prior to attack. In this sense, jiu jitsu is the skill of creating unfair playing conditions in my favor. Most students are introduced to the notion of advantage through the concept of POSITIONAL advantage. Indeed, this is the basic structure by which the sport is judged and scored. This provides an excellent and easily understood means of getting students thinking along the correct lines as well as giving them a very effective sense of direction as they spar each other. Interestingly, the concept of positional advantage is only really taught and discussed on the ground. In fact it applies just as much in standing positions, though this is not reflected in the scoring system. Here I coach one of the best means of gaining positional advantage on the feet – a variation of the duck under, which takes us from a neutral position in front of our opponent to an advantageous one behind him.
