Using your strengths: We all have moves that we favor and feel more confident using. Pretty soon your training partners and opponents will figure out what they are. Don't think your strengths become useless once your opponents realize what they are and develop counter measures – they just have a different function. Now they can be used not as direct attacks but as a means of creating predictable defensive reactions from an opponent that you can capitalize upon. If you have a powerful armbar from guard that opponents fear and posture away from this will create opportunities for sweeps to the rear as opponents overreact to the initial threat. As you develop favorite moves, be sure to develop auxiliary moves around your favorites that take advantage of exaggerated defensive reactions – that way you get twice the value from those favorites of yours!
