Coming to grips: Within a few seconds of coming to grips with an opponent you've never grappled before you will know his approximate skill level. The nature of his gripping will immediately tell you a lot of information. Is he relaxed/efficient or overly tense? Is he gripping with purpose or merely gripping for the sake of gripping? Are his feet moving in concert with his hands or is he all upper body and nothing else? Is there subtlety and nuance to his game (fakes, feints, misdirections) or is everything straightforward? All these things and many more can be readily felt or observed within seconds of contact. Use this time to read your opponent. Just as when you meet someone for the first time you spend the initial period learning as much as you can and trying to discern real from false information – so too when grappling. Most people aren't very good at keeping secrets and grapplers are no exception – you can usually read their intent with confidence and then adjust your game from there
