Let your opponent feel the stress

Let your opponent feel the stress, this is a common phrase here at Savarese BJJ (www.njbjj.com). Always let the other guy feel the stress. Also, a common problem I see all the time is that of a BJJ practitioner or any grappler doing a good job getting to a dominant position like the mount or back and then trying too hard too quickly to get a submission. In addition, losing control of the position they worked so hard to attain. Unless there is limited time left on the clock, relax, your opponent, not you, should be the one in panic mode, be patient. Use the superior position to recompose yourself, recharge your lungs if necessary and formulate a plan to finish. If at any point you feel the danger of escape, protect the position first and worry about the submission second! You can always come back to that later. We love to teach “the most important part of the mount and back is to keep the mount and back, then submit!  Here, Rafael Lovato Jr anchors himself in place in the mount position at the World BJJ Championship after a long period his opponent going crazy trying to escape. He kept his position first, remained in control and finally finished with a beautiful cross collar choke from the mount to secure the victory. Using this simple pattern of exertion to gain a position followed by active rest and recomposing in that position to gather resources into a final push for submission allowed him to secure the choke soon after this photo was taken. In conclusion, always remember to remain calm in the dominant position, you spent energy to get there, let you opponent waste their energy trying to escape (also known as “cooking” your opponent), get tired and then apply your finishing hold.