_______ Over Quickness

You see two elite grapplers scrambling for a better position.
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It’s exciting to watch such exchanges.
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And it feels great when you move quickly as well.
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It feels as though you’re doing something awesome.
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After all, being quick is important, right?
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Yes and no.
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I’ll explain it.
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Being quick is important, provided that a specific condition is met.
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Because if you’re just quick without taking care of this condition, your opponent might get away from your attack.
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When you practice your techniques, you have to make sure that you get this thing right rather than just trying to be quick.
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Hmm, OK, what is it?
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This critical thing I’ve been so secretive about is…
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… control.
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In BJJ (and in any form of grappling, presumably), you must make sure that you have great control over your opponent.
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If you are just quick without having such control, you risk exposing yourself to bad consequences.
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So, especially when you drill new moves, make sure you have great control over your opponent. Being quick is something you work on AFTER you can do your moves with great control.
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You can even try practicing your control in sparring as well.
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Try to move as slow as possible when you spar against someone less experienced (or lighter) than you.
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If you can control your movements well, you don’t have to move quickly to dominate your opponent.
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(Having said that, if you’re losing by points AND running out of time and you have to do something quickly… then you might have to resort to quickness and strength etc.)
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Keep sharpening your techniques.
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p.s. Probably the best example of great control is Roger Gracie. Take a look at his match against Buchecha. Roger keeps calm from the beginning to the finish as he always does.