Here’s something I observed from a match I saw at AJP Tour Serbia last weekend.
The bottom player went for a straight foot lock from the single leg X guard. But even from afar, it looked to me that the foot lock wasn’t working against the top player.
The bottom player kept working on the foot lock, holding on to her opponent’s leg.
What she didn’t seem to realize is that she actually had a perfect opportunity to come up on top and score 2 points for the reversal.
I’ve been in that situation multiple times, too. I think many of us experience it. We forget that there are some other (often better) options and fail to make a decision that leads to a better outcome.
If it’s a submission-only match, it might make sense to keep working on that foot lock, but when there’s a time limit and points are involved, you have to make quick decisions to give up your potential submission and score points, which will help you move closer to your win. And the opposite can be valid, too (i.e., giving up potential points to get a submission if you strongly believe you can get it).
You need to get used to making such decisions in actual match situations, but otherwise, you can decide what to do in advance, at least for some of your main moves. (If you go for a straight foot lock, you should decide in advance what to do in case your foot lock attempt doesn’t work).
When you know what to do in advance, you will be less likely to get confused during a match.