Slowly and Methodically

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Here’s a quick-and-easy test you can do during a sparring round to check how good your submissions are:

Execute a submission slowly and methodically.

If you execute it well, your training partner shouldn’t be able to escape from it and will have to tap out.

And they will even have some time to think about whether they should tap or not. This is the best situation because they are not reactively tapping but actively surrendering due to the potential damage you could cause.

You want to get better at controlling your submission situation from its start to its finish. If something is missing, a skilled opponent is likely to take advantage of that moment to escape.

But when you pull off a quick submission, it might work after all… but you may not realize that the control is somewhat lacking in a part of your submission.

You don’t want to find that out in an actual match.

So… practice it in your practice room.

“Position over submission” is what people say, but realize that submission is the checkmate position where your opponent has to surrender.

There is room for opportunistic submission attempts in a competition setting (i.e., if you can get a quick sub, get one). But in the long run, it’s much better to focus on improving your submission skills by working on submissions slowly and methodically during your sparring sessions.