First… the Legs

It’s easy to jump steps when you get excited.  It’s easy to combine steps and fumble them when you get excited.  It’s easy to forget steps when you get excited.

Take, for example, going to school.  First, you get out of bed.  Second, you take a shower.  Third, you get dressed.  Forth, you eat breakfast.  Fifth, you walk out the door.

Let’s say you forget to get out of bed and skip straight to hopping in the shower.  It’s probably the case that you’re actually still asleep and only dreaming that you’re getting ready to go to school.  Let’s say you get out of bed and skip directly to walking out the door.  Uh-oh.  You’re probably (if you’re lucky) in your pajamas and will probably notice right about the time the school bus pulls up.

What’s this got to do with grappling?  We all get excited about grinding our elbows into our opponent’s face and neck.  However, if we don’t take care of their legs and hips first, all our smashing will probably end up making us look like the kid in his pajamas at the bus stop.  Why?  Because if you’re not controlling your partner’s legs and hips, they’re likely to flip things around and control yours.