40. IF YOU ARE NOT CLIMBING STEP BY STEP, YOU WILL SUFFER

When you’re climbing a rope or ladder - it’s always one step at a time: 

The general nature of control in Jiu jitsu is to begin contact at the extremities - the hands and feet - and work progressively up to the hips/waist and ultimately the head. 

Any attempt to skip steps along the way always comes at the price of sacrificing control. 

Don’t get me wrong - sometimes you have to skip steps and lunge for the next grip when circumstances demand, sometimes you can get away with it, but the best general pattern is the same as when climbing a rope, a ladder or a cliff - if you let go and try to jump to the next grip, bad things tend to happen. 

In most situations it’s better to take your time and focus on control. 

Progressively work from joint to joint, grip to grip until you secure the two focal points of Jiu jitsu - the hips/waist and head (and of course - this is Jiu jitsu so you must avoid your opponents guard/legs as you do this). 

Combat sports always look like scary chaos - and sometimes it is - but the goal is always to make it mundane step by step procedures whenever possible




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