Attacking the Guard
I watched about 5 minutes of this video and thought to myself, “Do people understand what this guy is showing? Because if they did EVERYONE that participates in today’s MMA, Grappling and BJJ competitions would own this DVD!”

That is how good I thought the concepts and techniques coming out of this DVD were, and that was just the first 5 minutes! 

Josh delves into concepts of posture and breaking grips in addition to punishing and breaking guard players wide open. He isn’t nice about it either. Josh shows you techniques and approaches that are generally frowned upon in most BJJ dojos because of their meanness, aggression and effectiveness against even the most dominant guard players. 

If that wasn’t enough I got just as much if not more out of the Catch Wrestling Vol. I Punishing Rides DVD also starring Josh Barnett. 

Punishing Rides DVD
Barnett shares great rides for Wrestling, Grappling and MMA. These are not just your typical Folkstyle wrestling rides either. These rides have teeth big enough to sink into any grappling situation. These are offensive rides and hold down positions not just lay-and-wait positions. 

One of the most poignant speeches is about BJJ and the lack of rides and pressures. His words seem almost prophetic looking back on it now. He talked quite emphatically about the usefulness and possibilities of a certain Head and Arm ride. It is this same ride that he defeated Dean Lister with during their Metamoris 4 bout. Their match was the first time Lister has been submitted in 16 years.

On top of showing some great technique and insights Josh gets more loose and entertaining as the DVD progresses. He is very funny. Just about everything in this DVD is unconventional from a BJJ standpoint and that is what is so great about it. This tuff works!

As a competitor Josh Barnett has done and won everything there is to be won in the sport; UFC champion, Pancrase Champion, IBJJF No Gi World Champion and Metamoris Super Heavyweight World Champion. 

You would think at some point the BJJ and Grappling community in general would begin to take notice and listen to what this guy has to say. However I am willing to bet that they won’t to their own detriment. Too often Brazilian Jiu Jitsu’s downfall is its own popularity and perceived value. 

BJJ for whatever reason both proclaims to be “the new revelation” yet at the same time holds to “tradition” and shuns anything that is not BJJ. I can’t tell you how many times BJJ guys will sit and tell me how BJJ guys can beat wrestlers and go on and on. I think to myself that they must be complete BJJ tools if they still believe that BJJ is invincible. In grappling situations they certainly thrive but let’s be honest, it has been a long time since a BJJ purist has held any of the major MMA titles.

If there is any one thing that real practitioners of the grappling arts should come to accept is that no one single art has the lock on effectiveness. Both of the Josh Barnett DVD’s show exactly why Catch-as-Catch-Can Wrestling is one of the best sources for powerful grappling techniques. I was extremely happy when Barnett submitted Lister using tried and true CACC techniques because it once again proved the effectiveness of one of the oldest and best forms of grappling around. I found so many gems in this DVD that it is currently at the top of my “must watch” list for grappling. 

Wade Schalles is one of the hidden gems of US wrestling.
Why on earth he isnt coaching more at the upper level of collegiate wrestling is
beyond me. I just got done watching his Killer Cradles DVD series. Wade’s
knowledge is amazing and im very excited to put his ideas into my team’s
training. Here is some of what Wade had done: (from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade_Schalles)

“Wade Schalles…is an American amateur wrestler, a
two-time NCAA National Championwho holds multiple records in the sport
including holding the Guinness Book of World Records title for most amateur
wrestling wins and pins, and is the creator of several of wrestling's most
notorious moves - including the Spladleand the Cement
Mixer.”

This guy has been credited with inventing moves for heaven’s sake!

“Dan Gable called him, "the greatest pinner he's ever seen!" Currently he is in the Guinness
Book of World Records for having the most wins and pins of anyone who has ever competed.”

This DVD is about pinning and the principles that Wade shares work. Recently I had an athlete in our club
who was struggling; I mean getting totally obliterated by everyone he wrestled. I shared a couple of
small details from this DVD with my athlete and then he proceeded to pin his way
to three consecutive wins and a first place finish at a local spring tournament.
Having the knowledge to perform is the first part of success. I saw my athlete
turn a corner at that tournament and not only did he finally win some matches he
gained much needed confidence. 

I promise you that there will be far fewer athletes out there learning and doing the techniques and
that Wade teaches than those that are. You have the great opportunity to start winning
more and become a champion. 

All it takes is one DVD. For the cost of what many of you will pay on a couple of forgotten weekends
of movies, popcorn and pizza you could put the keys to pinning and winning into your hands.  

I highly recommend this DVD for anyone looking for more pins and wants to become a champion.

“You don’t always have to be the best team to win the game.” Was a quote I heard recently that got me thinking; How many times do athletes with more skill or ability lose to opponents that they should not?


Unfortunately there are times when an athlete loses to an opponent that they should not lose to. Coaches often say “he falls apart mentally,” or “It’s all in his head”. It is often in fact, not all in his head. The reason that it is not all in the athlete’s head is because the coach hasn’t put it all in there. There are often pieces of the puzzle missing and coaches need to understand this and correct it.


Athletes often have more techniques than they know what to do with, in consequence they don’t do. They are often unsure of the logical next step of the match. This has been the downfall of many a potentially great athlete. Techniques are great but one size doesn’t always fit.


Conditioning is required however on its own it gets wasted and misused. If it
is undirected it can be a double edged sword. Athletes make mistakes of being
over aggressive and forcing offense.  Coaches and athletes alike are
willing to work hard and push it physically. They often miss one of the most
important pieces of the competition puzzle, Problem Solving.

The number one skill that must be developed to be a successful wrestler is
problem solving. Too often coaches and athletes forget that the sport of
wrestling is one of physical problem solving. I have never had a coach that sat
me down and explained that to me. They never explained here is how the match
starts, here is what happens next, here is what happens after that, here is how
it can end, here are options for a, b, c. 

Never. Not one. Most likely because no one explained it to them. In fact I
can almost guarantee it. I did have coaches that showed me their favorite
techniques, the techniques they knew, the best techniques of the day etc.
Obviously it served me pretty well over the years but it leaves that same
problem, how to solve new and dynamic problems that come at you at extreme
speeds. 

As I’ve coached my wrestling club athletes and others I’ve made efforts to
pick up where others left off or missed completely. I figure if we talk about
wrestling and the grappling arts in general as being 90% mental why don’t we
actually train that way? Why do we spend so much time improving our physical
attributes while our mind and problem solving muscles get the day off?

When athletes join my club they get exposed to next level thinking. I ask
questions and make them come up with solutions. We walk through slow motion
matches and scenarios. I show them how a match should play out under xyz
circumstances. 

I help my athletes understand there is more to wrestling than just a
hodge-podge of techniques. For many of them it has brought great breakthroughs
in their development that they were unable to find elsewhere. We often talk
through situations and scenarios involving the score and how points were created
and then what is the best choice of position and the reasoning behind it. I’ve
had the good fortune to have trained under Olympic champions and they never
taught in the way that I’m describing. 

What I ultimately want an athlete to achieve is a higher level of problem
solving. I want them to be able to look at the game differently from a 10,000
feet view. This helps them gain a greater appreciation of the skills they do
have while learning more about how they can personally have success. This is
ultimately how true confidence, or self trust, is developed. Athletes cannot
truly be confident without a greater perspective and understanding of what it is
they are to accomplish and how to do so. 

Take a look at your current training and outlook towards competition and
determine how you can become a better problem solver. As you develop solutions
you will ultimately have more success as an athlete or coach. Start small by
taking the first 5-10 minutes of your technical training and devote it to coming
up with “What if…” questions and solutions. Some simple questions worth
considering are:

If you’re taken down in the first period and ridden for the rest of it
without giving up near fall points what is the best option if given your choice
of position in the second period and why?

How would you comeback from a 3 point deficit starting the third period?

What would you do to counter a single leg?

What if you were up by 1 with 30 seconds left? How do you proceed?

These are simple questions and you may already have worked on a few or some
similar to them. As you get more comfortable you can start asking more detailed
and tougher questions like these:

What if you’re opponent has just taken you down and gained near fall and
you’re now down by 4 points. You have not scored from the feet but you were able
to control him on top from a reversal you scored in the second period. Where
would you most likely be able to score points next? How can you bring back the
points to even and either; win or put it into overtime?

What if you’ve just scored a takedown with 30 seconds left to tie the score.
Letting your opponent up would mean that he gains 1 point but if you take
him down you can win now. If you can ride for 30 seconds you can put it
into overtime and have a chance to win in overtime. What do you do? How will you do it? What are the potential risks and potential rewards? Which option gives you the
best chance of winning according to your own skill set?

As you begin to add more detail and insert personal strengths and limitations
you begin to see the problem more clearly and a more realistic and attainable
solution begins to present itself. This is how real and lasting confidence is
developed and this is how champions are made. If you do this I can guarantee
that you’ll start having much more success than you are now.

Over the years I’ve followed many a Facebook thread and forum
topic that talk about who is tougher in grappling, Jiu Jitsu and wrestling. Many
times these are interesting threads but most of them very one sided and written
by folks that think they know more than they do about the grappling arts.
Sometimes I laugh, sometimes I get frustrated, but mostly they make me
think.

I often wonder why it is that so many guys out there blatantly
pass over opportunities to get better. I wonder why in the world a grappler or
BJJ fighter wouldn’t want a fully developed takedown game. I wonder why a
wrestler crossing over to grappling and MMA wouldn’t want a fully developed
ground game. Sometimes it just boggles my mind. 

On top of that there are countless people who will only compete
in X organization or Y organization. As for me I want to compete in all of them
and win in all of them. At many events I’ve heard athletes complain about their
loss and how they would never fight in that org again. I can only assume had
they won they would decry the amazing benefits and awesome potential of that
same org. 
 
I must confess at one point I used to hate a certain grappling
organization. I felt they were completely unorganized and their capacity to run
an event was questionable. For years I didn’t compete there. I chose to find
other events that were better organized. 
 
Not participating because of losing was not part of that equation
even though I had both won and lost in that organization. In fact my general
mantra has been to compete under as many grappling flags as possible. I wanted
to find the groups that would best test my abilities and allow me the chance to
fight tough fighters and develop myself as an athlete. 
 
I loved the now defunct FILA grappling organization because there
were so many countries represented. I also loved the fact that I could fight
against international level wrestlers, judoka, MMA and BJJ fighters all in one
tournament. I also loved that as a heavyweight I finally had more guys to
compete with. Being a heavyweight sometimes means there are fewer opponents
available to compete against, this is generally true in wrestling as well. 
 
Usually at Grappler’s Quest and NAGA there aren’t a lot of
heavyweight guys so the brackets are smaller. Although I have to approach those
events with more of a ‘dual meet’ mentality I am grateful for the opportunity to
compete in them although they are often not as fulfilling as having a full
bracket of opponents. In the event that there are fewer opponents at my weight I
compete in the Absolute division which also gives another dimension. 
 
For me the whole point of competing is gaining more exposure to
the sport of grappling and allowing oneself the opportunity to see, do and
experience more grappling. The opportunity to test oneself is the real benefit.
 
I struggle with the way that many schools and athletes approach
competition. They hide themselves from risk and they fear losing more than they
desire true development. Many instructors won’t allow their students to compete
unless they know their student(s) will win. This is often solely fueled by the
instructor’s fear of losing business more than the concern about whether his
athlete(s) are prepared to compete. In every single grappling and BJJ tournament
I can think of there are multiple age, weight and skill divisions that allow
each competitor the opportunity to compete against someone of their own skill
level. If an instructor is holding you back from that what is he really teaching
you and more importantly what is he not teaching that he’s so afraid of you
competing?
 
Contrast that with wrestling tournaments where an athlete can go
up against a state or national champion in the first round whether they are
ready or not. When I began competing at the Open or Senior division at the US
Nationals at the age of 18 I didn’t have the luxury of competing against people
of my own age, weight and skill. I drew Mike VanArsdale, NCAA champion, US
National Team in Freestyle and former MMA fighter, the first round! That would
be the BJJ equivalent of being a high level blue belt and drawing Jeff Glover
for your first match!
 
I had absolutely no chance of winning but that wasn’t the point.
The point was that I was laying the foundation for future wins by losing then. I
was making that first step of confronting one of the best guys in the country
and learning that there was a higher level that I needed to
reach.
 
One of the things that I love most about grappling is that
athletes can have a chance to develop and grow on a much more conservative pace
if they need or want to. I hope more athletes will take advantage of the great
opportunities to compete. There are so many now that you can start at just
about any level for which you are ready.

Competition after all is merely a source of feedback about your
training and preparations. It shows you how you handle real time pressures and
stresses. It shows you where your technical strengths and weaknesses are
residing. It shows you your strategic strengths and weaknesses. 
 
Most athletes and coaches get so worked up over the winning and
losing part of competition that they miss the forest for the trees. Take a more
holistic look at your grappling experience and start giving tournaments and
yourself a chance.  


 

How Will You Live Your Life Differently Now?

My brother in law Chad Isaksen recently lost his battle with Leukemia. He
died Sunday September 1, 2013 at about 10:30 AM MST at his home in Saratoga
Springs, Utah. Chad was a military man having served two tours in Afghanistan as
an US Army helicopter pilot. He also served as a US Army helicopter flight
instructor in Tennessee. Chad is survived by his lovely wife Tara and his four
children; Caleb, Tanner, Kinley and Ainsley. Chad was only 31 years old when his
body gave up the fight that his spirit would never surrender. 

His courage in the face of death was outstanding and very becoming of a US
Soldier. Not that he would define himself that way. He was much more than that.
He was a loving husband and father, a great son and brother, a faithful Mormon
missionary and so much more. 

Chad’s death was preceded by that of his younger brother Seth on July 4th
2005. Seth passed very quickly and suddenly from an accident that caused him to
slip into a coma, he died within 24 hours. 

The Isaksen’s have now suffered the loss of their two youngest children. What
a change of events from most families in which the youngest typically bury the
oldest. 

At the 2013 FILA Grappling World Team Trials I dedicated my win to Chad. I
have never done that and I had never planned on doing that. It just seemed like
the right thing to say at that time. (Watch the interview here)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GLsCj8R-7s&list=FLdoGBjCZ2khlJLDqHm6Tihw&index=1 

As I prepared for the 2013 FILA Grappling World Championships in London,
Ontario, Canada I wanted to win for Chad. Just as my training was hitting a
higher gear I sustained an injury that sidelined my training and which could
have kept me from competing at all. This was in the beginning of May. The
tournament was in the middle of June. Some nights in training I couldn’t move
without being in pain. I had no strength. I couldn’t lift weights like I wanted
to. I couldn’t drill or do much of anything like I had planned. 

I fought the best I could throughout the world tournament winning matches
against tough and seasoned opponents. In the finals match my injury was a major
factor which kept me from being fully competitive against my finals opponent. I
was fortunate to even have gotten into the finals under the circumstances.
However good fortune gave way to a superior force and I lost a close 2-0
match.

After the finals match I sprawled out on the arena floor and wept for my
brother in law and his affliction. I think on some level I hoped that maybe if I
could win that world championship in Chad’s honor it would help his chances of
winning his battle with leukemia. Of course I knew there was no direct
correlation but it made me feel like on some small level I could give a piece of
me to Chad. I couldn’t help but feel guilty for not being able to pull off that
win for him. 

During Chad’s battle with leukemia I couldn’t help but think; “How happy
am I with the life I’m currently living? Is this really what I want to
experience out of life? If Chad dies from this how will it affect my wife and
how will I live my life differently because of it?” 

I think we all ask ourselves these questions at some point in our lives but
for me these are questions that are worth answering now. I’ve come to see very
vividly how fleeting life can be. Chad was a strong vibrant soldier capable of
taking on the world and within less than a few weeks he was reduced to a
struggling chemotherapy patient. All of his previous physical powers swiftly
left him. There was nothing he could do to stop that. It was hard for us to
watch him decline like that.

Luckily the US Army enabled Chad and his family to move back to Utah to
pursue treatments at the LDS hospital in Salt Lake City. This at least gave
those of us who loved him the opportunity to be with him and support him and his
family in their fight for Chad’s life. We had many great times with Chad while
he was here. We shared campouts, family dinners, and more time to visit with
Chad and his family. 

We hear a lot about ‘quality time’ these days but I’m not so sure that
quality makes up for quantity in some cases. Just being in the presence of those
you love can make such a difference even if there is little ‘quality’ about it.
Being together means so much more when that option is no longer a possibility. 

Tonight (September 7, 2013) was Chad’s viewing. He looked so unlike himself;
he laid there a spiritless shell surrounded by loved ones. Even though it was
another moment in saying goodbye it was one of peace and hope. Tomorrow morning
will be our final goodbye as we lay Chad in the earth. 

I already miss him. My wife misses him greatly. Our children miss him. We
will always remember him as wildly vibrant and full of life, always ready for
new adventure and challenges. We hold a strong faith and hope that one day we
will all return to live with Chad and God again in our heavenly home. 

This hope notwithstanding I can’t help but feel a screaming drive inside to
reach higher in my own life. There is no time to waste sitting on the fence in
life. There is no time to waste in not pursuing your greater purpose and your
higher goals in life. I keep asking myself “How will I live my life differently?
How can I better strive to attain my goals?” I keep thinking to myself “I want
more! I want to do more and be more in my life than what I’m doing and being
now!”

I will always remember the faces of Seth and Chad as they lay in their
coffins and I will always hear the screaming drive in my head and my heart to
live more now, if not for myself then for those whose time was cut short. I hope
to live the rest of my life in such a way that it pleases God and those who have
gone before and that I can become a man of great renown and become someone who
does great things and helps others do great things. I hope to live in such a way
that my family feels compelled to honor the Ruiz name. Be it long or short this
is the road I must follow.


 
 
 
 

Over the past few weeks our wrestling club has been making some great strides in their training and competition. Right now we have eight athletes who are getting some of the best coaching available in the state of Utah. Not only do these guys have the good fortune of learning from yours truly but we are getting them super strong following world champion powerlifter Chris McGrail’s strength and conditioning programs. 

One of those young men is Roy Nash and was the ONLY undefeated wrestler in the state of Utah this year. I’m really excited about the athletes on our club right now. Richard Larsen and Aaron Thomson will be competing at the High School Senior Nationals this week and I know they will have great stories to share when they get back. I’m looking forward to our guys getting the chance to qualify for the US Nationals in Freestyle and Greco in a few weeks. 
Here are some quick vids to see what we’ve been up to.

If you would like to know more about our club hit me up here: info@RuizCombatGrappling.com 

Every year it always seems like it takes spring so long to arrive. I love being outdoors and training in the fresh air. One of my favorite activities for training at the Olympic Training Center was going outside and pummeling and drilling arm drags and other standing techniques on the grass. We would work our positioning and our standing attacks outdoors where we could see the sun and feel the breeze. Those were good times. 

Since then I've adopted some unique methods for outdoor training including lifting heavy rocks, pull ups on the local park equipment, and using my bike inner tubes to practice throws and sprawling defensive techniques. Training outdoors every now and then keeps things fresh and helps you adapt to new environments. Obviously there are some techniques that are less effective outdoors but I encourage all of you to take your grappling and wrestling training outside. 

Are you tired of getting beaten by the same people day in and day out? Are
you completely stalled and not making the progress you want and deserve? Have
you been training at the same gym in the same way hoping that eventually things
will get better for you?

I understand exactly how that feels. Over my 20 plus years in the trenches as
an athlete I have certainly gone through this scenario on several
occasions.  At times they went from a simple slump in motivation to a full
on landslide of doubt and frustration. It was sometimes very difficult to turn
the ship around and get back on course. 

Over the years I learned that I needed to be aware of two main things when
times like these arose. 1. I needed to be aware that I needed to make a change
or adjustment to my approach and 2. I needed to be careful not to change too
much all at once. 

One of the most critical success principles for an athlete is being
consistent in regards to training and level of their performance. This can
become tricky when you’re going through a sticking point in your progress. You
have got to determine how you can make improvements with the least amount of
changing variables. This is no easy task. 

Asking questions and getting feedback from a coach or advanced level team
mate can help tremendously. A good coach or instructor can make a night and day
difference for your game. It is much easier to have someone point out the
immediate problems and then you can get to work on the solution. 

Without a coach it can be more difficult, but not impossible. If you don’t
have the luxury of a coach to guide you then you must learn to be your own
coach. You must be willing to analyze your game more than you have in the past
and find solutions to those problems yourself. 

The hard part with changing up your training is not in the change itself but
in knowing what not to change. In cases like this it is more difficult to
determine what is working correctly and understanding why it is working than it
is to overhaul a stale routine. 

The best way to make the best changes to any training program is to do the
following:

1. Keep detailed journals of your daily training sessions. Log
what you did and who you trained with. Log how you performed with and against
that particular opponent. Log which or your moves worked and which didn’t and
vice versa for you opponent.

2. Ask a coach or advanced team mate for
critiques and suggestions. Have them watch you spar with one of your team mates
and help point out both your strong and weak points. Their advice can go a long
way.

3. Never make too many changes at once. The more variables you introduce
into the equation the more difficult it will be to isolate which ones are
working and which ones are not. 

Change is not easy. It can be hard but is often necessary in order to make
progress as an athlete. Follow these simple guidelines and you will have a big
advantage over your competition and you will progress much faster.  


 
 

Recently I was at one of the local high school wrestling tournaments watching
some of the athletes in my club. I was pointing out various things to them as we
watched some of the matches. There was one match in particular that was very
interesting to me. The two athletes were wrestling for placing at the tournament
and they were both very skilled. 

Athlete A was very talented on his feet and scored a beautiful lifting
takedown and near fall points putting him up 5-0 within the first 30 seconds.
Athlete B was a very talented mat wrestler and he proceeded to capture the top
wrestlers arm and leg and Granby roll in order to score a reversal. Athlete A
had to fight for all he was worth to avoid giving up points on the Granby, his
arm looked like it was getting pretty tired and he was in danger of going over
on several occasions. Finally he did get reversed and Athlete B was able to
control the end of the period on top. The period ended and the referee proceeded
to the coin flip to determine the starting position of the second period. 

The coin came up in favor of Athlete A. He deferred his decision until the
third period so Athlete B was able to make his choice. Athlete B chose the down
position again and began to work on his Granby roll. The second period was
basically a replay of the end of the first. Athlete B caused Athlete A major
fits and created very dangerous situations for Athlete A. Athlete A narrowly
avoided being reversed multiple times and the score remained unchanged.

At the start of the third period it was Athlete A’s choice of position. For
some reason he didn’t know exactly where he wanted to be, a common problem among
high school athletes, consequently his coaches gave him the most common answer
that coaches give and told him to choose the bottom position. Their assumption
was that their athlete would be able to escape and gain a point. 

I quickly pointed out some very important information to my own athletes as
this was a very opportune moment to learn something that most people clearly
overlook. It was simply using solid strategy which Athlete A and his coaches
seemed to know very little about. 

Now you may be asking yourself what’s wrong with choosing down? He got a
takedown easy enough he should be able to escape and do it again.

 I reminded my guys that Athlete A had scored 5 relatively easy points from
the standing position and that he had to fight his butt off the rest of the
first round and all of the second as soon as they got on the mat. Athlete B was
crafty on top and all signs pointed to him being a good pinner if he got the
opportunity. I pointed out that Athlete A was giving up his best option in place
of one that was potentially dangerous to him. 

For the 1 point that he and his coaches hoped to gain they overlooked that he
would now be giving his opponent the opportunity to score from the top position.
With only two minutes left Athlete A was leaving himself open to a huge upset if
he made any mistakes. 

Athlete B didn’t disappoint in his ability to give Athlete A’s coaches a
coronary attack. Athlete A was immediately put into a leg ride, flattened out
and cranked on for the next minute and a half. He was only lucky in that Athlete
B couldn’t quite seal the deal with his turns. Athlete A by sheer force of will
and strength managed to get away with very short time remaining and then added
one last easy takedown to win the match by a large margin of 7-2 that belied the
actual closeness of the contest. 

I told my athletes that rather than always taking the common path they must
pay attention to the match itself. They have to be in tune with their opponent’s
strengths and weaknesses. 

If Athlete A would have thought it through for even a few seconds he could
have chosen neutral rather than deferring until the later round. He could have
scored another takedown to back-points combo and put the match completely out of
reach if not winning it outright by a pin. 

Instead he made choices that would most surely have gotten him beaten if his
opponent were even 10% stronger. Much of what saved Athlete A from going over on
several occasions was his physical strength. At any point in the first and
second periods he could have let go and just given Athlete B the escape and
started working his takedowns, the ‘Catch and Release’ game of takedown and let
go to avoid tough mat wrestling situations. All 7 of his points came via the
takedown. This would have been his best option. 

We had a discussion of the why’s and why not’s related to this match and I
could tell what I had just shared was a new concept to these young athletes. It
started them on a new path and I could tell that their minds were contemplating
the new found power in this ability to strategize. I could tell that they were
ready to start thinking and acting in a new and more productive way on the mat. 
 
Your toughest opponent may not necessarily be your opponent. It might be the
way you’re approaching you opponent. Your real problem might not be the problem
at all, maybe it’s the way you’re trying to solve it. 

Whether you’re on the mat or you’re grappling with a day to day situation
take a moment and take a look at “where your points are coming from”. Determine
what your opponent’s strengths and weaknesses are. Most importantly determine
what your own strengths and weaknesses are. Take a look at how you can leverage
your abilities to succeed. 

If you start doing this your ability to strategize will increase and you will
begin to see new and better solutions for your situation. You will begin to find
ways to succeed where before you had none. The ability to strategize and develop
solutions will become a great asset and it will help you on to the ultimate
successes that you are looking for in life.