Technique is the most important part of ground fighting, as it is less about strength and power than standup fighting. This was shown in the early days of the UFC, as Royce Gracie, who was the smallest man in the competition, use superior technique to submit much larger opponents and win. Grappling is all about putting your opponent in the weakest possible position, while putting yourself in a position of dominance. It can take a great deal of time to get a skilled opponent into one of these positions, but even a slight mistake can allow a good grappler to finish a fight. Train your technique as much as possible because the more you know about grappling, the better you will become.

When you first get started, do not worry about more advanced submissions. The best thing you can do is focus on a few simple submissions and then work your way up. Once you have mastered a few different techniques, you can begin working off these techniques into more advanced ones. Most beginners will only learn four or five different submissions to start, but the mechanics that they learn in these situations gives them a solid base for learning more in the future. Each technique can also be used in multiple scenarios, so you will not have to wait for a specific scenario to arise before you are able to use the submission, since it is so flexible.

The flexibility of your body will go a long way in determining how successful you are at grappling, as it is more important than pure strength. Flexibility allows you to grab limbs and put your opponent in difficult positions, as you need to be able to reach various body parts at once. Your conditioning will also be a major factor, since grappling matches can go on for a long time. You must be able to properly apply the techniques that you have learned throughout the fight, even when you are extremely tired and have already been fighting for a long period. Every grappling training session should begin by working on your conditioning and flexibility, as this will give you the base that you need to be successful in other aspects of the discipline.

Remember that strategy is an important part of mixed martial arts, so you will want to treat every grappling session like a chess match. By planning your moves ahead of time, you will be able to trick your opponent into doing exactly what you want him to do. You should be able to get yourself into an advantageous position by planning ahead, as your opponent will react to each of your movements. Once you have got him into one of these positions, you will be able to lock on a submission and, hopefully, end the fight. Remember that very few submissions are a result of one movement, as it takes time to set up these finishers. Grappling is made up of a number of smaller movements that lead to these major events, so make sure that you master these smaller set up moves first.

Grappling has become more popular in recent years because of the important of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in mixed martial arts. As a result, more people are now practicing these arts than ever before, as they have learned that they are an excellent mode of self-defense. In many cases, grappling can be used as a stalling tactic, which can prevent an attacker from doing any damage to you, while waiting for help to arrive. Whether you are looking for get involved in competitive grappling or simply want to learn some self-defense techniques, there is likely a gym in your area that will help you out.

Author Bio: Ian Woolston has been studying martials arts for over 15 years and is currently a 4th Dan Ju Jitsu. Visit his website, EnsoRyu at http://www.ensoryu.co.uk, if you are interested in martial arts or currently looking for martial arts equipment. Be sure to check the blog to read about up to date news, information and much more.

Category: Sports
Keywords: martial arts, martial arts training, martial arts equipment, grappling