One of the ways that I like to teach certain techniques is by showing the exact change in position that breaks an opponent’s structure and weakens them in the position. Seeing it action makes the technical lesson more vivid, and it also becomes easier to apply the concept to other aspects of the game.
A quick example:
One of the first sweeps from half guard that I ever had success with was the kneetap. And at white belt, I struggled with it for sometime before it clicked.
The major breakthrough comes from an after class mat chat. Fred Ramie had come up to visit, and when we rolled, I tried the kneetap on him. Let’s just say that it did NOT work. I wasn’t able to budge him at all.
When I asked him about it though, he showed me how pulling out the ankle would make it the sweep harder to stop. Whoa, that was a game changer. And I’ve never forgotten it.
Now I teach that adjustment as more than just a step in a move.
It’s bigger than that.
That small adjustment is a clear attack on your opponent’s structure. In an instant, it weakens their base and creates an opportunity for attack. I like the demonstrate that by pushing someone from different angles while they sit on their hands and knees.
In that position, they have structure, and it’s for them to maintain balance in all four directions. Sometimes interesting happens when you pull an ankle outward though. It creates a hole in the structure, and it becomes simple to push them over.
That’s one example though.
Fundamentally, we play a game of creating and demolishing structures. It really is that simple. And your challenge is to become aware of exactly how technique works and then improve it to make it even more devastating.