Specialization

You have to be good at something. Singular. Not plural. Repeat. Singular.

Sure, we all need to develop a well rounded game of serious skills. No one can be the proverbial one trick pony. However, you do need to 'own' a move or technique so that you can develop a solid working skill that you successful offense it built around.

Flow

Developing a flow remains one of the most important things you can develop when it comes to properly rolling. Flowing (also known as chain wrestling) is essentially the ability to go from one move to another when faced with resistance or a counter move. An example would be an armbar to a triangle to a shoulderlock. This is an example of a flow from submission to submission to submission, but flows can include any combination of submissions to sweeps to positions to counters etc. In other words, flows are simple a series of controlled movements.

Who's side are you on?

So who's side are you on? Or, rather, what side are you on?
No, I am not referring to any specific team you belong to or are affiliated with. What I am referring to is whether or not you can work out of the left side or the right side of the body relative to your opponent.

In boxing, there are dramatic differences between fighting out of a right lead and fighting out of a left lead. This is why most people will stay in one lead and not switch. Luckily, it is pretty much impossible for an opponent to force you to chane your lead.

In a submission grappling situation (or jiu jitsu match), an opponet CAN force you to shift your game to the opposite sde you wish to utilize. Luckily, the effect of this is not as pronounced as it would be in boxing or kickboxing PROVIDED you train how to work both sides and properly shift or transition from a weak side to the more powerful side.

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