In his recent reflection, John Danaher tackled one of the most underrated – yet essential – aspects of high-level grappling: controlling the pace of a roll.
According to Danaher, the ability to consciously speed up or slow down an exchange often separates good practitioners from great ones.
He began by explaining the fundamental principle:
When you are in control, slow things down.
If you’re winning, stay winning longer by slowing the action down so that your opponent must bear the brunt of the work.
Slowing things down also creates space for technical precision, an area where Danaher’s students, from Gordon Ryan to Garry Tonon, have built their reputations.
However, when the momentum shifts and neither side has a clear advantage, Danaher advises the opposite:
When neither of you is in control, it’s often a good idea to speed things up.
Increased pace can get you past many defenses.
Yet, Danaher cautions that this tactic comes at a cost – energy management:
Bear in mind that increases in pace will cost you in terms of energy expenditure.
If you haven’t got a positive result from faster pace within a suitable time frame, slow down and save energy.
Danaher concluded by encouraging practitioners to actively experiment during sparring sessions:
Play with pace as you spar.
You’ll soon find that variations in pace can bring dramatic effects to outcomes.
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