John Danaher believes one of the biggest mistakes grapplers make isn’t choosing the wrong technique – it’s committing to it only halfway.
In a recent social media post, the renowned coach explained that an attack performed without full commitment can be more dangerous than not attacking at all:
Any time you attempt a move, you open yourself to counterattack. If you attempt a move lackadaisically or without genuine commitment, it’s easy for a good opponent to not only stop it, but take advantage of your extended body position to catch you with a strong counter.
Instead, Danaher encourages athletes to fully commit once they’ve decided to attack.
As, in his view, a committed attack forces the defender to dedicate so much attention and energy to stopping it that launching an immediate counter becomes far more difficult:
It’s important therefore, that when you make a decision to act, follow through with commitment. That way even if you do get stopped, your opponent will have to commit so strongly to defense that counterattacking won’t even be in his mind.
The longtime coach added that a defender’s body becomes so occupied with shutting down the attack that there’s little time or opportunity to transition into offense:
He will be so committed to stopping yours that redirecting to a counterattack will be very difficult in the time available.
So when you make your decision, go in with some verve and vigor!
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