The Destination is Clear - But is the Path?
Finding your position more often means learning the grips, reactions, and connecting positions that create a path to it.
Start training the path before the destination. Notice which grips, reactions, and positions lead toward your preferred position, and which situations pull you away.
Last week we talked about not getting stuck chasing one move so hard that you miss everything else that’s available.
This week, I want to come back to the idea of “finding your position” - but from a different angle.
Instead of hoping you end up there… how do you start getting there on purpose?
Visiting a position is not the same as finding it
The truth is, especially early on, most of us don’t end up in our best positions consistently - we visit them occasionally.
Sometimes we find our way there. Sometimes we fall back into something familiar - our A-game or a “safe” position. Sometimes our training partner shuts it down completely and forces us somewhere else.
And all of that is the normal process of learning and doing jiu jitsu.
Not just getting to a position… but understanding the different ways you can get there.
The path will not always be direct
Sometimes the path is direct.
Sometimes you take a detour and find a new way in.
Sometimes you hit a dead end and realize that path doesn’t work.
And sometimes you never get the chance to try - you get pulled into something completely unrelated and go back to a safe position just to make it through the round.
That’s okay.
But if you always default back to what’s comfortable, you miss the chance to discover new ways to get where you actually want to go.
Shift your focus earlier
So this week, shift your focus a little earlier in the process.
Instead of asking: “What do I do once I’m there?”
Start asking: “What leads me there?”
- What grips help you get there?
- What reactions from your partner open it up?
- What positions naturally connect into it?
- And just as important - what situations pull you away from it?
Build pathways to the position
Sometimes the thing right in front of you isn’t the finish - it’s the path that leads you where you actually want to go.
You can find growth there.
Because now you’re not just hoping to land in your position - you’re building pathways to it.
And the people who get there consistently aren’t guessing and hoping. They’ve just seen these patterns enough times to recognize them early - and adjust as things change.
When you start doing that, your “position” stops feeling random. It starts showing up more often.
And when it shows up more often, everything else gets easier.
You don’t need to chase it.
You start to find yourself there.
See you on the mats.
Joshua is the owner and head coach at 608 Jiu Jitsu in Cross Plains, Wisconsin. He writes about learning, problem solving, and becoming a better training partner through jiu jitsu.