One of the dangers that you need to guard yourself against in BJJ is that you overcommit yourself to a particular submission. Take for instance, the Guillotine Choke. It’s a submission that’s not easy to get, and if your positioning isn’t correct there are many different ways to defend against it, or at least create enough space near your throat so that you can keep breathing, if only a little bit. Knowing when you can finish (Always Be Closing) and when you have to let go is very important, because if you hold on for too long, your arms fill up with blood, they become heavy and useless and you run out of gas.
I’m trying, very hard, to teach myself the same principles in life; when is enough enough? What is the point of safe return? Am I going to be able to finish what I started? Can I close this deal, or am I going to waste enormous amounts of efforts for no pay-off? Some people can make these determinations pretty naturally. Sadly, I’m really not one of those people. “If you know both yourself and your enemy, you can come out of hundreds of battles without danger.” Interestingly enough, in this case, I am both myself as well as my enemy.
