Alignment Over Position

Managing alignment is more important than managing position.

Working toward superior position is important, but even more important is how well you apply that position.

Not all versions of a position are created equal. For example, we've all been trapped in side control and know how horrible that can be, but we've also all been in situations where we've escaped side control easily. The difference between these two situations is how well your opponent managed his/her alignment while breaking yours.

If you aren't already familiar with the Theory of Alignment, you should definitely study it. Alignment is arguably the most important of the mechanical models in Jiu-Jitsu, because it is the one from which all other mechanical models stem.

Alignment over Position is an application of Concepts Over Techniques, meaning that we focus less on a specific example and more on the models that govern all examples.

Further Study:

• Theory of Alignment
• Concepts Over Techniques