Anatomic Hierarchy

The human body has six weapons, and the core is the strongest.

From strongest to weakest, these weapons are:

1. the core
2. the two legs
3. the two arms
4. the head.

To you, these six parts of your anatomy are the weapons you will employ against your opponent.  To your opponent, these are the targets for control and submission.

Regardless of what you're doing, always ensure your most powerful weapons are engaged.  As an example, you can significantly increase the power of many techniques by properly employing your core.  A common beginner mistake is to rely too heavily on the arms and legs without engaging the core.

In addition to engaging your core, you also want to engage as many other weapons as possible.  See Overwhelming Force.

A general word of warning: avoid attacking your opponent's core directly.  The core (chest, midsection, hips) is the strongest part of the body. While there are particular techniques which involve directly attacking your opponent's core (such as body locks and tight waist controls), it will almost always be more efficient to attack your opponent's limbs. Controlling these limbs as levers generates leverage, and creates strong control over the four quadrants of your opponent's torso (both hips and both shoulders), and is an excellent way to break your opponent's alignment.