Building instincts. John Danaher

Building instincts: I’m sure you’ve all had the experience of sparring with an opponent who even though they may not have highly developed technique or tactics, just seems to have good INSTINCTS. They turn in the right directions during a fast scramble, the pull out of danger at the right moment. Often these good instincts are seen in athletes who started the sport very young. A natural question to ask is - if I start older with no good instincts and I always seem to turn the wrong way, move at the wrong time - how can I improve my grappling instincts? My answer is - START WITH ONE SIMPLE DESIDERATA AND HAMMER IT INTO YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS UNTIL IT BECOMES A HABITUAL ACTION. Once you’ve achieved that, move on to another. I always recommend to start with developing an instinct to RELENTLESSLY SEEK THE BACK FROM EVERYWHERE. You simply can’t go wrong with this as a habit of action or instinct. Next time you’re sparring, see how many many times you can visually identify a path to the back as you work. Try hard to seek a physical path to the back. Keep working over time until it becomes a settled instinct or habit. You’ll be shocked how positively it affects your game overall

John Danaher