The first minute of a match can feel very intimidating. Your opponent often feels immensely strong and fast and your first attempts at your moves often can’t even get started - forget about completed. Take heart. If you stay active and impose a work rate on your opponent that exceeds your own work rate time will work in your favor. An athlete whose stance seemed impregnable in the first minute will very often feel quite a lot weaker, slower and more open to attack in seventh, eighth or ninth minute. Fatigue can totally change the character of your opponent. Don’t lose heart when the first minute feels tough - everybody is tough in the first minute. Focus on taking the match to a point where that initial toughness fades to a level where an opponent who initially felt like he could stop all your attacks, now can’t stop any of them. Pressure and time can be your worker enemies when used well against you, and your best friends when you are in charge of them - use them whenever you can
John Danaher
