Sometimes when I am training with someone, I like to imagine that we are in a room with an endless amount of doors and I want to make them stay in that room.
Well, how do I expect to do that if there are that many doors? I have to close them all before he runs out.
Sounds complicated, I know, but this is how I think about jiu-jitsu – as an endless series of sweeps, reversals, attacks, pins, transitions, and movement, until someone finally gets trapped and tapped.
This is what I love about the game, though...the better you get, the quicker you realize exactly what door your opponent is going to take – you can either be preemptive get there before him, or even allow him to go through only to find himself in another room where all the doors are closed. Roger Gracie's mount, anyone?
One thing we have to do when we roll is make sure that as we transition, we close the doors behind us. I call this "clearing." When you clear, you make sure your opponent no longer has any chance to return to that same position. This keeps you in control of all options, and eventually helps to lead your opponent right where you want him. Imagine if a soldier in a war didn't clear a building before going to the next, and his buddies behind him, thinking it was safe to follow, were ambushed....a little serious, but you get the point.
As I said earlier, jiu-jitsu is an endless series of moves...but we have to remember we are engaging with a live opponent, and he has plans of his own. When you close the doors you not only trap your opponent, but you also make sure he doesn't trap you.
