I was rewatching Eddie Cummings’s Ashi Garami Seminar by Digitsu.
Although Eddie is not active in competitions anymore, he was one of the best leg lockers ever.
His Ashi Garami Seminar by Digitsu runs through the fundamentals of outside & inside heel hook offenses & defenses in a concise manner.
In one of the videos, a seminar participant asks Eddie how Eddie would deal with someone with long legs because it would be much more difficult to create an optimal situation against such an opponent.
As a preface to his answer, Eddie says:
“I can’t control the bend of your leg.”
Then he goes on to show what would be an optimal position for him and answers the question by saying that the mechanic he is describing is going to work whether his opponent’s leg is extended or not.
Three insights here:
- There are things you cannot control. Even for someone like Eddie.
- But if your positioning is superior, your move will (and should) work.
- Always keep working on improving your controlling & positioning skills because these skills will make a huge difference against high-level competitors.