A student told me he was trying to remember his guard passes. If they do this, I do this. If they do X, I do Y.

I told him that’s good to know. We teach passing step by step. Learning the steps first makes you more efficient when it’s time to use them.

But knowing the move is not enough. There are too many variables when the guard player is resisting.

Don’t go for a technique because you know the technique.

My teacher told me this: “Don’t get submitted. Don’t get swept. Pass accidentally.”

Don’t think about the pass. Think about what they want. They want the sweep, a submission, or a chance to stand up. Focus on that. If you know what they want, you know what they need. Defense is easier than offense. All you have to do is take away one thing. One thing at a time.

Do that long enough and they get tired. They get frustrated. They leave an opening. If you’re paying attention, you see it.

This is hard, because the easy way to stop a sweep or a submission is to pass immediately and get out of the threat. I’m saying you ought to stay in it.

Early on, you’ll get swept a lot. That’s part of it. Give it time. It works out.