Bottom is Better

I pay a lot of attention to the successful coaching personalities of Jiu Jitsu and this is from Dan Lukehart, the coach of Nolan Stuart. From a competitive perspective being the first one to the bottom is better. In an environment where there is no penalty for pulling guard it does not behoove you to be on top without earning something for it. There’s no guarantee in ibjjf competition that someone will participate in a takedown battle with you. As soon as they pull to the bottom, they are now ahead in terms of being able to score both points and advantages. As the top player you can only pass, and if you mess up, you are now down on points. Your opponent meanwhile only needs to reset to the bottom if they miss a move. From a strategic standpoint to be the first on the ground is the smarter plan if you build the game to execute it effectively.