Freedom of Technique

As an athlete and competitor I like freedom of technique. I enjoy being able to use all of the submissions at my disposal to win a match. As an instructor and coach freedom of techniques becomes messier. If I’m preparing someone for IBJJF competition then I want them to focus on those rules. Depending on belt level and age, their focus should be on what they can use. As a coach it is my responsibility to be as informed about the intricacies of the rule sets for the success of my athletes. The other side of that coin is the safety aspect. I’ve trained at places where you could heel hook in the gi above blue belt. That I think is a good cutoff point for beginning to train with a less stringent rule set. You should have the control and knowledge at that point to be able to take care of yourself and your training partners and as long as both parties agree I advocate looser restrictions on submissions. Keep in mind what you’re training for, if it’s not to be IBJJF world champion, open the game u. Why not?