Sometimes it is fun to just roll with no plans of “winning”, no goal other than to just see what happens next. This is a great time to make improvements to your mobility game! What exactly does this mean? Try the following exercise. Grab a partner to spar with. During this exercise eliminate from the spar the tap; instead just play “catch and release” submsissions. Also you both have to move to a new position, sweep, or submission at least every five to ten seconds.
Example: As you spar you find yourself with mount. You haven’t managed to catch a clean submission on your partner in the alotted time. You might now dismount and go to side control or perhaps knee on belly. You are trying to pass the guard but the pass isn’t working. Either switch to a new pass or allow your partner to sweep. Perhaps you do submit your opponent,release the submission and continue the spar from that spot. Don’t get caught up in who taps who: this exercise is a training method, and isn’t a competition itself. This approach to sparring creates LOTS of movement and will make you more accustomed to a faster paced game with lots of transitions and scrambling.
You should note that an effective movement game does require some cardiovascular conditioning. If you are severely sucking wind after 30 seconds of scrambling then you had better head off to the CrossFit gym as well as take advantage of the articles and tips on cardio conditioning in our platinum member area.