Originally posted by JDenz
I don't know I think a triangle is very hard to finish if you don't have it in right. As long as the guy getting triangled is of equal skill if you don't have it on well he should be able to get out.
Agreed. But at least its a relatively safe bet, in that going for it doesn't necessarily open you up to a lot of other holds. While it can be easy to get out of the full triangle complete with the armlock, getting out of the guard should be harder. Worse comes to worse, you've at least got the guy in a loose high guard, which isn't such a bad thing to have, as you have
some control over his arms. It also tends to keep your opponent relatively stationary, and the guard can be held for a while, which is great if you are in a long match and need some rest; you can then wait it out and when your opponent makes a mistake, usually out of frustration, he's yours - Royce used that strategy against Shamrock (albeit not completely successfully) in their rematch, I believe.
You are correct, though JDenz. If someone was of an equal or superior skill level to me, I would probably try more for leg locks, because they may be able to stay in my guard forever and not make a mistake (i.e. Shamrock as mentioned above), and I most likely wouldn't get a mount on them very long if at all. I'd hope to take their back, keep them off mine, and go for the legs (oh yeah -- and watch my neck - something I think we all learned from Royce vs. Shamrock I
). True, this approach would be much less safe than waiting it out in the guard, but chances are I would be more likely to make a mistake than them, so i would want to end the match as quickly as possible.
