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In this week's Technique Tuesday, four-time All-American Dustin Plott breaks down six different mat returns for the moment your opponent gets to his feet — all built on a single idea: once you've got the lock, you should always have an answer. Instead of grinding the same return over and over, you read what the opponent gives you and pick the one that fits him.

When the guy keeps building a base, Plott takes the inside leg and sweeps the knee and ankle out so he lands flat and burns energy getting back up. Against a taller opponent he can't lift, he switches to an S-grip and pries the forearm into the thigh, driving the weight straight down. For the bent-over hand-fighter, he lets the lock go loose, blocks the heel, and rocks back to the hips — and if he misses, he flows right back into his traditional return. When the foot is too far away to block, he switches the lock to the other side and splits to pull the opponent over (with the detail that keeps it legal). And for the roller and the escape artist, he has two answers: the 180° "teeter totter" lift that redirects the roll, and the chest-and-neck lift that arches the opponent back to the mat when his hips start to slip away.

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