Last Tuesday we started the second class by rolling lightly without any submissions. This as usual lasted at least 30 sec before the ego kicked in and everyone tried to force their respective games. I stopped and asked what the benefit of this type of relaxed sparring was aiming to achieve. And as a group the right answers all appeared, things such as working on weak areas in our game, improving our ability to anticipate our partners movements, try techniques/positions we wouldnt normally use, improve our escapes and develop flow. Essentially all these elements accelerate our technical progress in jiu jitsu. For me, the teaching formula has always been very simple. Teach, Practice and Apply. Combine these three things with Progressive Resistance, Drilling and Proofing and all bases are covered. But as a student/teacher it is always important to realise what your objectives are in each exercise you do on the mat. Are you there to learn or to compete? When competing gets in the way of technical progress then we have a problem. If you are not sure, then ask. Better a moments embarrasment than a lifetime's worth of ignorance. Improved technical abillty allows you to compete, when it actually matters, with more success and confidence in an upward spiral. The opposite happens when your ego gets in the way and you always want win, when it actually doesnt matter, instead of learning. You do the math and decide what's best next time we roll light. As an example watch these two nobodies play guard passing for ten minutes.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu legends BJ Penn and Leo Vieira sparring
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1 comment:
Never have I trained so much where I have learnt more when I lose than when I win!!! It's nice to tap someone else in as much as it affirms that you are actually learning what is being taught. Of course the very next roll you can get squashed and it's back to learning again!
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