Being tough is not enough.

This was THE enlightening week for me in Jiu-jitsu.

 

So far in a typical class, I do well in the initial group warm-up exercises, a

payoff from years of active living. Next, the lesson and drill would go smoothly

but I don't try to remember what is taught because it is unlikely that I can

apply the technique of the day against my opponents as they would always counter

and things just happen too fast. Besides, being the lightest and less experienced

is a huge minus. Therefore, in the follow-up sparring, my strategy is mainly

to defend.

 

I learnt clever techniques from Henry and Rickson to survive three or four

rounds without getting caught. After several attempts on my neck, some would

compliment that I was un-chokable. I even earned the nickname 'The Great Wall of

China" and felt smug about it.

 

Ego got in the way when I was caught in a position that I didn't know how to get

out of, especially by a less experienced partner. I would defend to the death. I

would risk asphyxiation to pull my head out of chokes. I often survived without

learning anything from the experience.

 

Three things that happened last week changed my attitude. First, four of my

training partners were promoted to blue belt. Second, two friends who joined

after me submitted me. Third, Brenda asked if I would compete in a coming

tournament. All made me reflect on why I train.

 

From now on, I would remind myself every day:

- You have to drill,

- You have to tap, and

- You have to enjoy defeat.

 

Coach Jeremy once said: "If you tap, you learn much faster." but I didn't pay

attention and had to learn the hard way. But thank God I have arrived.

 

P.S. I re-watched the video "Jiu-jitsu VS. the World." What those guys say made

much more sense than a couple of years ago.

[7grizzly]

P.P.S. I have to copy the following from an article in BJJ World:

Newsletter from Rickson Gracie’s Jiu-Jitsu Global Federation offers wisdom for students training Jiu-Jitsu.

“When you spar during training, you should minimize your natural talent. By limiting yourself, you may find yourself in a much worse situation, but you are forced to think your way out, using techniques you would not have otherwise used. When you start doing this, you begin to understand what is really wrong in a certain situation and you begin to understand what actually needs to be done in a technical way in order to improve the situation. You then begin to develop real, deep progress, understanding the mechanics of any situation.”

“It is important to remember that in a serious fight or in a competition, the mechanics of the fight will be exactly the same as when you are training in a gentle manner. The only important difference will be your mental attitude. When you train, you should put more emphasis on learning than on competing with your partner.”


“You don’t learn when you are fighting, bringing in all sorts of tension and emotion. You learn when you are having fun, training in a smooth and gentle way. You need to work on improving your technique until you are comfortable in any situation. Eventually, you will develop a subconscious understanding of the techniques and they become reflexes. Only after you have done all this you are ready to take your natural abilities ‘off the shelf’ and add them back into your game. Now the effectiveness of the technique will be at least ten times better.”