I’m going to go out on limb here to make an unlikely comparison on which to base a metaphor. Although I have little to no formal education in psychiatry, psychology, sociology, counseling, etc., I have worked the city streets of Lincoln for twelve years so that should count for something. Of course I’m cynical and almost completely desensitized to human suffering, so you may not want to take any of my advice.
Just like the rut that many people fall into by always finding themselves in a destructive relationship, many grapplers fall into a similar pattern of self destructive behavior on the mat. Even when they’re aware that what they’re doing will most likely end horribly, they can’t seem to change the way they grapple. They consistently make the same “mistakes” or find themselves in the same situations over and over again. Now I’m not referring to the new student that doesn’t know any better. Some folks learn quickly from their mistakes. I’m talking about the student who’s been around long enough to know better. This is the student that acts like it’s their first day of training, every day. Why is this?
Much like this type of Jiu-Jitsu student, bad relationships seem to follow some people around. Why would a man always end up dating a woman who is controlling and jealous even though the relationship always crashes and burns the same way every time? Why would a woman always end up with an abusive man, or continually go back to the same man?
I believe it has to do with an inherent need to stay within one’s comfort zone, to always fall back on what’s most familiar and comfortable. Once a person “figures out” the ins and outs of these bad relationships, it’s easier to convince oneself that it’s normal. Right or wrong, people do this because they know the role they’re supposed to play because they’ve done it for so long. Many people need this type of continuity in their lives even if it appears they’ll fail miserably. It is these routines that define the constructs of our daily lives that help us to cope throughout the day. For some, when they get out of that routine, or stray from their comfort zone, their life spirals out of control.
There’s an expectation that a new student will struggle at first because everything is new. The student knows this, the teacher knows this, and the fellow students know this. Once that new student gets over the initial hump of the uneasiness and anxiety of learning something new, and begins to realize they can do some of the things they’re being taught, it’s easy to blanket oneself in this cloak of false security. As an adult learner, it can be a very humbling experience to open yourself up to such close scrutiny and criticism of your physical abilities. People can generally come to terms with this at the beginning, as it’s a necessary evil to begin the learning process, but to continually do this over an extended period, such as for the rest of your grappling career, most folks don’t have the patience, nor lack of ego to do this.
So I was going over guard retention techniques the other day in class when I started to think about all of this. I was watching as some of the more senior students were practicing and noticed that some of them weren’t incorporating all of the new techniques. They were still falling back on what they knew, what they’ve always done. With a little coaxing and reassurance that the new movements were a good thing and would help them once they became more familiar, these students began to see the light. So if my senior students that day were struggling with accepting something foreign, how were the newer students responding to the instruction?
My thoughts began to focus on that small percentage of students who will try and initially fail at their attempts to incorporate the new movements. Not wanting to venture too far outside of their comfort zone, those students could very well write off the techniques as being too “unnatural” or difficult to use. They will ease back into their bad relationship with Jiu-Jitsu.
If you’re challenged by what you’re learning, this is a good thing. It means you have something to work towards. Knowing that many folks will not rise to the challenge, but rather will take refuge in their comfort zone, you should know that once you overcome the challenge you will be a better grappler than those who didn’t.
7/9/09
Jiu-Jitsu can be like a bad relationship
7/8/09
7/6/09
Down for the count
I had been riding that non-injury wave for a long time, so I guess it shouldn't have come as any big surprise when I heard what sounded like a bone breaking in my foot. Luckily it wasn't a big bone, and in fact it turned out to be a fracture to the 5th metatarsal on my left foot.
Wrestler James and I had just started grappling during open mat. We started standing up and he went for one of his killer double leg takedowns. I was doing okay defending it, but he had me back pedaling pretty good. Just when I thought I was getting my base, I heard something snap in my left foot. I didn't feel any pain, but we paused for a moment anyway while I wiggled all my toes and moved my foot around. Everything seemed to be in working order, so we continued grappling. I could tell something wasn't quite right, but there wasn't any swelling at first. After a few minutes I felt a sharp pain, so we stopped. That's when the swelling started.
As a side note, after all of my previous injuries, I've come to realize and accept that they're all my fault, even the infamous heel kick to my eyebrow from a white belt. It's my responsibility to protect myself at all times, tap when it hurts, and get taken down when my training partner is doing what he's supposed to be doing. If I end up defending past the point of my physical ability, I have only myself to blame. And of course there's this whole, "I'm not getting any younger" thing I got going on.
My wife thinks I'm crazy for doing Jiu-Jitsu, but has given up all hope that I'll be quiting any time soon. Even so, everytime I get injured, she asks me, "So are you going to quit now?" As the hour is late and she's asleep right now, she is completely unaware of this recent injury.
The ER doc said the fracture wasn't too bad. Basically what happened was the tendon got stretched, but instead of the tendon breaking, the bone it was attached to fractured. The doc said this was a better scenario than the tendon itself breaking. The prescribed treatment will be similar to treating a sprain, so no surgery. The downside is that I was issued the dreaded blue medical shoe to wear around for the next month while the bone heels.
7/5/09
Butterfly Guard Sweep Technique Video
I can't tell you how often I use this sweep, other than to say I use it all the time from various positions. This video shows just one setup for the sweep, but like many techniques, there are a lot of ways to enter into it. One of my favorite alternative setups is using it to escape from side control. It's a little more tricky and not as high of a percentage move as the method shown here, but it's there if the timing and position are right. And when it's pulled off correctly, it's a real mind bender on your opponent. Even this one in the video will leave your opponent wondering what in the heck just happened.
Jiu Jitsu through the eyes of a four-year-old
If you ever wanted a fresh take on our class, this may be the most unfiltered of them all. This morning I brought my daughter to class with me and she brought her Little Tikes Digital Camera with her. Most of the shots didn't take, but she does have great potential. These I found very entertaining. Conan and I were working on the most current TJJF video for the site and Jared was shooting. Maya took the, "behind the scenes" photos of our production. So if you ever wondered, "How did they shoot that?" Maya just blew our little operation wide open! Our Dojo is such a great environment, I encourage anyone who has kids and feels that you can't make it to class due to the delimma of keeping the kids, see how they do when you bring them in. Maya is fairly well behaved and I can tell she enjoys watching daddy getting worked over by the other guys.
7/3/09
Mission 2 Submission Grappling Tournament
Mission 2 Submission No Gi Grappling Tournament
Online registration will be up next week.
This will be NO GI, one round, 5 minutes, and no points until the last 2 minutes.
www.mission2submission.com
Any questions, please contact.
Mission 2 Submission
602-459-6566
Mission2Submission@gmail.com
I don't have any other information about this tournament, but thought since it was fairly close to home I'd post it. If anyone is interested in competing in this event, let me know and I can check into it further.
7/2/09
Feeding the hunger
Okay, so I promised myself I wouldn't purchase any more BJJ DVD's until I got through all the ones I already have. I was doing so good, but I just couldn't resist my latest purchase, Roy Dean's, BJJ Seminars: Year One. There was a nice review of the DVD posted at The Ground Never Misses and the price was right ($24.95). I received my confirmation email today, so I should see it in the mailbox sometime next week.
I didn't feel too bad about getting it because I had just loaned out another Dean DVD set to my brother. So really it's like I'm simply replacing this new DVD for one I don't have anymore. Rationalization is good for soul.
7/1/09
Strength in Numbers!
If you doubted that we are a force to be reckoned with in the Midwest, feast your eyes on the official team results for the Best of the Best 10. I could not be more proud to have been a part of this with my brothers. I hope to see more teammates compete in the future. I can attest that it is a lot of fun and you build much more confidence when you compete. Continue to challenge yourself in the Dojo and then challenge others in competition.
Fantastic job again to all our BOTB10 competitors!
The Official 10th Best of the Best BJJ Tournament Results (June 20, 2009!!)
Posts
.JPG)