Today, Fabio was talking during warm-ups about a guy who used to grapple really hard on everyone he went with. This guy was extremely technical and didn't need to go hard on most people he went with. But he destroyed everyone equally, no matter if they were white belts or seasoned purple belts.
Fabio told us that he explained to that guy that he was putting a target on his own back. He said that, when people train with Fabio or some of his other higher belts, they want to be like them or better than them. But not with this guy. People didn't want to just be better than this other guy. They wanted to catch him, to hurt him, because of the way he grappled. Maybe they couldn't catch him yet, but one day someone would. And they wouldn't be nice when they did.
The guy has changed his grappling style a lot since that time and now he grapples at a level higher than those he is going with, but not just utterly pounding them into the mat. He is grappling not just for himself now, but to benefit the people he grapples with as well.
Fabio told us that everyone inspires one of three reactions in the people they grapple against:
1. The person wants to be like you.
2. The person wants to be better than you.
3. The person wants to catch you/hurt you.
It really made me think about how I grapple with people and wonder what I inspire. Hopefully it is not number three!! :)
Things are really, really bad.
2 months ago
4 comments:
I vary all the time. But I try to be as honest as possible. Like the weeks before tournament I roll hard , like freight train hard and I roll for top and to play my pasing and pressure game. If I ever find myself playing guard I immediately switch to a sweep or a stand-up technique, never subs.
I try to remember to make that clear to everyone I shake hands with. I use technique and leverage but I put my weight and muscles behind everything. Pressure pressure pressure.
Othertimes, I have no need to. I actually prefer starting in mount bottom in all my rolls. You can't get ENOUGH mount escapes if you ask me. Sure I'll end up in other positions or I'll go with someone who wants to work their guard, but I don't use the same forward pressure when we're rolling (unless it's pre-agreed because THEY have a tournament or whatever)
@ Liam: I think there's absolutely nothing wrong with amping up training while you're in preparation for a tournament, so long as you go about it the way you do: letting them know what you're up to before you start laying the smack down!
Wow, I like your instructor he sounds really cool.
Me, I'm a fun roll. It has to be fun for both of us, win or lose. th eonly exception to that is about three weeks before a comp and I roll seriously and with intention.
That's interesting. I like this idea. I guess without thinking about it I've tried to get the gals at my own gym to be more like me--to have fun and be aggressive :) Don't know if that's what happened, but I guess I've been shooting for number 1.
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