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Thursday, January 13, 2011

Slamming

FINALLY! I was able to grapple today for the first time in a week and a half. It felt great!

One thing did happen that bothered me, though. There is one guy who has slammed me a couple of times before in grapples. A couple times it was when I was going for a triangle and he picked me up and slammed me. Today, I am not even sure how he got me up in the air--it was in the middle of a scramble--but he slammed me again.



Slamming always makes me angry. I mean, I understand that I need to know how to deal with slamming in case I get into a street fight. And, in tournaments, slamming is illegal, but sometimes happens anyways and it is good to know how to defend. I am not talking about take-downs here. I am talking about when the person on top picks up the person on bottom and slams them. In my opinion, there is no need for slamming when you are sparring with your teammates.

On top of that, my neck got hurt in the process today. I have been doing pretty well avoiding putting pressure on it, but when that guy slammed me, I came down right on my neck. Ouch.

But, even so, I can't excuse how I reacted. I got really mad and told him that it really ticked me off when he slammed me. As soon as we started grappling again, I turned up the intensity big time. When I caught a submission--it was an arnbar--I finished it hard and fast, which is something that I don't normally do.

He stopped after that and said he was sorry and that he hadn't meant to slam me. I said it was okay, just not to do it again. I also apologized for how hard I had gone for the armbar.

I don't know. The whole thing makes me wonder if I am oversensitive about slamming. It has annoyed the crap out of me since day one. What do you guys think?

18 comments:

SavageKitsune said...

There is no excuse for slamming, ever. Sometimes the newbies don't know that it's illegal, or don't really grasp what constitutes a "slam". But otherwise, trying that crap is a good way to get kicked out of the school.

Anonymous said...

- First I would like to say that I hope you're not injured.
- Second thing is, I'm on board with Savage Kitsune! The only thing I would add. I'm a very tiny person, if you have to slam me to beat me, there is something very wrong with your game!

Deborah Clem said...

Oh, I am seeeeeething. That guy sounds like a jerk. Not cool. Not cool at all. Slamming is expressly prohibited in competition.

Of course we all need to be aware if the realities of a street fight, but training is training. Any level of intensity that reaches beyond the "training" platform needs to be discussed and agreed upon by both parties involved in the session.

And quite frankly beyond all that, slamming is damned painful! Not pressure point painful or hand across the face painful, but whole body, wrecked, mind numbing painful. Anyone who is hellbent on causing that much pain to their sparring partner needs a check.

Liam H Wandi said...

it sounds like you took the opportunity and grew with it :)

Well done my friend. So you hurt his elbow a little? Big deal. Maybe that will give him an opportuniy to grow too.

Dev said...

There's a reason slamming is illegal in tournaments - it can jack you up. I probably would have stopped the roll right there, told him to knock it off, and walked away. I don't find any fault with armbarring him, though. :)

slideyfoot said...

Your reaction was entirely justified: you shouldn't slam people in BJJ training for the same reasons you don't punch them in the face or chomp down into their arm.

If you specifically asked to work on self defence or something, that would be different. However, doesn't appear the case here, so I'm going to assume this guy was just being a dick.

Kintanon said...

When I run into noobs that want to slam their way out of things I give them one warning. Just like pulling hair, biting, and eye-gouging slamming is an escalation move. If you want to slam me in the Gym you just turned this into a fight instead of a training session. They try to slam their way out of anything else after that and it's straight to rolling ankle locks and knee-on-face Kimuras.

JBird said...

i am all for checking asshats who slam.


as an aside: i used to train with a fairly well respected black belt that had been disqualified from a match in a tournament (more than once) for slamming out of a triangle. in his words, "he would rather have control over how" he lost than tap because he made a mistake.

i don't train there anymore. that dude was a d-bag.

Triin said...

Check this slam out at 1:47.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg-LCdT84rY

BJJ Judo said...

Sounds like you did everything right. He needed an attitude adjustment and you gave him one. There is a reason slamming is illegal, people have been paralyzed.

A.D. McClish said...

Ok, I am really glad to hear I am not alone on this one. That makes me feel a little bit better about losing my temper! lol.

A.D. McClish said...

And Triin, that video is crazy. Was she out cold for a few seconds?

Dolph said...

I agree with the general sentiment - there is no excuse for slamming. And it is not a replacement for technique.

The first time I roll with any bigger white belt, the moment they pick me up I say, "You know you can't slam me, right?"

And I'm with Kintanon - I'll warn you once. If you do it a second time, you're on my s-list for a very long time.

Megan said...

Never been slammed, but maybe what you feel was an overreaction was what he needed to get the point.

Considering the fact you were injured, I don't think your reaction was that terrible.

Anonymous said...

I think this would rate up there with the dudes who say "I'm not going to roll with you differently because you're a girl." UGH!

I've never been slammed and I've never seen anyone slammed, but it would irritate the shit out of me and make me angry.

Last week I saw a blue belt get so angry at a white belt. The guy was going SO SUPER HARD and he accidentally knocked the blue belt so hard in the nose that it turned part of his nose red. This was the third time the white belt had hurt him and he said "This is not the mundials" and stopped the roll. The guy looked properly ashamed.

ugh. Just ugh.

Kintanon said...

I don't roll with people differently just because they are girls though. I roll with people based on their experience level and athleticism. Gender is never a defining factor. That being said, I don't slam anyone. Ever. Learn proper escapes or GTFO.

A.D. McClish said...

@Kinaton: That is how most of the people at my gym approach it. It's all about trying to get the most out of training for both people.

If you are 50-70 lbs heavier than someone, then muscling through a grapple is not going to help either of you improve.

I have had higher belts tell me they like rolling with me because it forces them to work out finer details of their techniques instead of using muscle.

Alas, not all people understand the concept.

Georgette said...

HELLLLLLLL NO!

You are NOT oversensitive. I probably might have reacted the same way! HOLY SHIT! Don't get me started again girl :)