Thursday 3 July 2008

THE RIGHT APPROACH TO TRAINING


So you have found a bjj instuctor your happy with, his credential's check out, you like the academy and the people so whats next as you begin your path into the world of Gracie Jiu Jitsu.


The right approach to training....

At my academy  i always try to set an example for students both old and new, i try to represent jiu jitsu the way it was taught to me and pass on its values and traditions to those wishing to learn. 
Inside my academy you there are a lot of different people both men and women all who have different attributes and reasons for being at the academy .
Some are hardcore competitors who are on the mat every day 29 hrs per day who live to fight and have a die hard never tap approach to training , then you have others who just want to keep fit, make Friends or just belong to a team and hang out.
Personally i respect everyone who is at the academy, and i respect there reasons for being there i also find great satisfaction  when watching one of my students progress, gain confidence and achieve there personal goals they have come there for.
So in order to have the right approach to training one needs to adopt a few things,
The correct Mind set, Attitude and be open minded  towards the training and towards the people they train amongst.
One of the most common hindrance's  i found in bjj is peoples ego, most people will not reach their full potential in bjj because of a few reasons but i consider the main ones to be ego,s ,bad attitude,s and biased opinions.
I introduced an idea at my academy which help,s me tame peoples ego so they leave there ego at the door and  they can integrate and become part of the class where everyone embraces them and they become part of the team very quickly.
I call it ego less training, this is a concept that when a new student joins the academy along with the basic /core techniques  he starts to learn and adapt an ego less approach to training straight away, he/she does exactly the same as all the other students in the class until sparring time, then he is placed with a student who has sound technical knowledge and they spar without using submissions , just a continuous exchange of positions (sparing without submissions) and they do this for a few weeks until i am absolutely satisfied  that they will not injure themselves or anyone else in the class and they fully understand our concept,s and what BJJ is .

A final note to the right approach......

The academy has limits to what it can teach you which is why you must keep an open mind, i can provide you with the technical knowledge and tools to help you on your journey into bjj but you will not find the biggest or toughest opponents at the academy, you will find them in that little place in your head called (your mind or inside yourself )
you will need to train for at least 2 years 3 times a week before you can say you know jiu jitsu , you may believe you know or understand it but i know through personal experiance that you really dont, by the time you reach purple / brown belt you will start to have a real understanding .
A lot of students reach blue belt and then leave the academey because they think i am holding back promoting them or they believed they have arrived because they can tap most of the other blue belts in the academy , here is a word of advice,,,,
There is so much more to BJJ then being able to just execute a few techniques and  submit everyone everytime you spar.

Dont think you have arrived before you are even onboard the train.


Train safe

E.K


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