The culture of being technical ...
Want to be a technical grappler - then establish the habit of being technical right when you first start training. If you are a coach - then expect and demand that your students be fully engaged in technical thinking, right from when they first begin training.
Even when I have my students warming up, and they are doing something as simple as a knee-warm up - I demand that their toes be aligned perfectly. I demand they be technical with things even as simple as this. it's all about establishing the 'habit' of being technical - besides, if we can't be perfect with our warm-up, then how can we expect to be perfect with the more complicated workings of advanced techniques. it's all about the habits we establish.
The 'good enough to get by' philosophy is one that is guaranteed to sabotage our progress on the mat. So let's be techncial, with everythiug we do. besides that, I like congruency! If we are technical about he warm-up, we are more likely to be technical with the drilling - and the learning - and the rolling. if we are sloppy with the warmup, then we are more liekly to be sloppy with the drilling, the learning and the rolling. So be careful about what habits you form!
So with this in mind - the most important rank (for my money) is the blue belt. By then, we have either established good habits or sloppy habits. In my experience, a sloppy blue belt will never become a good black belt - in fact, a slopy blue belt, will probably never even make black belt. A techncial blue belt - will become a technical purple belt - and so on!
We could alomst modify the BJJ ranking systme like this - and get good results:
White to Blue - 3 years
Blue to purple - 18 months
purple to brown - 1 year
six months more - black
My point being - the better blue belt we produce - the easier the progression and development to purple - and so on. Basics rule - but smart and technical basics - really rule!
good training,
JBW
Even when I have my students warming up, and they are doing something as simple as a knee-warm up - I demand that their toes be aligned perfectly. I demand they be technical with things even as simple as this. it's all about establishing the 'habit' of being technical - besides, if we can't be perfect with our warm-up, then how can we expect to be perfect with the more complicated workings of advanced techniques. it's all about the habits we establish.
The 'good enough to get by' philosophy is one that is guaranteed to sabotage our progress on the mat. So let's be techncial, with everythiug we do. besides that, I like congruency! If we are technical about he warm-up, we are more likely to be technical with the drilling - and the learning - and the rolling. if we are sloppy with the warmup, then we are more liekly to be sloppy with the drilling, the learning and the rolling. So be careful about what habits you form!
So with this in mind - the most important rank (for my money) is the blue belt. By then, we have either established good habits or sloppy habits. In my experience, a sloppy blue belt will never become a good black belt - in fact, a slopy blue belt, will probably never even make black belt. A techncial blue belt - will become a technical purple belt - and so on!
We could alomst modify the BJJ ranking systme like this - and get good results:
White to Blue - 3 years
Blue to purple - 18 months
purple to brown - 1 year
six months more - black
My point being - the better blue belt we produce - the easier the progression and development to purple - and so on. Basics rule - but smart and technical basics - really rule!
good training,
JBW
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