Having the balls to go easy

Hi everyone,

I recently heard a guy complaining about how he doesn't like schools that don't go 100% during training - like they don't have the balls to go hard.

It has been my experience that what someone lacks in technique, they make up in horse power. This is just as true for myself as it is for others.

If I find myself in a timing deficit, I go faster to make up the time.
If my base is off, I scramble to catch my balance.
If I lack sufficient foresight to avoid a bad position, I use power to hold my opponent off while trying to rearrange my game.

The more I am aware of what's going on, the less I do these things. I do not strive to "go 100%" - I strive to go 60-70%. Given my competitive nature, that is not always easy for me.

By practicing with a calm mind, I teach myself to have clear vision.
By staying in the lower horse power range, I learn to use my other resources more effectively when I'm in a bad position.
By not rushing to finish a submission before my opponent escapes, I learn more about how he escapes, and how to stop him next time.

Training is not fighting.

Training is the opportunity to take chances and experiment, maybe even get caught. Fighting is the time to win, not to take chances unless there's no other way.

When you fight, you do what you're already good at and hopefully it is enough.
When you train, you practice what you're good at, and what you're not good at, in the hope of getting better.
When you fight, your opponent stands in your way, and he must be defeated for you to meet your goal.
When you train, your opponent stands beside you ready to help you fulfill your goals, because he is your teammate.

There is a time in the training cycle to up the horse power and go hard, but it isn't that often. This blog isn't about periodicity in training, so I wont go into that right now. Suffice it to say that 80% of your training should be at 70% or lower. And 100% of your training should be about discipline.

So man up, and have the balls to go easy.

See you on the mat,

Dartanian

Jiu-jitsu,babies and caffeine

Hello everyone,

I am sorry I have not been blogging for awhile. There has been a lot going on.
When my son turned one year old I started thinking more about money. The first year of his life I just thought about keeping him alive -I've never worried about anything so much in my whole life. It has been quite an experience. I started thinking about making more money so he could have as good a life as possible.

I have been very happy to teach jiu-jitsu and not worry too much about other things, but Ronan has changed my perspective a bit. As I began looking for a way to increase my income, I started thinking about what my academy means to me, and how that fits into my new set of goals.

So I opened a coffee shop.

That's right -a coffee shop.

I still have my academy, and the schedule of classes is still the same, and I still teach every day. What I know now more than ever is that I teach jiu-jitsu because I love it, and I am a warrior. When it came down to needing more money to meet my goals, I could have made my academy more commercial. I could have easily changed it over to a money oriented school, but that's not what my academy is for; it is for teaching.

I hope that those who followed my blog before haven't lost interest. Just like when you're on the mat, sometimes in life you find yourself in positions that you didn't expect to be in, but that's when you learn more about yourself and how you think. You learn more about who you are.

I'm happy to be back, and i've got alot to say, so hello again.

See you on the mat,

Dartanian.