Semi-Charmed Life

Self-absorbed Training Entry

Today in training I decided to partner up with some fresh faces because I have been feeling very stagnant lately in my training. I've been getting crushed in training by my usual training partners for some time now, so it felt like I needed a change. In training, it's very easy to get comfortable with a handful of people who you like to train with.

It's not that I cherry pick people in order for easier training, because most of the guys I like to train with range from being competitive with me, to outright crushing me. It's because I know they train safe and that they can go hard without being hazardous to my health.

But today, I needed someone who didn't know my game but who I thought would be around my level. I ended up pairing up with two blue belts who are probably recent blue belts. One was bigger than me and the other one was significantly bigger than me. When it came time to roll, I was amazed at all the passes, transitions and submissions I was able to hit. I RARELY get a submission in training.

Anybody who trains will probably read this and be like psshh look at this loser, so excited about some gym "wins."

It's not about winning. It's about knowing that my jiu jitsu works. A lot of times I think that I've trained for 3 and a half years but my jiu jitsu is just meh, so it's nice to have some type of confirmation that hey, it wasn't all for nothing. I'm actually getting better.

So with this in mind, I need to find a way to balance my training out more. I need to train with fresh faces more often. There is usually 40+ people in class, so a shortage of bodies isn't the problem. A lot of times, what happens is that somebody asks me if I want to pair up. It doesn't feel right to say no, especially when it's somebody who I enjoy training with. But many times I want to work on a new position or a new move and my usual partners are just too good for me to experiment with. I end up being on the defensive the whole time. I swear, the worst compliment to hear from somebody is "great defense man."

I need to be more proactive in asking people who I don't train with regularly to pair up in addition to training with the guys that I like training with.