In my time leading up to getting my blue belt I noticed a trend with my school, and all other schools around it. It seemed that every week we were learning something new, 5 new submissions, 4 new De La Riva Sweeps, then 3 new Half-Guard Sweeps. Crazy names for them all. In the course of a month I probably learnt 25 “new” submissions and 15 new sweeps along with practicing from 4 different guards.
Each lesson I would think, wow this really works. Everyone else would think the same thing. Then, inevitable the counter would be discovered and before we knew it we were moving onto the next “new” technique since that old one no longer worked in rolling against our peers.
So what happened, over the course of my time I amassed quite a few techniques, and yet I was a master at none. After 2 years training my game was convoluted and often revolved around tricks the opponent didn’t know. I could get submissions, usually lots of Kimura’s against lower levels, but we never studied the basics again except in beginner classes and that was only at a simplistic level.
Basics techniques work, anyone who doubts this just needs to watch Roger Gracie against other World Champions. They just don’t work in the simple way they are generally taught. Everyone should have been taught a X-Choke from mount within the first few weeks, yet how many people can do it even against a person of equal or greater skill and size that knows it’s coming?
I came across this great interview with Ryan Hall and how he is rebuilding his entire game around the basics.
http://www.submissioncontrol.com/main/2009/11/ryan-hall-everything-has-changed/
So I wanted this blog for myself, being an older, slower grappler that doesn’t have the time or inclination to spend 10+hrs a week on training.
It’s time for myself to start training smarter and not harder.
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