I know they serve a purpose, but for me, it makes it a bit more difficult for me to focus on just learning jiu jitsu. I could really stay a white belt for life.
I'd really like to forget last class...and I'm not exactly sure why. I even put off writing an entry or taking notes until four days later. I felt burnt out half way through the drills. It took me more tries and help and correcting than usual to learn the technique of the day. I was having a hard time applying pressure with my hips so I had to do a movement drill for hip pressure that I find incredibly awkward. I just tried it again...still awkward, but I figure a few more days of it and I'll be able to start applying it. I don't think it was really any worse than any other class. Definitely no worse than the beginning. I think I'm just still deep in the woods of BJJ. I rolled with a purple and a blue, and I'm still allowing myself to get stuck on my back and not using my hip escapes properly. I did, however, spot two omoplatas (good at the drill, never could see it while rolling).
I hate to admit it, but I think I'm behind where I expected to be after four months training...never mind missing almost a month around Christmas and just having recently started attending more than once a week. Gotta love unreasonable expectations.
I just tried FlowFit again and the knees feel fine. It was quite a bit easier, which I attribute to going to class halfway consistantly. I also think I may have made enough gains in hip flexibility to take some of the pressure off my knees. These few weeks off though...I can tell the difference it made. I stay looser when I'm doing it on a halfway regular basis. I'm going to have to start dragging myself out of bed and just, well, doing it.
Are you better than the Megan of four months ago? That's the important thing to keep in mind. Not to mention jiu jitsu is a marathon, not a sprint: that's a mere four months out of a potential lifetime in the sport. ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's always hard to judge your own progress. Usually, people are harder on themselves than other people are. Also, keep in mind that--as people have told me numerous times--you won't notice your improvement as much because everyone you train with is improving at the same time. You're learning and they're learning, so you're both growing and it may seem like you're not going anywhere. But I am sure that you are. I have felt this way many times and am sure I will feel this way again. I ranted about it in a lot of my earlier blogs. Just stick with it!! :)
ReplyDeleteDefintely@Slidey, especially from a movement perspective. Funny, but I think my low points come right around times of realization...realizing that flexibility is important, realizing how far I have to go endurance wise. And as much as I know, factually, that no matter how I feel, I'm making gains in some area (even if it's just tougher skin and less mat burn), the ego...she still hurts.
ReplyDelete@ A.D. That's a great point and you've got me thinking...I've been rolling with a lot of purples and blues lately. It's great informationally, but I really end up feeling the whiteness of my belt. If they're going easy, I generally know it and while it's helpful, I feel like a little kid. If they don't, I can't pull anything off and I feel stagnant.
I'll definitely appreciate rolling with fellow white belts more. Thanks for reading guys!
The way it's been described to me is:
ReplyDelete1. You'll feel like a complete loser until 6 or 7 mo. They maybe, you won't lose as much...
2. After a year, you think you'll have a grip on what's going on.
3. 6 mo. after that, you'll actually start to have a grip on what's going on.
I once heard Keith Owen describe being a BJJ blackbelt being a matter of being tapped 10,000 times. Also, I've heard that the path progression of BJJ is just slow, and to think of it this way: once you hit black belt, you'll be a black belt for the rest of your life. It's building the belt that counts. All sound like good advice!
Honestly, we all have "off" days. Sometimes, our bodies just won't do what our minds think they understand. In fact, I had Royce Gracie last night describing to me what I was doing wrong with a simple arm bar (not necessarily a BAD thing!) after 10.5 mo. of training. I've never felt comfortable with a standard arm bar, and now I know why and I know how I've got to practice it from now on.
One of the neatest things I saw later came at the end of TUF 11 show 2, when Tito Ortiz's guy lost. (it came on last Wed. night) After the match, the guy was frustrated, and Tito practically begged the guy to come back to show him what he did wrong. (the guy was submitted via triangle, and Tito showed him how to get out of it) Tito's words were basically that losing is bad, just as long as you learn from it. "You'll never get stuck in the same things again!" is what he told the guy as he showed him the proper way to escape the triangle (which happened to be one of the first things I learned when I first started)
ANYWAY, I said all of that to say this: Sure, you had a crummy night, we all do, and all we can do is keep at it! After almost a year of training, my belt's still white, but it's getting tattered. I've picked up about 4 black eyes, a scar, and a fat lip, and I'm still loving every minute of it.
BJJ is slow, cruel, unrelenting, brutal, and challenging... and that's why we love it! Hey, we could've picked something like TKD and I'd have been a... green or blue by now? What fun is that? ;) Good luck and train hard!
-B
"Gotta love unreasonable expectations"
ReplyDeleteHaha that line just became a classic!
Awesome blog Megan!