I'm sure this has been asked before, but what areas do i need to concentrate on?
The things i've noticed that i need to improve on were my general tightness and control from the top. My guard is getting quite hard to pass and i'm making myself hard to pin. Am i right in thinking i should now be looking to gain a real good control of my opponent? Should i be looking to be tapping all the other blues - or work more to dominate by guard passing and control?
any advice would be great.
oh and when i say i want my purple, i'm speaking longer term, hopefully in 1.5-2 years.
"My guard is getting quite hard to pass and i'm making myself hard to pin."
Not quite a purple myself, I can't speak with the authority you're looking for, but the way you describe things, you're good at defending. Work YOUR game. Attack. Learn to tap everyone from your guard. Or wherever else. While a good skill, not getting passed won't win any fights.
BB
Bonton,
Yep that's what i'm thinking. I'm making myself hard to tap and hard to score against. Thats why i think the next stage is to start to dominate people positonally. Obviously i do this with white belts and a lot of blues, i'm wondering if this is the way forward in terms of improving to purple level.
What's helped my game recently has been choosing a specific game and going finding simple techs to handle the most common defenses. Find something that works for you lots, and let your game grow from there.
BB
Granted your escapes and positional dominance are in check, find one submission that you own.
GZFS,
What were the criteria?
BB
Tubarao
I've been training about 4 years. I was doing 4 sessions a week, but i've reduced that to 2 now that i have a baby to look after. I've tried to make up for that by watching more comp tapes and instructionals so that i can still keep my mind on bjj when not in the gym.
belts are for holding ur pants up just train hard to me the belt thing is an ego thing anyways
Tubarao,
You're one to talk about ignorance.
Holding people back because you want your club to have a polished tournament record?
Trying to IMPOSE respect and loyalty?
How'bout just EARNING respect and loyalty by GIVING respect and loyalty - you know, supporting your students by NOT holding back a belt when they've earned it and letting them know that you'll be their teacher and friend whether they win or lose.
Fuck. Have some dignity, man.
BB
I understand that your intentions are good, that you want them to feel good about themselves, but believe me, not getting a belt when you've definitely earned it does not feel good. AND, IMO, it holds you back. When I put my blue belt on, even though I'd been at blue belt level for a long time, my game changed. I looked at myself differently. I don't think there's anything wrong with giving them the belt when they've earned it, and letting them decide when it's time to compete. If they lose, they lose. They'll have their blues and purples for a long time. It's ok to lose at first. They'll learn from it. Much more than if they're always outclassing people.
BB
i still contend the belt thing is so over rated and meaningless unless ur in a tourney .Im a blue by the way
Many definitions of a purple. If someone had a blue belt game but a brown belt guard, are they still blue?
Purpleone,
I do think tournaments are important, but not for the reasons most feel...
Competing REALLY shows you what you know. In class, I play a lot of fancy shit, but when the chips are down, you'll find out what moves are really instinct for you. That said, it helps you see major holes in your game. I'm confident in my guard and my overall game, but because no one at my club really does leg locks, I never worry about them. I got tapped by very basic footlocks twice in the last few months. If I hadn't competed against guys who use them, I'd never know I was leaving myself open.
BB
My instructor just instituted a new standard. You have to win a world championship or pan am medal before getting the next belt. I think this is a good policy, because it ensures tournament success, and it takes politics out of the process as much as possible.
I think all instructors should adopt this policy.
There are some really tough blue belts out there. I would like to say this. A blue belt has a good game in one area( guard, passing and holding) and a purple has a more well rounded game. I think the timing is a bit better and the number of attacks are higher( a constant flow of attacks).. My opinion.
I agree with the above post.
That's not a good policy Kashk.
I used to think Kashk's policy was very good.
However, if you consider to fly to Cali, rent a car, hotel, and pay for registration it is probably going to be $500. Then add taking three days of vacation time because you have to compete on a thursday. I think you just end up making cost as much of a factor as skill.
edited because I missed a few words
I don't mind that policy either, granted it's not perfect, but at least it does away with such subjective criteria as teaching ability, technical knowledge and mat time.
Not knowing what competition opportunities there are in the US, maybe some sort of sliding scale could be used (much like they use in Judo).
E.g.,
You need 100 competition points before being "considered" for belt progression. Points can be earned in a variety of ways.
Each opponent defeated:
In A-Grade competition = 15 points (A = Mundial, Pan Ams, Pan Pacs etc)
In B-Grade competition = 10 points (B = use your imagination)
In C-Grade etc etc
Similar point awards can be made for mat time, teach hours etc.
RoninGear, why isn't it a good policy?
People shouldn't care what belt they wear.
If we made this the standard then being a purple or Brown belt would really mean something. I have seen brown belts that aren't all that good. also, forcing people to compete at a high level in order to advance would help the sport grow. And if you are not a competitor, then what does it matter if you don't get the next belt?
cheers for all the advice guys