Very often I try to slow down how I roll to see if I can still execute my game plan against a fully resisting opponent when I’m moving at half speed. This method helps me sharpen my technique and timing. The other side of this is to move at full speed and try to still make my techniques work when I’m not paying as much attention to detail.
For this week’s Jiu Jitsu Times Weekly Challenge, we are challenging you to, at least twice per training session, move at full speed, try to overwhelm the other person and see how your technique works when you aren’t actively thinking about it. Be careful with this, if you are training with someone who may not know when to tap, slow your submissions back down so they have time to tap, but otherwise move at full speed.
When we compete we may use less reliable attributes to try to win. We may use more strength than we do in practice or try to outwork our opponent. Similarly, in a violent confrontation/altercation we don’t necessarily have enough time to use good technique. I read a quote by George S. Patton “A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.” Very often in jiu jitsu we focus on being gentle and methodical, but we should still occasionally practice the art and skill of being violent.
Now again I cannot stress enough: KNOW WHO YOU ARE ROLLING WITH. Do not hurt your training partners with this exercise. I have some training partners on whom I can do submissions at full speed because I know they’ll tap in time to stop me from hurting them, but most of my training partners are not on that level. So when I do this exercise, I’ll prematurely let go of the submission knowing that if I don’t, they’ll inadvertently let me hurt them. If you don’t have anyone you trust on this level, talk to your training partners before working on this and like I said, let go as soon as you have secured the submission.
This is a tricky and dangerous training method that has a lot of risk associated with it. If you are a beginner, you probably shouldn’t do it. However, if you are comfortable enough with your technique to know that you’ll know when to let go, this training method will help you sharpen your killer instinct. Very often I’ve seen people who don’t compete much not really know how to pull off submissions on actively resisting opponents. This will help you get there.
Try this challenge out and let us know what you think! Again this is not something to be done with an unprepared training partner, so be careful with it but if done correctly you will see a lot of benefit from it.
