So, coming from the legendary Renzo Gracie Academy in New York City has exposed me to dozens of the greatest minds in Combat Sports. Those great mindsets include Gordan Ryan, John Danaher, and Renzo Gracie himself.
When you speak to these coaches or pick the brains of world-class competitors, you realize they have unique mindsets that differentiate them from the rest of the pack. And more specifically, they implement this uniqueness during their sparring sessions.
If you feel like you aren’t making as much progress as you could, perhaps, it’s because your mindset is not the most conducive for maximizing your training. Here’s why.
You Need To Start Training Smarter
Contrary to popular belief, I don’t think you necessarily need a teacher to get better in Martial Arts. Nor do you need to train 2-3x per day to get good in a short period — I’ve done both.
Would it help? Yes.
Is it necessary?
No, not if you’re training effectively.
I’ve been traveling the world for the past year and a half, transitioning from gym to gym all over the world with no coach, but I am significantly better than I was a year and a half, eight months, or even two months ago.
I will also note that I have met a handful of higher-level competitors that have helped me out. I don’t want to forget them. But if I compare this to the hundreds of incompetent Martial Artists, I’ve met over the last 18 months, it’s a drop in the bucket.
Honestly, most guys (including Black Belts) you meet are not that technical, i.e., not good.
How do you gauge their level?
Well, when you start sparring or rolling with an individual, their movements, body positioning, and pace of play will indicate whether they are thinking about their techniques or simply resorting to brute strength and bad habits.
I’ve had black belts who have been training 10-15 years longer than me spaz out of my submission attempts with no technique. I’ve had the same black belts not play Jiu-Jitsu with me but jump around from side to side and use stall tactics because they were afraid of getting submitted.
There’s a big difference between being thoughtful about your techniques and mindlessly going through the motions.
If this sounds like you, stop it right now.
Go work on a new defense and let yourself get submitted hundreds of times so you can get better. Who cares if you get defeated, you are trying to deconstruct a new part of your game. And over the long term, you will help your overall improvement.
Remember, it’s instant gratification vs. deferred reward.
If You Start Training Smarter, You Can Get Good In A Short Amount Of Time.
I’m not saying I’m good, but if you analyze most world-class competitors and then look at the individuals who are the best at what they do, you will notice they tend to think a lot.
They think about what they implemented correctly or incorrectly during their training, and they do this every single day. These individuals actively work on getting better without relying so heavily on brute power.
And for me, I give up advantageous positions to my training partners. I just want to get good at this sport, but the only way to do that is to learn how to work out of bad positions.
If you can build competence in your defenses, that’s how you build confidence, just ask John Danaher or Gordan Ryan.
If you believe nobody in the world can submit you, that’s a very important skill that will lead you to take more risks in your offense. So, if you are frustrated about your progression, self-reflect about your training methods, and I guarantee you will notice an area that needs to change.
You don’t necessarily need to get taped out twenty times in a row or not use any strength. But you need to be mindful of what you are doing and always be thinking about improving your technique. Getting tapped out multiple times in a row while working on a new escape is not the worst thing in the world.
This is a side effect of skill-building. By working smarter, you will have a better comprehension of your craft, and your overall skill level will improve.
And remember, just because someone has been training for 15-20 years does not mean they are competent in Martial Arts. It just means they’ve been training a long time.
Don’t let them scare you.
By Max Takaesu
After graduating in May 2018 with a B.S. in Cyber Security, Max Takaesu Hsu decided to pursue Martial Arts as his path. He began training at the legendary Renzo Gracie Academy.
Two years later after spending countless hours on the mats with numerous high-level competitors and world champions, like the Danaher Death Squad, he decided to travel the world.
This digital nomad goes by the nom de plume, the Wandering Warrior Poet, and is currently working from Kyiv, Ukraine. Over the past 18 months, he has trained and lived in Turkey, Japan, Honolulu, and Serbia.
You can follow the Wandering Warrior Poet on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter
